By JAMES SEAY
For The Reporter
CARMEL – Hamilton County foes Westfield (8-1) and Carmel (5-4) squared off on Friday night at Carmel Stadium to open tournament play in Class 6A Sectional 4. The Shamrocks were able to ride their stingy defense and opportunistic special teams for a dominant 37-21 win to advance to the sectional championship game.
Westfield was the first to possess the ball and marched the length of the field to threaten the Carmel defense. The drive included a trick play on fourth down to extend the opening series.
Head Coach Jake Gilbert said, “No one would accuse me of being a trick play guy, so that was the one for our season.” The Rocks would fumble on the one-yard line after the conversion.
On the ensuing Greyhound possession, junior Drew Law intercepted a pass and returned it 52 yards for the game’s opening points.
“We drove down the field and fumbled at the one, a gut-wrenching play. It was great that Drew helped to flip the momentum with a pick-six. It helped spark our confidence and energy that carried us for the rest of the game,” said Gilbert.
The momentum was evident as WHS was able to force a three and out, which included a sack by senior William Goodvine III to push back CHS deep into their own territory. The Rocks’ special teams used that momentum to block the Greyhound punt and recover the ball deep in Carmel’s red zone. Junior Mikeah Webster punched in a short touchdown run to put Westfield up 14-0 early in the second quarter.
“Keegan Krupp blocking the punt was outstanding, he did an excellent job timing the punt and used his technique to continue the momentum for us,” said Gilbert.
Not to be outdone by the defense and special teams, the offense moved the ball effectively in the second quarter to stretch the lead to 28-0 by halftime, powered by Senior Jackson Gilbert both throwing and running for a score.
Jake Gilbert expressed his pleasure with the team’s performance, stating, “I thought we were clicking on all cylinders tonight.”
The Greyhounds opened the second half with a long, methodical drive that was capped off by junior Collin Jonson finding the end zone on a 25-yard scamper. The momentum that Carmel gained, however, was quickly halted when Jackson Gilbert connected with junior Gabriel Aramboles for his second scoring strike of the night.
Carmel continued to fight in the fourth quarter as Westfield extended the lead to 37-7. Sophomore quarterback Anthony Coellner connected on a couple of deep passes to give the Greyhounds two touchdowns, but the damage was already done by Westfield to effectively put the game out of reach.
Carmel quarterback Anthony Coellner threw for two touchdowns. (Joshua Herd)
Carmel’s season ended with defeat and a (5-5) record for the 2023 season. They played one of the toughest schedules in the state, including three teams outside of the state of Indiana and for 31 of their players, it will be the last of their high school career.
Westfield’s season will go on as they travel to Noblesville to compete for a Sectional Championship. Coach Gilbert says they are very familiar with their Hamilton County rival: “This will be the eighth time we’ve played Noblesville in the last four years, so we are very familiar with them, as they are with us. At the end of the day, the best part about winning is getting another week with our guys.”
The Sectional 4 Championship between Westfield and Noblesville will kick off on Friday at 7 p.m. at Beaver Stadium in Noblesville.
WESTFIELD 37, CARMEL 21
Score by Quarters
WHS 7 21 7 2 – 37
CHS 0 0 7 14 – 21
Team Stats WHS CHS
First Downs 14 19
By Rush 10 5
By Pass 4 13
By Penalty 0 1
Rushes-Yards 41-144 19-115
Yards Passing 86 260
Comp-Att-Int-TD 9-10-0-2 20-35-3-2
Fumbles-Lost 3-1 1-1
Penalties-Yards 6-50 7-42
Punts-Average 3-21.0 1-14.0
Scoring
First Quarter
3:29 – (WHS) Drew Law 53-yard interception return (Brody Boehm kick)
Second Quarter
11:29 – (WHS) Mikeah Webster 1-yard run (Brody Boehm kick)
1:53 – (WHS) Broc Parker 6-yard pass from Jackson Gilbert (Brody Boehm kick)
0:33 – (WHS) Jackson Gilbert 7-yard run (Brody Boehm kick)
Third Quarter
8:07 – (CHS) Colin Johnson 20-yard run (Matthew Obermeier kick)
3:04 – (WHS) Gabe Aramboles 3-yard pass from Jackson Gilbert (Brody Boehm kick)
Fourth Quarter
10:50 – (WHS) Team safety
6:24 – (CHS) Ozzy Pollard 12-yard pass from Anthony Coellner (pass failed)
0:15 – (CHS) Jacob Bellin 54-yard pass from Anthony Coellner (Nate Rogers pass from Anthony Coellner)
Westfield individual stats
Rushing: Kendall Garnett 21-101, Jackson Gilbert 8-17, Melvin Carsen 2-16, Max Nosler 2-14, Mikeah Webster 2-10.
Passing: Jackson Gilbert 8-9-88, Melvin Carsen 1-1-minus 2.
Receiving: Gabe Aramboles 3-21, Broc Parker 2-9, Parker Knott 1-34, Beau Braun 1-15, Max Nosler 1-9.
Carmel individual stats
Rushing: Norvil Tucker 6-49, Anthony Coellner 9-38, Colin Johnson 4-28.
Passing: Anthony Coellner 20-35-260.
Receiving: Christian Peterson 6-55, Jacob Bellin 5-117, Nate Rogers 4-51, Ozzy Pollard 4-27, Norvil Tucker 1-10.