By no means can it be considered a reach for those predicting a Center Grove-Carmel rematch later this season.
Only the next time, indoors.
In a matchup that actually exceeded the hype between the Nos. 1 and 4 teams in Class 6A, the top-ranked Trojans mustered enough heroics late to pull out a wild 31-27 victory.
With 2:26 remaining in the fourth quarter, junior quarterback Tyler Cherry threw a 47-yard touchdown pass over the middle to Noah Coy for what turned out to be the deciding points.
The play was the first after Trojans senior Eli Hohlt, the intended target over the middle on a second and 10 from the Trojans’ own 38, was taken off the field in an ambulance following a helmet-to-helmet hit by a Carmel defender.
“Man, I took that to heart,” said senior safety Jalen Thomeson, who was also used as a running back for the Trojans, leading them with 91 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 17 carries. “Eli, we love him to death. He works so hard and is a big guy on this team.
“We took it personal. After we saw that, we said, ‘We’re going to win this game for Eli.’”
In doing so, Center Grove maintained possession of the Copper Kettle, extended its win streak to 30 and improved to 2-0 on the season entering next week’s game at Louisville Trinity.
“That’s a great Carmel football team. There kids played hard, our kids played hard. We survived,” Center Grove coach Eric Moore said. “Our kids are resilient. They can deal with some adversity, and they still know how to win. That’s the No. 1 thing — they still know how to win.”
Carmel, which has lost its first two games of the season for the first time since 1973, nonetheless looked every bit its ranking — if not more.
Led by the passing of senior quarterback Jackson Kazmierczak, the Greyounds continued to answer every Trojan score.
Kazmierczak’s 31-yard scoring strike to senior Blake Matthews with 4:14 remaining put Carmel up, 27-24. They were the latest points in the constant back-and-forth between the two offenses.
Cherry wound up completing 12 of 19 passes for 170 yards; Coy made six catches for 129 yards, while senior Micah Coyle rushed for 79 yards.
“We knew it was going a big game,” said Thomeson, who last ran the football during his bantam league days in Lawrence Township. “We knew it was going to be a dogfight.”
The Greyhounds struck first on their third offensive series, marching 44 yards in seven plays after the Trojans were forced to punt from deep in its own territory.
Facing fourth and goal from the 1, Kazmierczak snuck the ball past the goal line at 9:52 of the second quarter for a 7-0 lead.
Center Grove responded the ensuing series by covering 80 yards in 10 plays to tie the score on Thomeson’s 4-yard TD run up the middle with 5:23 showing on the clock before halftime.
The first of two enormous plays to move the chains was Coy’s one-handed snag of a Cherry pass that gained 33 yards despite excellent defensive coverage from Carmel cornerback Kyle Fedorcha. Then, with the Trojans facing fourth-and-four from the Greyhounds 37, Cherry found Hohlt near the left sideline. Hohlt pivoted to change direction and wound up with an 8-yard gain.
From there, the kickers took over.
Ben Sponsler split the uprights from 23 yards out for a 10-7 Carmel advantage at 2:52 of the second. Center Grove countered with senior Nolan Foley making good from 31 yards from the right hash mark with only 4.3 ticks showing.
