Greyhound Football is back at home this Friday, August 29th, to take on the #2-ranked Westfield Shamrocks. After a lackluster 2024 campaign that saw the hounds finish with a losing record for the first time in 27 years, dating back to 1997. But, with the return of head coach Kevin Wright, this season has been looking up, and there is a new fire to the Carmel Greyhounds.
Last week, Carmel defeated the Fishers Tigers handily, 49-24, with both the offense and defense on fire. The hounds’ dynamic offense was on full display with Senior QB Anthony Coelner lighting up the stat sheet, passing for 188 yards on 81% completion with 1 TD while also rushing for an additional 112 yards and 3 TDs.
Carmel’s offense is highlighted by the stars everywhere on the field. At running back, Andrew Pemberton and Ayden Johnson provide the perfect rushing combo of power and agility, combining for 189 yards on Friday. Out wide, Carmel’s receiving game is led by 3-star Senior receivers Spencer Sell, Dom Shockley, and Jake Bellin. Shockley was Coelner’s favorite target of the night with 4 receptions for 100 total yards and breaking a big one free for a gain of 67 yards. On the other hand, Bellin was able to bring in the hounds’ first and only receiving touchdown of the night on a bold 4th and 6th in the first quarter.
While the Hounds’ bold new, quickfire offense was the story of the night, the defense cannot go unnoticed. The Hounds recorded 4 tackles for loss and 2 sacks on the night, one by Senior Linebacker Will Massey and the other coming from transfer and 3-star Duke Commit Dane Bathurst. Bathurst was a fear for Fisher’s QB Gage Sturgill all night as Bathurst comes in at 6’4”, 235 LBs.
On the opposing sideline, the #2 Westfield Shamrocks are not a team to gloss over, led by 3-star Safety/Running Back and Northern Illinois commit Deacon King. Westfield defeated the Homestead Spartans at home easily with a final score of Westfield 35 – Homestead 0.
On the offensive side of the ball, SR QB Aiden Grabowski only threw for 61 yds on 41% completion. He was also able to run for an additional 40 yds and get into the endzone with his legs for 1 td. The star of the game, though, was running back Deacon King, who rushed for 160 yds on just 7 carries for an average of 22.9 yds per carry. King scored 2 of Westfield’s 4 touchdowns, with the last touchdown coming from running back Cooper Melvin.
While the offense lit up the scoreboard for Westfield, the defense kept the board dim, shutting out the Homestead Spartans. The Shamrocks were led by their defensive front, who recorded 14 sacks on Friday, with Srs Issac Weingart and Alex Aramboles having 2.5 sacks each. Weingart also recorded 9 total tackles at LB, and right next to him, LB Olumide Fapetu recorded 10 tackles. Fepetu was also able to get the defense a takeaway, taking 1 interception back for 24 yards. This Westfield defense may prove to be the biggest problem for Carmel on Friday.
With great firepower on both sides of the ball, this week’s matchup is gonna be one not to miss. Head Coach Kevin Wright’s return to Carmel Stadium against cross-county rival the Westfield Shamrocks is sure to become an all-time classic, and you can listen to it right here on 91.3 WHJE or at whje.com.
