By Charlie Browning
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Tomorrow night running back and senior Devin Brinson will take the field in front of a Homecoming crowd for the last time in his high school career. He is determined not to let all of the fans down.

“Homecoming is always a special game, and it’s never fun to lose when everyone is watching. Also, it’s against North Central, a MIC, opponent, so that makes it even more important,” Brinson said.

Gabe Johnson, co-defensive coordinator and assistant coach, agrees with Brinson, saying Homecoming is a special game.

“I think it’s special because of its literal meaning,” said Johnson. “A lot of former players and people who have been a part of Carmel High School in general get to come home and watch us play. It’s neat that we get to coach in a sport that entertains the Homecoming. And it’s a neat opportunity for current players to get to hear from guys who have had the experience of playing in the game before.”

The entire Homecoming week is full of activities and spirit days designed to get the school ready for the big game tomorrow night. All of the hype leading up to the game could be perceived as a distraction to the players, but Brinson said he doesn’t think so.

“It’s definitely a good thing for us, it gets us pumped up to play,” said Brinson.

Johnson said he agrees all of the build up throughout the week is a positive thing for the players.

“The week leading up to the game just helps the players realize the importance of Homecoming,” Johnson said. “It’s a neat experience that I think all schools should participate in and all players should have. Our goal as coaches is to make sure the players are prepared to the best of their ability and are ready to play come Friday night. There’s no question that nothing gets in the way of us preparing for the game. We want to make sure that we end the week on a positive note.”

The preparation for the game this year, though, will be a little different than any of the previous years. This is a result of new head coach Kevin Wright being hired over the summer.

Wright, who had been head coach at Warren Central and Noblesville before, said he was very pleased with how easy of a transition it was.

“It has been as smooth a transition as I could have asked for,” said Wright. “We really only lost one coach, Coach Richmond, who had already accepted another job. All I did was bring in a couple of guys to compliment the guys that were already here. The coaches all work well together, and the players were receptive to some of the new staff members from day one.”

Johnson, who was a coach at CHS last year with Coach Moriarity, said the transition was easy to adjust to.

“Coach Wright is a great, proven coach, and I think for the most part he tried to keep things consistent,” said Johnson. “And he knows how to have success, so the changes he’s made are moving us in the right direction.”

Brinson said he is excited about some of the new staff and is looking forward to having a good year playing for them.

“At first it was a little rough, but once you get to know them, they’re great guys. We all love them,” said Brinson.

The fact Brinson and the rest of his senior class have accepted the new coaches and taken the change in stride has been key to the improvement of the team. Johnson said he thinks this has been a very important factor during the transition.

“The guys you look to the most during a big change like this are the seniors,” said Johnson. “Our seniors have done a remarkable job at accepting the coaching changes and realizing that the changes are good. Seniors are the cornerstone of any program, and to have all of them on board with this has been great.”

Wright said he has been  impressed with how the senior class responded to the transition.

“Our senior class as a whole has been tremendous leaders since the start of summer workouts,” Wright said. “We have a group of 43 seniors that like each other. It’s a group of guys that play hard, play smart, and play together. Our goal is to improve every week so that we will be playing our best come playoff time, and I think their leadership will help us get there.”

Although this Homecoming game might be slightly different in terms of the players’ preparation and game-planning, players say it is just as exciting.

Johnson said that he thinks the community of Carmel’s involvement is what gets the players so excited to play in the Homecoming game.

“When you lookup into the stands during a game, you understand the role the community has in this team,” Johnson said. “They have a genuine interest in how the team does. I think the community that backs our team is one thing that separates Carmel from other schools.”

Wright said he agrees and is honored to be the coach of the Greyhounds.

“I’m just excited to be here and be a part of it,” Wright said. “I always tell the guys this: it’s not my team, it’s not their team, it’s the city of Carmel’s team.”