Senior Brandon Denning has played for the Carmel Greyhound football team for the last four years and has gained an impressive amount of experience from watching his teammates. The last two years, Denning has watched the Homecoming game from the sideline, patiently waiting for his time to show fans his talent.
However, this year is different for Denning. He moved from the sideline to the huddle this season and will start for the Hounds as they take on Lawrence North Friday night in the Homecoming game.
Denning started playing football when he was in elementary school, starting with Carmel Dads’ Club. Before high school, he said he did not care which position he played as long as he found a spot on the team.
In high school, he began on the freshman team as quarterback and worked his way up to junior varsity as a sophomore. As a junior, all of his hard work started to pay off as he earned a spot on the varsity squad. Now, after a summer of workouts and pre-season training, Denning holds the starting position as the team prepares for Homecoming.
“When you get out there on the field on Friday nights, all the practices and hard work are worth it. It is a real adrenaline rush for me when I have the chance to go out on the field. I just want to show the coaches and fans what I can do,” Denning said.
Denning is not alone in starting his first Homecoming game as a senior. On Friday night, 11 seniors will make their first ever start in a Homecoming game.
According to head coach Kevin Wright, this is an increase from past seasons. Although experience is an important part of a football team, Wright believes there are positives to having first year starters on the team. “There are always advantages to having a big group of seniors on the team,” Wright said. “This group of seniors is hungry to prove their mark, being first year starters. They have been through the program, so we aren’t losing too much experience.”
The other players on the team agree with Wright on the fact that the team will still be competitive even with a lack of experience from their seniors. Like Denning, senior  Adam Kehoe  is a player who worked his way up the ranks and will  make his first Homecoming start for the Greyhounds on Friday night.
“I think the players and team will perform well without much experience,” Kehoe said. “The summer workouts and preseason practices helped us fit into our roles. By the time the Homecoming game takes place, we will have already played four games and be comfortable with the system.”
Denning and Kehoe will be two important senior leaders for the team this year. Since Denning is the quarterback, he has already accepted a natural leadership role just by playing that position. Some players may feel nervous in this position as a first year starter, but Denning embraces the opportunity.
“It is finally my time to set an example for all the other players on the team,” Denning said. “The team relies on me to perform my best and I like that feeling. That will be my favorite part of being a senior leader this year.”
Although the team’s lineup will look very different for Homecoming this season, the routines on and off the field will be the same. According to Wright, Carmel’s Homecoming tradition is the reason why it is one of the best in the nation, and it offers an experience almost equal to some colleges.
“Homecoming in Carmel is still very special to the players, student body and citizens of Carmel,” Wright said. “The whole student body is involved and very few high schools in the nation can say that.”
The spirit week and anticipation that lead up to the Homecoming game excites the students, teachers and players alike and, although fun, Kehoe said it is important to stay focused on the game and not get caught up in all of the pre-game hype.
“It will be important for us as a team to block out the distractions before the start of the game,” Kehoe said. “The emotions will be higher because this is our game to win, but we have a consistent routine that the players and coaches will follow to help settle down before kickoff.”
As the Homecoming game approaches, players and coaches will have to begin their pre-game planning. Wright says he understands the significance but is going to treat it like any other game.
For Denning, the most important part of preparing for a game like this is mental.
“A big part in preparation for me is the mental aspect of things,” said Denning. “These things include watching film and knowing all of my assignments before stepping on to the field.”
Although many would say that Denning deserves the starting role because of the amount of work has put in,, he is still pleased with his opportunity to start this year..
“I have wanted to play football since I was a toddler; my whole family loves the game, so naturally I wanted to play as well,” Denning said. “It is finally my time to lead the team in front of my peers and be looked up to as a leader.”