By Parker Myers
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I love this rivalry.

For me, that stems from being a cross-country runner. My freshman year as a runner, I watched the Warren Central Warriors tear up the course, led by the unforgettable De’Sean Turner. They ripped apart the competition all the way through the season, ending with a State Championship.

As a result, I always associate Warren Central with a big-time rivalry. This is especially true with football. You’ll understand if you take a look at the two teams’ recent history.

The same year that Turner was dominating cross-country races, the Warriors were unstoppable on the turf also.  Matt Upshaw and Darren Evans were simply untouchable that year, breezing through a 15-0 season on the way to a 35-14 rout in the State Championship.

A rout of your very own Greyhounds. If you think that’s bad, take a look at how their regular season game went down. Carmel put up a big goose egg in the scoreboard, and Warren Central sailed to a 28-0 victory. You don’t forget a MIC rivalry shut-out like that very easily.

But then Warren Central ran into a wall that we knew around campus as “Mr. Football”: Morgan Newton.
In 2007 and 2008, Newton was dominant in the meetings between the two powerhouses. In revenge for the previous season’s State defeat, Newton ran for three touchdowns and threw for another one in a 42-35 Carmel victory.

The next year, lest the Warriors forget Newton’s name, he lit them up for two passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown in a 31-17 Carmel victory once again.

Nonetheless, none of these stats or bylines will have any effect on Carmel’s Homecoming game this year. Both teams will come into the game on a level playing field.

In this Homecoming game, the matchup is perfect offensively. Two of the top quarterbacks in the MIC conference? Check. The two leading rushers in the MIC? Check. The two leading receivers in the MIC? Check.

As a result, the game will be decided by defense. It wins championships, and it will win this game for Carmel.

At the time of this writing, Warren Central was allowing about 25 points per game. They will face a huge challenge in the Greyhounds. The Greyhounds have allowed about 11 points per game. This number is even inflated when you consider that Carmel has sat their defensive starters at the end of less-competitive games.

The Greyhounds will not be able to hold the Warriors to nine points. But the Warriors will not score at will like they have been. Seniors John Wood and Brian East anchor one of the toughest defenses in the State right now. There’s no way that a MIC rival is going to put up big points on their final Homecoming night, I can tell you that.

This will be a particularly rough game for Carmel. Warren Central’s offense is incredibly potent, and under the Friday night lights of a Homecoming football game, anything could happen.

But this game will belong to Carmel’s veteran defense. My prediction, Carmel defeats Warren Central, 24-14.