Senior quarterback Christian Williams could do no wrong. 

Williams completed nine out of nine passes for 174 yards and two touchdowns to senior receiver Colton Parker, spurring the Hounds (8-3) to five touchdowns in five possessions. That would be more than enough to wrap up a 35-7 beatdown and Carmel’s 31st sectional title, the most in state history.

Not a bad 49th birthday present for head coach John Hebert, who improved his playoff record to 18-3, the highest in school history. Hebert made sure to give credit where credit was due.

“Aaron Hahn is our offensive coordinator, and he’s done an unbelievable job. We’ve been hitting our stride lately ever since the second half of the Ben Davis game and the Warren game. (The offensive line is playing great, (Williams) makes it all go, the running backs are doing their part, and receivers are blocking so well and doing their part. We’re really coming together at the right time.”

Indeed, the offense put together its most complete performance of the season, piling up the points against a scrappy Westfield (6-5) team which nearly upset number 1 Avon earlier this season. Senior running back Dylan Downing caught a screen pass and raced 44 yards into the red zone, before tiptoeing in from 10 yards out. 

After an interception by senior linebacker Kyle Lozen, Williams unleashed one of the finest passes of the season. Parker, running a vertical on the left side of the field, had half a step on his defender as he curled toward the middle. Williams held the ball an extra beat before airing a rainbow 32 yards in the air toward the front left pylon, where only Parker could catch it. Parker veered to his back shoulder and snagged the touchdown to put the Hounds up 14-0.

Hebert said, “He’s so smart and poised. The last thing I ever think about is how skilled he is, but his skill level is tremendous. He knows how to put the right amount of touch on the ball, the right amount of air. 

“He’ll be the first one to admit he’s not perfect, but he’s pretty close.”

Just two minutes later, a play action fake drew all of Westfield’s linebackers toward the line of scrimmage. Williams casually flicked it over them to Downing, who rumbled 34 yards to the Westfield 1. Williams wasted no time, punching in the sneak to run the score to 21-0. On the last possession of the half, senior Zach White caught a screen pass and broke a tackle for a 22 yard gain. He then broke yet another tackle to run in a 35 yard touchdown, delighting the crowd. 

The last touchdown was the easiest. Parker was left completely uncovered at the Westfield 31, and dashed straight for the end zone. For one fleeting second, Williams’ pass seemed overthrown as it sailed through the chilly night sky.

But it dropped gently into Parker’s gloves. It was perfect.

NEXT WEEK

The Hounds embark on a long road trip to take on Homestead (11-0) for the Regional championship. Homestead, undefeated against fellow Fort Wayne schools, dominated Carroll 38-14.  “I haven’t watched (Homestead), but I’ve seen something on them. They’ve got a quarterback who’s really good and a tight end who’s committed to somewhere in the MAC (Mid-American Conference), and they’ve got a linebacker that plays running back and who’s committed to Miami-Ohio. They’ve got some players, their coach is great, they run a great program,” Hebert said.

EXTRA POINTS

The defense was equally impressive, pitching a shutout (the Shamrocks’ lone touchdown came off of a blocked punt). Seniors Dominic Padjen, Ty Wise, and Kyle Lozen flew around the field, holding Westfield to just 94 yards in the first half.