By Jeff Hodge
Contributing Writer
INDIANAPOLIS – For almost three-and-a-half quarters of the Class 5A state championship Nov. 29, it looked like No. 2 Carmel was going put its second consecutive trophy in a blue & gold duffel bag and go home.
The Greyhounds enjoyed a 19-point lead over its Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference foe, Center Grove, with just over eight minutes remaining in a surprisingly one-sided 5A final. But the top-ranked Trojans proceeded to post the biggest comeback in state finals history in a miraculous 36-33 victory.
Flash back to 8:18 of the fourth quarter. A 41-yard Carmel punt further backed the Trojans up to their own 42-yard line after they were flagged for an illegal block. Center Grove (14-1) had generated only 55 total yards of offense in the second half, and the vaunted wing-T attack had the Trojans literally tripping over their own feet while floundering on the Lucas Oil Stadium turf.
And there seemed no cause for alarm when Center Grove called three straight running plays that netted but 13 yards. Were the Trojans even interested in a last-gasp comeback try?
Then a funny thing happened. A CG passing game that had been downright moribund sprung to life, buoyed by not just one but TWO onside kick recoveries.
With senior quarterback Jordan Luallen going 3 of 4 for 37 yards through the air and running for the last five yards himself, the Trojans cut the Greyhounds’ lead to 33-21 with 6:04 left in the game.
Not surprisingly, CG attempted an onside kick and, in an unlikely sign of things to come, recovered it at the Carmel 48. Could we be in store for a most improbable climax to this state finals game … not to mention the largest deficit ever overcome in state finals history?
CG drove to the Carmel 2 but was in need of a miracle play. On 4th and goal, Luallen hit classmate Michael Ward on a jump ball for the touchdown. After driving 48 yards in nine plays and 2:53, the extra point cut Carmel’s lead to 33-28.
We all knew what was coming next: another onside kick. This time, the ball bounded off Greyhound sophomore Scott Stilson and was recovered by the Trojans at their own 42.
All night long, the Carmel defense had harassed Luallen and disrupted the offensive plans for the Trojans. Would they have enough left in the tank to overcome their fiercest MIC rival from the north?
With 3:07 remaining, Center Grove embarked upon one final drive.
Luallen, scrambling all night for his life, was finally able to find some time. Completing three of his four passes for 23 yards and rushing twice for 20 yards, Luallen set the Trojans up with 3rd and 3 at the Carmel 5.
Senior Luke Swift capped off the incredible journey by rushing for those final five yards, bouncing off several would-be Carmel tacklers for a 34-33 lead with only 50 seconds to play. The Trojans, whose only loss had come to Carmel (13-2) back in Week 3 on a two-point conversion, fittingly converted this two-point try on a Luallen pass to Swift.
Although Morgan Newton and the Carmel offense had been in this situation before against CG, this time the Greyhound standout quarterback had less than a minute and no timeouts. A couple long passes failed to deliver, and the comeback was complete.
“That’s football,” said Carmel coach Mo Moriarity. “It’s not supposed to happen to us, but we’ve all seen those things – when the momentum gets turned around at the end like that, it’s hard to get it stopped.
“We had the game won, and obviously we didn’t get it. We couldn’t finish it. We couldn’t get them stopped.”
In review: Center Grove recovered two onside kicks and scored three touchdowns in just over half a quarter to rally for the victory. The Trojans picked up 178 total yards of offense in scoring 22 points in 8:41 – that after amassing 186 yards in the first three quarters of the game.
Newton said he never felt comfortable with the Greyhounds’ lead, remembering how his team had rallied from a 12-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat Center Grove 33-32 during the regular season.
“We were eager to get the ball back,” said the University of Kentucky-bound Newton. “We felt like we could have gotten one of those onside kicks – we should have had all of them.
“We pride ourselves on playing total Carmel football, which is offense, defense, and special teams. I think today, our special teams got us.”
While the Trojans were not able to stop Newton (he wrapped a stellar career with 211 yards rushing on 19 carries yet completed 12 of 19 passes for just 78 yards), that fateful fourth quarter did indeed do in the Greyhounds.
Moriarity said that, like most teams that face Center Grove, he felt like Carmel would be in good shape if the Greyhounds could force the run-oriented Trojans to throw. But on those final three drives, Luallen went 11 of 13 for 99 yards.
“They got some good bounces with the onside kicks,” said Carmel defensive back Joe Rippe. “It was tough to come back out (defensively) so many times.”
Moriarity said there wasn’t any excuse for Carmel not recovering either of the onside kicks.
“We work on that every week (in practice) – that’s our ‘hands team’ that’s out there,” Moriarity said. “(Center Grove) made plays at the end of the game and we didn’t. It’s a tough loss.”
Perhaps these two talented quarterbacks will meet again on the gridiron (Luallen will play at Georgia Tech). The two wished each other well as they embark on their college careers.
Center Grove’s Swift named Mental Attitude Award winner
Following the game, the IHSAA Executive Committee named Luke Swift of Center Grove as the winner of the Phil N. Eskew Mental Attitude Award in Class 2A football. The award is presented annually to a senior participant in the state finals who was nominated by his principal and coach and has demonstrated excellence in mental attitude, scholarship, leadership, and athletic ability.
It is named in honor of the IHSAA’s third commissioner, who served the association from 1962-76 and who helped initiate the state tournament in 1973. Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance, the IHSAA’s corporate partner, presented a $1,000 scholarship to Center Grove High School in Swift’s name.
Swift played running back and returned kicks for the Trojans. He is a member of the track and field team and specializes in the hurdle and relay events. He placed sixth in the 110 hurdles and anchored the school’s 4×400 relay at the 2008 state finals. Swift earned All-Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference, All-Metro South, and All-County honors culminating from the 2008 season.
Swift has volunteered his time with the Lord’s Pantry, Gleener’s Food Kitchen, Day of Caring, and numerous church functions. He also was selected to represent Center Grove in the IHSAA Role Model poster program.
Academically, Swift maintains a 3.5 GPA on a 4.0 scale. He is undecided on his college choice but would like to pursue a career in sports medicine.
Swift is the son of Mike and Lin Swift of Greenwood.
Processing your request, Please wait....
