NC looks to avenge last week’s loss
Quarterback Zayd Vestal looks to pass the ball during the Panther victory against Warren Central three weeks ago. North Central beat Carmel last year at their homecoming by a touchdown. The Panthers look to defeat the Greyhounds for the second year in a row tonight.
September 25, 2020
Today, North Central takes on their biggest school rival, the Carmel Greyhounds. The meeting between the times last year resulted in one of the signature wins for the Panthers: a 27-21 victory at Carmel’s homecoming game. It was a key victory on the road to winning a share of the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference.
Currently, the Panthers are coming off of their worst game of the year, in which they fell to the number one ranked Center Grove Trojans 47-0. It is their lone loss of the season so far. While North Central is 4-1, Carmel is a respectable 3-2. They also got shut out by the Trojans to go along with a 16-point defeat at the hands of Cathedral. Last week the Greyhounds outlasted Lawrence North 36-34.
Expect North Central to continue to use a balanced offensive approach. Senior quarterback Zayd Vestal has thrown it 95 times for 798 yards and eight touchdowns, along with four interceptions. Vestal’s favorite target is senior Theran Johnson, who has 332 receiving yards and four touchdowns. On the ground, senior David Smith will likely continue to be the workhorse back. Smith has carried the ball 81 times this season for 384 yards and three touchdowns. He has gone over 100 yards on the ground in two games this season. Carmel, led by junior quarterback Zachary Osborne, has over 600 passing yards so far this season. They use a committee approach to the running game, with eight ball carriers totaling 947 yards.
On the defensive side of the ball, junior linebacker Zion Woods leads the team in tackles with 47. However, Micah Green has been the biggest playmaker. He leads the Panthers in tackles for loss
(nine), sacks (four), and quarterback hurries (16). Senior Thomas Bronaugh has also put up 39 tackles, two interceptions, and a fumble recovery.
North Central is ranked fifth in the state by the AP poll while Carmel is ranked eighth. Greyhounds coach John Hebert is 53-20 at Carmel, while Kevin O’Shea is 22-15 at North Central. Carmel leads the all-time series 28-14. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Panther Stadium.
