Ben Davis rallies from 24 down to stun Carmel, earn share of MIC title
By CLIFF BRUNT
ISL Editor
INDIANAPOLIS — Ben Davis coach Mike Kirschner had a simple message for his team after it had to rally from 24 points down to beat Carmel 28-24 on Friday night.
“Do me a favor – don’t do that again.”
A few seconds later, he delivered another simple message.
“You are MIC Champions!”
Chris Evans ran for 123 yards and three touchdowns, including the game winner, to help Ben Davis (7-2) complete a stunning comeback. Kyle Castner passed for 250 yards and a touchdown and Michael Beaty caught 11 passes for 127 yards for the Giants, who earned a share of the conference title with Center Grove.
“We got off to a slow start,” Castner said. “Our offense didn’t execute and our defense had some troubles. But we went in there at halftime and kept our heads up. I think that was the key.”
Carmel quarterback Isaac James ran 10 times for 97 yards and three touchdowns and was precise early in his execution of the zone read option. This video shows one of James’ better runs in the second quarter.
Chris Perkins ran 12 times for 86 yards for the Greyhounds (6-3), who were coming off an exciting win over Pike that was televised by ESPNU.
It looked like it was going to be another banner night for the Greyhounds. James scored his third touchdown on a 7-yard run with 9:27 left in the second quarter to give the Greyhounds a 24-0 lead.
“They owned us in the first half, no question,” Kirschner said.
Well, not for the entire first half. Castner threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to Beaty to trim Carmel’s lead to 24-7, and Kirschner saw Carmel begin to unravel.
“All of a sudden, you could see our line getting a surge on their kids,” he said.
Carmel had outscored its opponents 130-60 in the second half of games this season, so a regroup was possible. The Greyhounds were especially strong after halftime in recent wins over Warren Central and Pike.
Not this time.
Evans, a sophomore, exploded for a 32-yard touchdown run with 5:49 left in the third quarter, then punched it in from 5 yards out 10 seconds into the fourth quarter to cut Carmel’s advantage to 24-21.
Carmel’s Zach Woods muffed the kickoff and Ben Davis’ Leon Lesley recovered at the Carmel 20. A 21-yard pass from Castner to Sean Boswell set up Evans’ 1-yard score, which turned out to be the game winner.
Here is the touchdown:
Carmel had a final chance, but Shakir Paschall was stuck for a 1-yard loss on a fourth-and-1 from the Carmel 39 in the final minute.
Castner said Ben Davis’ offense could have done damage in the first half but the unit simply wasn’t focused.
“It was there, we just didn’t execute,” he said. “Our line had a couple people slip through. But we stepped up big time in the second half. I didn’t get hit at all.”
The Giants always believed they could come back.
“I think it’s got a lot to do with the coaches,” Castner said. “They harp on us and they stay on us during the halftime.”
One of the keys to the game was Ben Davis’ adjustment on the zone read. Kirschner said it was a matter of the linebackers sticking to their assignments.
“Do what you were coached to do, not something else, and good things will happen,” Kirschner said.
Ben Davis appreciates the conference title, but the Giants said the real test starts now. The Giants will face Avon in sectional play on Friday night. Last year, the Giants lost to Pike in the first round of sectionals after beating Carmel in the regular-season finale.
“We’ve got to stay focused,” Castner said. “We came off a big win last year and went into Pike and we lost big time. This year, we have that concern in our hearts and we know that we’re climbing the mountain.”
Here is Ben Davis singing school song after the win:
Carmel 17 7 0 0 — 24
Ben Davis 0 7 7 14 — 28
C — Adam Kremer 39 FG
C — Isaac James 1 run (Kremer kick)
C — James 17 run (Kremer kick)
C — James 7 run (Kremer kick)
BD — Kyle Castner 27 pass to Michael Beaty (Danny Alvarez kick)
BD — Chris Evans 32 run (Alvarez kick)
BD — Evans 5 run (Alvarez kick)
BD — Evans 1 run (Alvarez kick)
