WESTFIELD, Ind. — The second Operation Football Game of the Week for the 31st season takes the 13Sports crew to Riverview Health Stadium in Westfield where the fifth-ranked Carmel Greyhounds are set to take on the top-ranked Westfield Shamrocks.
The game is a rematch of last year's first-round sectional game in which Westfield defeated Carmel 37-21 en route to the semi-state championship where the Shamrocks lost to Crown Point in double overtime.
Westfield is playing their first season with a new head coach. Jake Gilbert spent the last 13 season as coach of the Shamrocks, leading the team to four state championship appearances and one state title in 2016. In the offseason, he left Westfield to become the associate head football coach for Wabash College.
The Shamrocks' new head coach, Josh Miracle, is looking to take the program to the next level, and he's already off to a good start. The team is now ranked No. 1 in Class 6A in the latest coaches poll and is coming off a 34-28 victory over Center Grove last week.
Meanwhile, John Herbert is in his 10th season as head coach of the Carmel Greyhounds. Last year was not kind to the Greyhounds as the team finished with a 5-5 record and a loss in the opening round of sectionals. It was the worst season for the Greyhounds since Herbert took over the reigns at the start of the 2015 season.
Since winning the 6A state championship in 2019, Carmel has only made it out of the sectional round one time, with that coming in 2020 when they lost to Ben Davis in the regional round. Since 2021, Carmel has not advanced past sectionals.
However, a new season means a clean slate for Carmel. A 34-10 thrashing of Homestead last week gave the Greyhounds a statement win to start the year. Junior quarterback Anthony Coellner completed 14 out of 23 passes for 114 yards, two touchdowns and one interception against Homestead. On the ground, Carmel junior Andrew Pemberton rushed 10 times for 100 yards and a touchdown.
While Carmel had a relatively easier game to start the season, Westfield battled the Center Grove Trojans last week, holding on for a 34-28 win.
Shamrocks senior quarterback Carsen Melvin looked impressive last Friday, completing 13 out of 16 passes for 175 yards and one touchdown. Senior wide receiver Gabe Aramboles caught 8 passes for 130 receiving yards and a touchdown for the Shamrocks.
Despite Center Grove putting up an aggressive offensive attack, Westfield held on, with the defense adhering to the "bend, don't break" mentality.
It'll be a Hamilton County thriller on Friday, so don't miss highlights during Dave's final season on 13News at 11 p.m.
