CARMEL, Ind. — Two of the biggest and most athletically successful high schools in Indiana appear headed for a sports divorce.
Carmel has reportedly informed Center Grove that the Greyhounds no longer want to play the Trojans in any high school sports. The two schools are huge rivals representing the north and south suburbs of Indianapolis.
Center Grove says Carmel wants to cancel contracts in all sports. Center Grove says the request came during a phone call between the two athletic directors this week.
Center Grove notified families in an email from the principal:
CGHS Families,
We want to share with you information that may impact our future athletics schedules. On Tuesday, our athletic director was informed by the athletic director at Carmel High School that Carmel desires to cancel their contracts with CGHS in all sports. This sudden request came as a shock, given the collaboration we have enjoyed over the last 25 years. We have reached out to Carmel to request a meeting to address any concerns they have regarding the future of our relationship.
Throughout the last year, we have been and continue to be guided by our goal to do what is best for our CGHS students. We want to provide our students with an athletic experience that includes rigorous competition and the support necessary to help them excel in their sports and grow into responsible young adults. We appreciate your support and patience with our administrative team and coaches, as we continue to work for what’s best for our students.
Your Partner in Education,
Jeffry M. Henderson, Ed.D.
Principal
Carmel would not confirm that it wants to end sports competition between the schools, offering no public comment Friday.
But people close to the situation believe the possible sports breakup was precipitated by an incident at the boys basketball game Jan. 6 at Center Grove. The host Trojans ended an 11-game losing streak to the Greyhounds. Center Grove student fans stormed the court.
After the teams shook hands, Carmel boys basketball varsity coach Ryan Osborn directed his team to get off the court and avoid the crowd. But Osborn turned back toward the crowd. Osborn allegedly bumped into a few fans before he was shoved by a student. That student was disciplined, reportedly suspended from school for three days.
In December 2021, Carmel and Center Grove both considered leaving, then were voted out of, the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference, the power athletic conference in Indianapolis.
Both schools are independents in athletic competition and may be independent of each other soon.
No one wanted to go on the record for an interview Friday. But sources told 13News that Carmel officials feel that Center Grove did not take crowd control or a coach being pushed seriously enough. Some in the Center Grove community believe the Carmel coach bears some responsibility for walking forcefully into the celebrating group of students.