Phone: 317-846-6601 Fax: 317-575-4244 Website: www.ihsaa.org
Blake Ress, Commissioner
_________________________________________________________________________
November 24, 2007
CARMEL WINS FIRST FOOTBALL
TITLE SINCE 1989
A state finals record crowd saw
Carmel (13-2) win its sixth IHSAA football state championship, and first since 1989
after defeating Pike, 16-7, in the Class 5A football state championship game at
the RCA Dome in Indianapolis.
The win gives coach Mo Moriarity his
third title and first at Carmel. He joins Dick Dullaghan
(Carmel and Ben Davis) as coaches who have won championships at two different
schools. Moriarity coached Bloomington South to a pair of 5A titles in 1993 and
1998. He coached the Greyhounds to a state runner-up finish a year ago.
Pike jumped out to a 7-0 first
quarter lead, scoring on a 52-yard touchdown pass from senior Josh Carpenter to
senior wide receiver Jeremy Turner that was set up by a fumble recovery by
junior defensive back Troy Smith.� Carmel
responded on its ensuing possession with a 15 play, 67 yard drive that was
capped by a 2-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Morgan Newton to
senior tight end Jacob LaRosa. The Greyhounds added a
field goal from senior kicker Cory Kemps as time expired in the first half to
take a 10-7 halftime lead.
A pair of costly mistakes cost
Carmel a scoring opportunity midway through the third quarter. The
Greyhounds’ Chase Varndell picked off Pike
quarterback Josh Carpenter and returned it to the five yard line. A 10 yard
penalty moved it back to the 15. Three plays later, Newton was intercepted in
the end zone by senior defensive back Kendall Flemings.
Kemps added a 32 yard field goal and
a 25 yard field goal to push the Carmel lead to 16-7 halfway through the fourth
quarter and set an overall state finals record for most field goals in a game.
The Red Devils (14-1) were led by
Turner’s 84 receiving yards and a touchdown.� Carmel held Pike to 53 yards rushing on 25
attempts. Pike, which won its first sectional championship three weeks ago, was
coached by first year leader Derek Moyers.
This year marked the last
championship games to be played in the RCA Dome and this year’s five
games drew a record 51,217 spectators. Saturday’s three games also drew a
record 38,478.
After the game Pike’s Cameron
Lowry was named as the recipient of the Phil N. Eskew
Mental Attitude Award.
PIKE’S
CAMERON LOWRY NAMED MENTAL ATTITUDE AWARD WINNER
Following
the game, the IHSAA Executive Committee named Pike High School’s Cameron
Lowry as the winner of the Phil N. Eskew Mental
Attitude Award in Class 5A football.
Athletically,
Lowry is the team’s leading blocker and is a four year starter at left
tackle for the Red Devils. He has been named Junior All-State by the Indiana
Football Coaches Assocation, Bloomington Herald All-State, All-Conference Indiana and All-Marion
County by the Indianapolis Star.
Besides football, Lowry also has thrown the discus and shot put for the
school’s track and field team.
Outside of
sports, he also is a member of the school’s symphonic orchestra.
Academically,
Lowry rates among the best students in his class of 595 students. He maintains
a spot on Pike’s honor roll and is a member of the National Junior Honor
Society. He plans to study pharmacy at a college to be decided.
He is the
son of Orlando and Penny Lowry of Indianapolis.
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 Pike High School in the name of
Lowry.
Class 5A Game Quotes
Carmel coach Mo Moriarity
On Coming in Second Last Year
“We
wanted to get back and win one.� We got
down 7-zip but the kids didn’t blink.�
That’s a great football team.�
I’m just really happy for our kids and the community of
On Carmel’s Tradition
“The
last one (championship) was in 1989, and it feels good to be a part of bringing
that back to
On the Closeness of the Game
“It
was a hard game, but that’s what makes them so special.� To win a state championship in such a hard
fought game … we were able to get it done and that’s really
something.� When two teams are as evenly
matched, it’s going to come down to something like the kicking game, and
that was the case tonight.”�
On Kicker Cory Kemps
“We
do have one heck of a kicker.� He’s
been kicking well all year long, even though he hasn’t had to hit many
field goals.� He has a strong, strong
leg.”�
On Quarterback Morgan Newton
“Morgan
is a very special 16-year old and he is going to get a lot of attention in the
coming months.”
On
“In
the playoffs our defense has really been playing well … best of the
year.� You have to be able to win with
offense, defense or special teams, and tonight it was mainly defense and
special teams.”
Pike coach Derek Moyers
“The
difference in the game was when we had big plays, we had penalties.� Plus we had zero field position all night
long.� A lot of that had to do with the
kicking game.”
“The
penalties came back to haunt us, and we turned the ball over too many
times.� If you ask
“I
hope no one takes anything away from our players tonight.� No one in the state of
“We
didn’t have a lot of offense tonight, obviously
“Anytime
you lose a state championship game you are disappointed.� We made too many mistakes and good teams like
Carmel capitalize on them.”
VSN MEANS ACTION PHOTOGRAPHY
Visit our
friends at Visual Sports Network, the IHSAA’s official photographer for all state
championship events and one of the leading action photographers in the
CHAMPIONSHIP MERCHANDISE STILL AVAILABLE
For t-shirts and other merchandise commemorating this year’s tournament or for any of our events, visit our friends at Morris, Inc.
STATE FINALS PROGRAMS AVAILABLE
Couldn’t
be there for the state finals? You can still purchase a copy of the official
souvenir program while supplies last! Programs are $3.00 if you purchase in
person at the IHSAA Office (