When you look through the history of Carmel football, you are met with the stories of decades worth of success. You hear about the undefeated seasons, the upsets, the dynasties, and the elite status of 9 time state champions. But rarely you are reminded of the 18 year championship drought.
From 1990 to 2006, Carmel did not win a state championship. Some teams came very close, but none as close as the team in 1994. That year the greyhounds headed into the playoffs with a record of 6-3, with a dominant offense that put up 40 points or more in 4 different games. The team fought through their first 3 playoff games, avenging 2 of their regular season losses, and found themselves playing at Castle in the semi state game. The game was close, but Carmel ultimately found themselves up 14-13 late in the fourth quarter. But then came what was without a doubt the worst decision ever made in the history of not just Carmel football, but Carmel athletics as a whole.
The Greyhounds had the ball first and goal on Castle’s 3 yard line. With a one point lead, and with Castle being out of time outs, all Carmel had to do was take a knee three times and they would be state championship bound. But this was not the case. Instead of taking a knee, Carmel handed the ball off to fullback Jim Lawhorn who ran in for an easy score. The problem? Star wide receiver and also kicker Jason Williams had already started taking his pads off. When Carmel called for the PAT unit, Williams was rushed out to the field, when he expected the game to be over. He missed the extra point, perhaps because he thought the game was over, and suddenly the score was 20-13 and Castle was getting the ball back with a chance for a miracle.
Sure enough, Castle drove 87 yards in 57 seconds and scored, making the game 20-19. There was no hesitation on the Castle sideline to go for 2, and they did. They converted, and had a 21-20 lead. On the ensuing kickoff, Carmel mishandled the ball and Castle got possession.
Castle would win and go on to beat Portage 30-12 in the state championship, a team that Carmel surely would have ran over, but never got the chance. To this day, any long-time Carmel fan will tell you how the 1994 team was robbed of a state championship. Carmel would remain searching for a championship until 2007, when they beat Pike 16-7