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Class 5A No. 1 Carmel holds off No. 2 Center Grove

Greenwood, Ind. -- It wouldn't be a Carmel-Center Grove high school football game without a frantic, down-to-the-last-second finish.

The Carmel Greyhounds celebrate their 21-14 victory at Center Grove High School on Friday night. The previous four games played for the rivalry's Copper Kettle trophy had been decided by a total of eight points.

It was no different Friday night.

Class 5A No. 1 Carmel survived a last-gasp drive to hold on for a 21-14 win over No. 2 Center Grove in front of a crowd estimated at more than 6,000. It marked the sixth time in seven years the Greyhounds won the Copper Kettle game between the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference rivals.

"I told the kids, 'You won't play in a better atmosphere than this on the road,' " said first-year Carmel coach Kevin Wright. "Winning here is a tough, tough thing to do."

PREPS BLOG: Five things we learned PHOTOS Gallery of images from the game.

As usual, it didn't come easily.

After struggling to move the ball in the second half, Carmel (3-0) carved out an eight-play, 60-yard drive and took a 21-14 lead on a 15-yard run by Devin Brinson with 4 minutes, 28 seconds left. A key play on the go-ahead drive was a 12-yard run by quarterback Scott Stilson on third-and-6 that came with Ohio State recruit and standout defensive tackle Joel Hale on the sideline with an equipment issue.

The Trojans responded, driving into Carmel territory. Facing fourth-and-10 from the Greyhounds 44, Center Grove quarterback Kody Kavanaugh escaped pressure up the middle, rolled to his right and completed a 21-yard pass to Mitch Mappes, who cradled the ball while on his knees behind two defenders.

After an incomplete pass, Kavanaugh hit Nick Stoner for a 5-yard gain to the Carmel 18. With the clock running under 20 seconds and no timeouts left, Center Grove ran the ball on the next play and Chris Flowers was stopped at the line of scrimmage. The Trojans scrambled, but could not get off another play.

Eighteen yards short, no time left.

"If we could have had one more play, we had something for them," Center Grove coach Eric Moore said. "I wish it was (the television show) 'Deal or No Deal.' I would have bought a timeout."

Brinson rushed for 115 yards on 23 carries to lead Carmel and had 35 of his yards on the go-ahead drive. Center Grove's defense adjusted to the Greyhounds' zone-read play in the second half, but Brinson broke up the middle on the 15-yard touchdown run and saw nothing but daylight.

"This game is always huge and we wanted to get it done on that last drive," Brinson said. "It was all about pride."

The previous four games between the teams -- including Center Grove's 36-33 win over Carmel in the 2008 5A championship game -- had been decided by a total of eight points. It was more of the same Friday.

The Greyhounds jumped on top 7-0 on a 1-yard sneak by quarterback Brandon Denning on the first play of the second quarter to cap a seven-play, 52-yard drive.

After Carmel missed a field goal on its next drive, Center Grove's Jimmy Daggett raced 80 yards up the right sideline to make it 7-7 midway through the second quarter. Daggett rushed for 141 yards on 22 carries.

Carmel struck again with seven seconds left in the first half on a 21-yard pass from Stilson to Billy Davis to take a 14-7 halftime lead.

Center Grove tied it at 14 on its first possession of the second half as Chris Flowers capped an eight-play, 45-yard drive with an 11-yard touchdown run.

The defenses dominated the rest of the second half before the nail-biting finish.

"Our kids stay on an even keel," Wright said. "We played in a game against Cathedral (a 28-21 win in the season opener) in a game just like that. They don't seem to get rattled."