CARMEL – Three individuals battled it out for the Carmel starting quarterback job this summer. All three played on the field at the same time Friday night.
To be clear, Jackson Treadway started at quarterback in Friday’s scrimmage against Zionsville. But Mychael Lewis, previously a starting quarterback at Pike, shined at running back. And Chris Harris, previously a starting quarterback at Park Tudor, played both at receiver and saw time at quarterback.
You can’t play three quarterbacks at a time. But you can get three quarterbacks on the field at the same time.
“It’s a blessing,” Carmel coach Kevin Wright said. “Three very unselfish kids. They have been right there for each other through the competition, and it has been all about the team. No matter who is in. Chris played receiver and Mike played running back. You’ve got to get those guys on the field and Jack did a nice job throwing the football down the field.”
Treadway, a backup last year for current Boston College freshman Anthony Coellner, looked the part against Zionsville, connecting on a 47-yard bomb to Alim Broadnax to set up Carmel’s second score in an eventual 42-0 win (can you win a scrimmage?) and later connecting on another perfectly-throw 47-yard pass to Luke Brown to set up another score.
“With Jackson and Chris both it’s been, ‘Let’s get a little better,’” Wright said. “It’s been a feeling out process because we compete. I’m not handing it to anybody. Jackson has done a really good job of coming in and competing. At the end of the day, that’s all you want. But it’s a long season and you have to keep developing guys at every position. That is probably what I was happiest with tonight, even though penalties were not good … the depth part I think is what we have to take pride in.”
Treadway, who was 8-for-12 passing for 216 yards and two TDs last season, mostly handed the ball off to running backs Ayden Johnson and Lewis on Carmel’s first offensive drive, which ended on a 2-yard TD run by Lewis. But the senior also looked comfortable in the passing game, including the two long throws.
“We are each other’s biggest allies,” Treadway said of Lewis and Harris. “We worked for each and other and with each other. At the end of the day, we’re all trying to make the team as good as it can be.”
Other takeaways from Friday night’s scrimmage:
>>>Lewis is going to be a dynamic running back on the zone read for the Greyhounds. I’m sure he could turn around and run it from the quarterback spot, too, if necessary. That running back spot sure seems like a strength for Carmel with the junior Johnson, Lewis, senior Maddox Knudson and junior Gavin Jones all looking impressive at different times. Senior Josiah Gilmore will also be a factor.
“We have a really good group of running backs,” Wright said. “When (Gilmore) gets back, it will be good. It’s nothing long term. We had some guys we wanted to hold out and some guys on a rep court with it being a scrimmage.”
>>>Wright was admittedly unsure of what to expect out of his team last year going into the season, which was the first of his second tenure at Carmel (his first, from 2010-14, yielded one state title and two more state finals appearances). The Greyhounds finished 9-2, a six-win improvement from 2024, but fell in a 23-20 overtime heartbreaker to Westfield in the sectional final.
Does he have a better idea of what to expect in Year 2?
“Not really,” he said. “The advantage we have is we have numbers and we have depth, so we can practice pretty fast and we’re in good condition. We just have to look at the film and details, but we’ll know more when we look at the film next week and it really matters. At the end of the day, I like our culture, I like our enthusiasm. The light show, the music … I don’t know of a better atmosphere in the Midwest. From that standpoint, they expect to win. It’s not guaranteed but I think that’s the difference from where we were at last year.”
>>>Carmel’s defense was outstanding all night. Zionsville went three-and-out on its first drive, picked up a pass interference on its second drive and then was turned away again. The closest the Eagles came to scoring followed a Carmel turnover, but a missed 46-yard field goal kept the ‘0’ on the board.
>>>Carmel senior starting point guard Cash Daniels played with the first-team defense at cornerback. Daniels, one of the top basketball players in the senior class, certainly looks the part at cornerback.
>>>I much preferred the “game” feel of the scrimmage over the previous situational scrimmages. Easier to follow.
>>>I toured the new Carmel press box and locker room area before the game. Very nice. The press box is not quite complete but should be by Friday’s game vs. Fishers.
>>>Zionsville might have some growing pains, but I think the result on Friday was largely to do with Carmel. The Eagles have some good pieces there, including junior tight end Theo Schott and running backs Zade Bankert and Spencer Choi. The Eagles open at Pike next week.
>>>Football is back, folks. Can’t wait to get started for real next week.
Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649. Get IndyStar’s high school coverage sent directly to your inbox with the High School Sports newsletter. And be sure to subscribe to our new IndyStarTV: Preps YouTube channel.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Three QBs on field at once? Carmel uses all of its resources, rolls in scrimmage
Reporting by Kyle Neddenriep, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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By Kyle Neddenriep, Indianapolis Star | USA TODAY Network
