Lincoln-Way East surges past Carmel

Lincoln-Way East 17, Carmel 7

THE SKINNY: Lincoln-Way East (1-0) scored 17 unanswered second-half points, rallying from a seven-point deficit en route to its first win of the season in nonconference action at Carmel (0-1) Saturday night.

TURNING POINT:A 14-yard TD pass by Griffins senior quarterback Jordan Wirtz with just under six minutes left in the third took the wind out of the Corsairs’ home crowd. It gave the Griffins the lead for good at 14-7.

THE STAR: Lincoln-Way East junior running back Alex Kraft (18 carries, 152 yards) had a huge second half. After picking up just 15 yards on five carries in the first half, Kraft exploded for six gains of 13 yards or more in the third and fourth quarters. Carmel running back Darius Crump also notched a 72-yard TD run on the first play of the second half.

BY THE NUMBERS: Lincoln-Way East overcame six fumbles (three lost) and a pair of interceptions. Carmel, meanwhile, fumbled the ball five times (lost one) and threw one interception. The Griffins outgained the Corsairs in total yardage, 274-128.

QUOTABLE: “I thought our offensive line did an outstanding job of creating holes for me,” Kraft said. “They really stepped it up as the game went on.”