Woodmen face homecoming challenge

Only one Greenwood Community High School football team has defeated Decatur Central since the Hawks joined the Mid-State Conference in 2006.

Not coincidentally, the “W” occurred the most recent time the Woodmen claimed the conference title.

Greenwood is tied with county rival Whiteland atop the Mid-State standings with a 3-0 record. But Greenwood coach Mike Campbell realizes plenty of work remains to achieve league supremacy for the first time since 2012.

Following Friday’s homecoming game against Decatur Central is a trip to Franklin, followed by the regular-season finale at home against Whiteland.

“The biggest thing is we’re playing two county teams, and Decatur Central this week is very athletic, well-schemed, and they do a lot of creative things to get the football in the hands of their athletes,” Campbell said. “Our kids know we have our work cut out.

“But as they’ve gained experience, they’re learning how to handle situations very well. Win or lose Friday, we’ll find out what kind of team we have as we hit tough games coming up.”

Greenwood is hoping to rebound from last week’s 31-21 loss to Class 3A No. 6 Guerin Catholic, a game that, despite the final outcome, yielded many positives.

Sophomore quarterback Seth Gallman completed 15 of 26 passes for 235 yards and a 67-yard touchdown strike to senior receiver Jackson Daugherty. Gallman’s brother, John, has now rushed for team-highs of 583 yards and six touchdowns.

On defense, senior linebacker Brayton England posted 12 of his team-leading 75 tackles this season in the loss to Guerin Catholic. England also has five quarterback sacks through the Woodmen’s first six games.

“We did some things that we haven’t been able to do the previous weeks. We still need to clean up our execution in some areas, but we’re just going to continue to grow as a football team,” Campbell said. “As far as the conference race, we’re going to take it one game at a time.”

The coach said he thinks these next three outings not only present a great opportunity for his players but tremendous preparation for the postseason.

A total of eight teams feed into Class 4A Sectional 21. Along with Greenwood, some of the favorites include Roncalli, Beech Grove and undefeated Northview.

[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”Prep Blitz sidebar pullout” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]

MID-STATE STANDINGS

Greenwood      3-0

Whiteland        3-0

Decatur Central 3-1

Plainfield           1-2

Franklin            1-2

Mooresville        1-3

Martinsville        0-4

What’s ahead:

Greenwood – Friday: hosts Decatur Central; Oct. 9: at Franklin; Oct. 16: hosts Whiteland.

Whiteland – Friday: at Mooresville; Oct. 9: hosts Plainfield; Oct. 16: at Whiteland.

Decatur Central – Friday: at Greenwood; Oct. 9: hosts Roncalli; Oct. 16: hosts Franklin.

[sc:pullout-text-end]

Previous article‘Making progress’
Next articleNever-ending nightmare
Mike Beas
Mike Beas is the Daily Journal's veteran sports reporter. He has been to more than 200 Indiana high schools, including 1990s visits to Zionsville to profile current Boston Celtics GM Brad Stevens, Gary Roosevelt to play eventual Purdue All-American Glenn Robinson in HORSE (didn’t end well) and Seeger to visit the old gym in which Stephanie White, later the coach of the Indiana Fever, honed her skills in pickup games involving her dad and his friends. He can be reached at [email protected].