Greenwood relied heavily on its defense early Friday, then used a breakthrough game from running back Nick Willham to put Paoli away.
Willham rushed for 147 yards and three touchdowns, helping the Woodmen bounce back from their first loss of the season with a 27-6 victory.
After a scoreless first quarter, the Woodmen (5-1) started the second with a 10-yard pass from Seth Gallman to Conner Battinau for a touchdown.
With 7:31 to play in the second quarter, a roughing the kicker penalty on Paoli allowed Greenwood to get a first down rather than losing possession. Gallman threw a 35-yard pass to R.J. Meyers on that drive, but the Woodmen still came up empty.
The score held at 7-0 through the rest of the half. After a 48-yard run by Luke Raker, Paoli’s Dietrich Sears intercepted the ball at the Rams’ 7-yard line to kill off another Woodmen scoring threat with 1:02 left in the half.
The Woodmen came out strong in the second half, with a 14-yard grab by Battinau followed by a 7-yard run by Gallman which took the team into the red zone. Willham then scored a touchdown on a 3-yard run.
Despite two stops near the goal line by Noah Compton and Bryce Taylor, the Rams (4-2) finally put six points on the board with 3:25 left in the third quarter.
The Woodmen answered quickly. Willham then stretched the margin back to 14 points with a 9-yard touchdown. Minutes later, the Woodmen got the ball back, and Willham scored his third touchdown to close the scoring.
Gallman passed for 158 yards for the Woodmen, who host Decatur Central next Friday. Battinau finished with five catches for 59 yards.
