Three consecutive home games to start the season should benefit Greenwood quarterback Oliver Rau.
A backup on last season’s Class 4A semistate squad, the 6-foot-1, 185-pound junior is eager to direct an offense that returns plenty of firepower after averaging just under 34 points a game.
The graduated Seth Gallman, the Woodmen signal-caller the past two and a half seasons, was a good runner who could also drop back and carve defenses with his passing accuracy.
Rau, meanwhile, would just as soon carry the pigskin himself or improvise while on the run.
“I can do more with my feet like scramble out of the pocket and throw on the run,” said Rau, who saw action in nine games for last season’s Class 4A semistate qualifier. “Coach (Mike) Campbell has made a few plays specifically designed for me that we didn’t do last year.
“Watching Seth benefited me because it taught me how to lead the team. When to throw the ball and when not to throw the ball. The whole varsity team would come to JV games, and Seth pointed out things I did right and things I did wrong.”
Rau attempted only one pass as a sophomore, a 5-yard completion, but ran the ball 44 times as either a quarterback or running back. He finished as Greenwood’s fourth-leading rusher with 205 yards.
“Oliver might be a little more explosive as a runner, but it’s a pretty quarterback-friendly system,” said Campbell, referring to the Woodmen’s multiple option attack. “He was a big part of our offense last season, so it’s not that big of a transition.”
The offense returns a 1,000-yard rusher in senior tailback Nick Willham as well as receivers Isaiah Drew and Luke Raker. The offensive line is bolstered by the return of senior guard Cole Raker, the team’s center the past two seasons, and junior left tackle Noah Dixon.
Campbell said the experience Rau gained playing football and baseball as a sophomore is only going to help him. Rau was the starting pitcher for the Woodmen in the baseball squad’s loss to Franklin Central in a sectional final last spring.
“He’s been in pressure situations before,” Campbell said. “How he develops as a leader, I think that’s important as he’s matured through the summer.”
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Date;Opponent;Time
Aug. 17;Bloomington North;7 p.m.
Aug. 24;Indian Creek;7 p.m.
Aug. 31;Martinsville;7 p.m.
Sept. 7;at Mooresville;7 p.m.
Sept. 14;Plainfield;7 p.m.
Sept. 21;at Perry Meridian;7 p.m.
Sept. 28;at Decatur Central;7 p.m.
Oct. 5;Franklin;7 p.m.
Oct. 12;at Whiteland;7 p.m.
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Coach: Mike Campbell (13th year)
Last season: 11-3; lost to East Central 27-14 in Class 4A semistate
Key returnees: LB Dillon Cloyd, WR Isaiah Drew, K/P Lex Logan, DE Nolan Miller, OL Cole Raker, LB Bryce Taylor, S Alex Walker, RB Nick Willham and DL Anthony Williams, seniors; OL Noah Dixon, WR Bryce Hoffman, WR Luke Raker and QB Oliver Rau, juniors
Top newcomers: DB Jackson Griesemer, senior; LB Joe Bassler, junior; OL Collin Campbell and RB Ethan Haessig, sophomores
Outlook: Mike Campbell feels the additional practices earned through the program’s first semistate appearance in 27 years can only benefit his returning players. Willham rushed for 1,080 yards and 14 touchdowns as a junior, and he’ll run behind an offensive line led by returnees Cole Raker and Dixon. On defense, Taylor is back after leading the squad in tackles. Cloyd, Walker and Miller also gained valuable experience, while Drew is a three-year varsity participant at receiver and in the defensive secondary.
“The thing I like most about this team is its ability to improve. They pick things up and they want to improve. We’ve improved in everything, especially how to practice and practice tempo,” Campbell said. “The big thing is the more practices we got last season. We got 20 extra practices that a lot of our opponents didn’t get to have. They got to see pressure and see big games.”
Notable: The Woodmen warmed up for new Mid-State Conference opponent Perry Meridian by opening against the Falcons the past five seasons. Greenwood won three of those contests.
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1. Which opponent’s field is your favorite/least favorite and why?
“My least favorite is probably Indian Creek because we usually play on turf, so it’s hard to adjust to their (grass) field. My favorite is probably Martinsville because it’s always a good game, always a good atmosphere, and I grew up with a lot of people who go to Martinsville.”
2. What other position would you play if your coach let you?
“I would play quarterback because I played it a lot (when younger). When Seth (Gallman) became the starter, (coach Mike Campbell) asked me to move to wide receiver, so I feel I would be best there.”
3. Which school that is not on your schedule would you love to play against?
“I would love to see East Central because there’s a lot of bad blood between us, I think. They just beat us in semistate, and I would love to see them and right our wrongs.”
4. What’s something about this year’s team that will surprise people?
“They see (last year’s) senior class and how big it was, and they were able to do stuff that we haven’t done here in a long time. They see them leaving and think we’re inexperienced. But we have a lot of returners coming back. I think we’re young and fast and we’re going to be able to go under a lot of people’s radars and shock a lot of people.”
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