Bowling Green quarterback Conner Cooper fired five touchdown passes and his defensive teammates were equal to the task in the first round of the KHSAA Class 5A football playoffs on Friday night.
By Jim Mashek – Sporting Times Reporter
Bowling Green quickly took control and cruised to a 35-7 victory over Greenwood in what may be the final game at El Donaldson Stadium. The Purples (6-3) will now travel to face arch rival South Warren (6-0) on Friday night in second-round play.
South Warren’s defense was the difference earlier this season when the Spartans held off Bowling Green 10-7 on October 2 at BGHS.
“It’s two of the best high school football programs around,” BGHS coach Mark Spader said, “and we’re in the same district. You can use all kinds of cliches, but it’s usually a heckuva battle. They’re a really good team.”
Greenwood finished its season 6-3. The Gators are now 0-31 all-time against Bowling Green, and Greenwood defender Cody Riney admits that number has become a mental burden for his team.
“It’s in our heads, all the time,” Riney said. “You lose to the same team so many times, yeah, you think about it. But this has been a season with a lot of adversity for us. We only had one COVID-19 case, I think. Coach (William) Howard has done a great job keeping us together, keeping us safe.
“After a game like this, we can’t have any excuses.”
Cooper got the Purples into the end zone for the first time midway through the first quarter, hitting Tyler Strode on a 10-yard touchdown pass. Javy Bunton turned in a sensational effort on the Purples’ second touchdown, catching Cooper’s screen pass in the right flat before following his blockers on the way to a 52-yard touchdown reception.
Bowling Green was in control.
“The passing game was working for us,” Cooper said. “We tried to take advantage of the matchups. We would have liked to have played better, but we’ve had a lot of obstacles this week.”
Spader admitted the Purples had to adjust to the COVID-19 protocol during the week, which may have hurt their execution in the long run.
“We had a big quarantine situation and got a bunch of kids back on Wednesday,” Spader said. “We just had to ride it out.”
Bowling Green had not played in three weeks, which might have contributed to some pre-snap penalties and similar setbacks.
“I wasn’t really happy about that,” Spader said. “But I’ll take a playoff win any time.”
Cooper and the Purples’ passing game stayed on the attack in the second quarter. The BGHS quarterback found Strode for a 26-yard touchdown pass with 2:40 left in the half, pushing the Purples’ lead to 21-0.
Greenwood sophomore Dalton Howard, filling in at quarterback for an injured John Morrison, got the Gators in the end zone on the final play of the first half.
Riney recovered a Bowling Green fumble with 1:09 left, and the Gators cashed in when Howard lofted a 14-yard touchdown pass to Sebastian Conwell on the final play of the first half.
That gave the Gators a jolt in the arm at halftime, but Bowling Green’s defense answered the bell time and again in the second half, forcing Greenwood to turn the ball over on downs three times on the Purples’ side of the field.
Cooper used all his receivers and hit teammate Eli Burwash for a 9-yard touchdown pass early in the third quarter. Then, with 8:40 left in the game, Cooper unleashed a 50-yard touchdown pass to Burwash on a deep ball that covered more than half the field.
“Conner has really shown a calmness on game night,” Spader said. “We’re pleased at how he’s been practicing and leading his teammates on the field.”
Bowling Green’s defense stopped the Gators one last time in the game’s waning moments, and the hype for the Purples’ rematch with South Warren could begin.
“We’ll be ready,” Cooper said. “We’ll be prepared.”
