By Perry Swack – Sporting Times Reporter
(5A) #9 Greenwood Gators (5-1) @ (5A) #3 Bowling Green Purples (4-1)
El Donaldson Stadium – October 23, 2020 – 7:00pm
Last Game
Greenwood fell at South Warren, 37-13
Bowling Green shut out Christian County, 42-0
2019 Meeting
Bowling Green methodically shut out Greenwood, 39-0, behind a balanced passing and rushing attack. Quarterback Conner Cooper threw for 287 yards and three touchdowns, running back Javy Bunton ran for 100 yards on 12 carries and scored twice, while tight end Jordan Dingle caught three passes for 92 yards and a score. Rece Jones led all players with 12 tackles. Greenwood’s Sebastian Conwell and Dalton Roddy each tallied 11 tackles to lead the Gators.
Last Five Meetings
2019 – Bowling Green 39 @ Greenwood 0
2018 – Greenwood 7 @ Bowling Green 49
2017 – Greenwood 21 @ Bowling Green 42
2017 – Bowling Green 49 @ Greenwood 19
2016 – Greenwood 0 @ Bowling Green 50
Class 4A, District 2 Standings
South Warren 2-0
Bowling Green 1-1
Greenwood 1-1
Christian County 0-2
Preview
This week has been tabbed as a rivalry week of sorts for Bowling Green and Greenwood, as the two schools met on the hardwood Wednesday night for the 14th District volleyball championship (won by Greenwood), on the pitch Thursday night for the 4th Region girls soccer title (won by Greenwood), and now on the gridiron Friday night. Will Greenwood sweep this unofficial rivalry week? History is certainly on the side of the Purples. Bowling Green is 29-0 all-time against the Gators and is a perfect 11-0 since the series resumed in 2011.
The Purples often utilize a balanced offense, and 2020 has been no different. Senior running back Javy Bunton is having a solid senior season, rushing for over 500 yards and 11 touchdowns on the year. His last two games have been scintillating with Bunton rushing for 224 yards and six scores. Catching fire at this stage of the season may be bad news for opposing defenses. Seniorquarterback Conner Cooper also appears to be peaking at the right time, completing 19-of-25 passes for 185 yards and two TDs in last week’s victory over Christian County. Of course, we’d be remiss not to mention linebacker Rece Jones whose 60 tackles (12 per game) is ranked 6th in Class 5A.
As for the Gators, it all begins and ends with junior David Odom. Odom leads the team with 447 rushing yards and 290 receiving yards. Against South Warren last week, the do-it-all Odom was held in check in the run game, so he found a way to make a difference in the passing game – catching three passes for 63 yards. Freshman Lofton Howard has had an outstanding campaign as well, racking up 60 tackles on defense. The linebacker played some quarterback in last week’s game at South after John Morrison was lost for the season two weeks ago with a collarbone injury. Fullback/linebacker Sebastian Conwell is another player to keep an eye on for the Gators. The senior has rushed 51 times and scored five touchdowns on offense, while tallying 49 tackles on defense.
Prediction
Bowling Green 34, Greenwood 10
Bowling Green will clinch a home playoff game with a victory over Greenwood Friday night. The Gators come into the matchup ranked 8th in rushing offense in Class 5A (213 yards per game). However, the Purples are ranked third in rushing defense at 50 yards per game. Strength versus strength. The likes of Odom and Conwell will look to get going against Jones, DL Jeremiah Lightfoot, and safety Bert Kibawa. With Morrison not playing in this game, I think the opportunities for Odom and Conwell to run free will be limited. We saw this last week in the loss at South Warren as the duo were only able to muster 6 combined rushing yards on the night. I believe they will each rush for nearly 50 yards, but it will not be enough.
When the Purples have the ball, they will look to feed Bunton while opening up opportunities for Cooper down the field. Greenwood’s rushing defense is no slouch either, ranked fifth in the class at 55 yards per game. I think Bunton will run for nearly 75 yards and Eli Burwash will play a big role as well in the run game. All in all, BG will be too much for the Gators. The victory Friday will salvage rivalry week for the Purples and ensure Bowling Green hosts a playoff game once again.
Next Week
Greenwood hosts John Hardin on October 30 at 7:30pm
Bowling Green travels to Trinity for a 7:30pm kickoff on October 30
