By Jim Mashek
Mid-September had arrived and the Greenwood High School football team
was sporting an impressive 4-0 record.
The Gators showed their resourcefulness, turning it on in the second
half to whip tradition-rich Franklin-Simpson on opening night, 28-14.
Three weeks later, Greenwood stopped Warren East 22-13 to remain
unbeaten in four games.
The Gators would win just one more game, dropping six, including a
first-round loss to South Warren in first-round play of the KHSAA
Class 5A playoffs.
Former Western Kentucky defensive lineman William Howard is back for
his third season as the Gators’ head coach. Howard is a strong,
towering type who’s sporting a lumberjack’s beard these days. He vows
not to shave “until we start playin'” with the 2020 KHSAA season
hanging in the balance.
Thursday’s pending announcement from the KHSAA Board of Directors on
the COVID-19 pandemic has everyone in a state of flux.
Particularly in the case of the Gators, who return 10 defensive
starters from last year’s 5-6 squad. Senior quarterback Jon Morrison
is also back for Greenwood, but Howard and his coaching staff have
plenty of questions on the offensive line.
The ultimate question, though, is whether Greenwood and the rest of
the teams in the Commonwealth will get a chance to play.
“I don’t know if there’s words to describe the ups and downs we’ve
been going through,” Howard said.
Howard and the Gators’ coaches have had to work with small groups of
players over the summer months. And Greenwood is scheduled to get two
weeks of work as a team — with just one week of contact drills —
before the September 11 opener, a home game against Christian County
High School.
Howard has two varsity athletes at Greenwood — senior volleyball
player Katie Howard and sophomore Lofton Howard, who makes the move
from outside linebacker to inside linebacker — so he has particular
interest in Thursday’s KHSAA directive.
“In my estimation, the rewards outweigh the risks,” Howard said. “You
just do the best you can do. I feel for all the seniors,with all the
work they’ve put in while they’re in school.”
Lofton Howard is just one of the veteran defenders the Gators will be
counting on this fall.Jonathan Gornik, a 6-foot-2, 315-pound senior,
is a proven performer at defensive tackle. Greenwood also uses Gornik
as a power back in goal-line situations. He carried the ball seven
times for 19 yards and three touchdowns last season.
Linebacker Sebastian Conwell (6-0, 205 pounds), defensive
end/linebacker Evan Ellison (6-0, 200), and outside linebacker Will
Price (6-1, 180), all seniors, should give the Gators some defensive
flexibility. Two more seniors, Dalton Roddy and Cody Riney, bring more
experience to the Greenwood defensive front.
William Howard believes building a winning football culture starts at
the grass roots level, which is why he helped implement a youth
football program for youngsters in his area. He’s hoping his team will
get the opportunity to play.
“Nobody has an answer right now about tomorrow,” William Howard said.
The Gators have to replace departed placekicker/punter Ben Patterson,
who was 4 for 6 on field-goal attempts in 2019. Simion LaCruse and
Drew Smothers,both soccer players, have the edge at those positions at
this juncture.
Senior quarterback Jon Morrison turned in a solid performance last
season, but the Gators usually passed sparingly. He completed 75 of
189 passes for 993 yards and six touchdowns. Senior running back David
Odom is also back for Greenwood, after rushing for 711 yards and five
touchdowns last season.
The only other returning offensive starter is center Logan Hunt, a
6-foot-2, 265-pound senior. Putting an offensive line together in a
couple weeks is a tall order but that’s whereHoward and the Gators
find themselves.
“We’ve got five or six kids competing for four spots,” Howard said.
“Hopefully, the cream will rise to the top.”
Greenwood has plenty of experience in the secondary, too.
Safeties Sam McNabb (6-0, 180) and Parker Scott (6-0, 170) are back
for their senior year, and Andrew Hatcher is a returning starter at
cornerback. The 6-0, 175-pound Hatcher is just a sophomore.
The Gators are scheduled to open the season at Warren Central on
September 11, and they’ll be tangling with defending champion Bowling
Green High School, South Warren and Christian County in Region 1,
District 2-5A.
“We’re going to be ready to go,” Howard said.
