Greenwood’s Jackson Haessig is brought down during Friday night’s game at Seymour.
Greg Jones | For the Daily Journal
By Dakota Locker // For the Daily Journal
SEYMOUR
Greenwood kicked off its first season under new coach Justin Boser on Friday night with a road trip to Seymour’s Bulleit Stadium.
It certainly wasn’t boring.
Brock Riddle was 20 of 26 passing for 434 yards and six touchdowns, three of those to Amare Middleton, as the Woodmen overcame a 15-point first-half deficit and came away with a wild 51-49 victory.
“We scored 49 points and didn’t come out with the win,” said Seymour coach Tyson Moore, son of longtime Center Grove coach Eric Moore. “We were not great on either side of the ball, even though we scored 49 points. Let’s be honest, we still left three touchdowns on the board. We played three-fourths of the game with momentum and all they needed was the last fourth.”
The game started in favor of Seymour, which only needed two plays to score on offense. Quarterback Bret Perry found Jaylan Johnson for an easy 65-yard touchdown. The Owls then forced the Woodmen to punt, and Perry found Johnson again for an easy 20-yard gain to bring the Owls into the red zone, but Greenwood’s defense held and forced a missed field goal.
Greenwood then tied it at 6-6 when Middleton caught a 76-yard touchdown off a deep throw from Riddle.
After a pass interference penalty on the Woodmen, Perry found Kyle Hileman wide open down the left sideline for his second touchdown pass of the first quarter.
Riddle then got free around midfield and scrambled inside the 30 for the Woodmen with one and a half minutes to go in the first, but a fumble gave the ball back to the Owls, and Perry then hit Johnson for another 65-yard touchdown, giving Johnson 145 yards receiving through the first quarter. The Owls were scoring in bunches, ending the period with a 20-6 lead.
Greenwood got back into it in the second quarter, as Riddle marched the Woodmen into Seymour territory, and hit Middleton for another touchdown that cut the deficit to 20-12. After the defense forced a Seymour turnover, Riddle hit Middleton for his third touchdown of the night on a bubble screen with 8:39 left in the first half.
Middleton finished the night with five receptions for 236 yards.
The Woodmen attempted an onside kick but failed, and that gave the Owls prime real estate in terms of field position. Needing only 46 yards for a touchdown, the Owls capitalized when Nicholas Wheeler scored on an 11-yard touchdown run with 3:28 to go in the second quarter. The game was now 35-20 in favor of the Owls. After a touchback, Greenwood began their drive on the 20 with four minutes left in the first half.
Down 35-20, Riddle then hit Brady Cave for a 5-yard touchdown, the final touchdown of the first half. Riddle then came back with a 20-yard rushing touchdown to open the second half, cutting the Seymour lead to just three.
Bret Perry then showcased his speed, scrambling down the sideline for a 68-yard touchdown. Greenwood responded with a 2-yard touchdown pass from Riddle to Tanner Crouch, making it 42-38, and after an Owl punt, Alan Burnett’s 13-yard scoring run gave the Woodmen their first lead with 32 seconds left in the third quarter.
Seymour drove into the red zone early in the fourth quarter, but the Woodmen got a fourth-down stop and took over with 10 minutes to go. On third and 24, Greenwood converted thanks to a catch from Middleton, and Greenwood then cashed in on a fourth-and-6 play, going up 51-42 on a 36-yard touchdown grab by Crouch.
Perry connected with Pennington for a 12 yard touchdown, but a key 9-yard run from Burnett — who rushed for 141 yards on 28 carries — allowed the Woodmen to run out the remaining clock.
Daily Journal sports editor Ryan O’Leary also contributed to this report.
