By J.D. Neiswanger
For the Daily Journal
Greenwood Christian sent its seniors out in style Friday night, using a total team effort to put together a 35-0 drubbing of Fort Wayne Blackhawk.
The offense clicked from the beginning and the defense notched its first shutout of the year.
“We kept the game plan really simple this week,” GCA coach Andre Dobson said. “We were prepared and we just felt like we had better athletes.”
The Cougars (5-3) were motivated from the start. On the first six offensive snaps, GCA either got a first down or scored a touchdown.
“We felt like we could get ahead in a hurry and we felt like we could execute, and we did that,” Dobson said. “I am real happy with how we started the game. The best part of it is that we can get the whole team into the game and get good quality reps.”
The defensive highlights included a three-and-out on the first drive and a fumble recovery by freshman linebacker Will Simons on the drive after that. The Braves found tough sledding on offense all night. Blackhawk never mounted a serious threat to score until final minutes of the game, but the Cougar defense kept the Braves out of the end zone to preserve the shutout.
“Super happy for the defense,” Dobson said. “we haven’t made it yet but we are making strides in the direction that we want to go.”
The usual suspects shined for GCA. Sophomore QB Trey Dobson zigged and zagged for a 53-yard TD to start the scoring. Sophomore running back Nathan Goins scored from 3 yards out later in the first quarter. Junior Evan McIntyre caught a Dobson bomb in stride and sprinted past the Braves’ secondary for an 86-yard TD. Later in the half, Goins had a 20-yard TD scamper in and around the Blackhawk defenders that ended the first-half scoring.
Senior offensive lineman and team captain, Luke Chitty got a shot at running back early in the third quarter and made the most of it. Chitty had the only second-half score with a 4-yard TD run to make it 35-0. It gave GCA their third straight week of forcing a running clock and sealed the victory.
“The seniors are a big part of building the culture here at GCA, and I am so happy that they had a fun night here tonight in their final home game,” Andre Dobson said.
Trey Dobson completed eight passes to six different receivers for 190 yards and ran for another 74. Goins rushed for 84 yards.
