Greenwood senior quarterback Brock Riddle leads the Woodmen offense tonight against Jennings County.
Daily Journal file photo
A fresh offensive philosophy brought about by a coaching change played directly into the hands of Brock Riddle last winter.
Justin Boser, successor to longtime Greenwood coach Mike Campbell, made it clear he wanted to emphasize throwing the football — a moving away from the ground-oriented attack Campbell implemented during his 17 seasons.
And throw it the Woodmen have.
Riddle, a 6-foot-3, 185-pound senior, garnered immediate attention by going upstairs for 434 yards and six touchdowns in the team’s 51-49 victory at Seymour to open the season. His numbers entering tonight’s home sectional semifinal against Jennings County are 2,568 yards, 30 scores and only five interceptions.
“As a quarterback, I was really excited,” said Riddle, who first met with Boser shortly after the latter was named coach in February. “As soon as he got here, we hit the ground running. The biggest adjustment was a lot more reads and having a lot more options.”
It’s not as if Riddle was a complete novice in this area.
Last season, he was at the controls during a 1-9 season that saw him pass for 1,091 yards and 12 TDs. However, nearly 64% of Greenwood’s offensive plays were runs compared to the 57% of the first 10 games this season.
Riddle has proven proficient running the pigskin, his 525 rushing yards second on the team to senior running back Alan Burnett’s 853. That’s new for Riddle, who over the course of his sophomore and junior seasons carried a total of 24 times for minus-7 yards.
“I knew we would be able to throw the ball with him, and that we had some good receivers,” Boser said. “Brock has done a great job of taking what the defense is giving us, hitting the open receivers, and does a phenomenal job extending plays with his legs.”
Other factors also play into Riddle’s dependability.
Protection supplied by the Woodmen offensive line has been crucial, while the emergence of senior receivers Amare Middleton (44 receptions, 923 yards) and Tanner Crouch (47 for 785 yards) gives the quarterback at least two extremely reliable targets.
Furthermore, the threat of a ground game led by Burnett, Riddle and senior back Jackson Haessig (335 yards rushing) prevents opposing defenses from keying primarily on the pass.
And then there’s the preparation Riddle poured into this season long before the passing frenzy against the Owls in August (his 26 attempts in that game actually pale in comparison to his 41 passes against Decatur Central and the 36 he tried in the wind three weeks ago at Franklin).
Boser noticed his QB’s immediate diligence in studying the playbook, and how Riddle began meeting with players who were projected to form the Woodmen’s core of receivers.
On Oct. 3, Riddle, who enters tonight’s game with 4,061 career passing yards, 47 touchdown passes and 20 picks, verbally committed to play his college football at Indiana State.
In last week’s 49-20 win at Connersville to open sectional play, Riddle attempted a season-low 17 passes but still came through with 259 yards and four touchdowns.
A win against the Panthers tonight would put Greenwood in the championship game against the winner of tonight’s other sectional semi between Martinsville and top-ranked and unbeaten East Central.
“It’s definitely been a lot of fun,” Riddle said. “We’ve had a lot of close games this season, and the pressure you get prepares you a lot for the postseason.”
TONIGHT’S SECTIONAL SEMIFINALS
Class 6A
Franklin Central at Center Grove, 7 p.m.
Class 5A
Franklin at Terre Haute South, 7 p.m.
Whiteland at Terre Haute North, 7 p.m.
Class 4A
Jennings County at Greenwood, 7 p.m.
Roncalli at Mooresville, 7 p.m.
Class 3A
Indian Creek at Franklin County, 7 p.m.
Class A
Edinburgh at North Decatur, 7 p.m.
