ST. LEON
For a moment, Greenwood appeared poised to give defending Class 4A state champion East Central at least a little trouble in Friday’s sectional championship game.
But the host Trojans righted themselves quickly and cruised from there.
The Woodmen’s Tanner Crouch intercepted a pass to end East Central’s first drive, but the Trojans returned the favor with an interception of their own on the ensuing Greenwood possession.
From there, East Central scored touchdowns on its next six possessions, and its suffocating defense threw in three safeties for good measure. That catapulted the Trojans to a 47-0 win over the Woodmen.
No. 1 East Central (12-0) will play at Evansville Memorial next week. Greenwood’s topsy-turvy season, which began with three straight wins, then losses in five of the next six games followed by two sectional wins, ended at 6-6.
“From day one, these kids wanted something different from the results of the last two years,” said Greenwood coach Justin Boser, referring to the Woodmen’s combined 3-17 record the previous two seasons. “I thought our initial game plan was correct and we made some plays defensively; we just left them on the field too long and we gave them short fields.”
Boser and the Woodmen took some chances, trying a pair of onside kicks after the first two safeties. East Central recovered both kicks, giving the Trojans the ball at the Woodmen 20- and 21-yard lines, and each possession ended with another Trojan touchdown.
East Central running back Josh Ringer, a Mr. Football candidate and Miami of Ohio recruit, finished with 137 yards rushing and a pair of touchdowns on just 14 carries. He also caught a 19-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter. He sat out the second half, along with most of the East Central starters.
Greenwood quarterback Brock Riddle, an Indiana State recruit who led Johnson County with 2,825 passing yards and 32 touchdowns coming in, was held to just 48 passing yards, completing 5 of 14 passes with an interception. He was under constant pressure and was sacked twice, once for a safety.
East Central entered play allowing just 6.9 points per game and has allowed seven points or less in all but two games. Greenwood finished with just 81 yards of offense Friday after averaging 36.5 points throughout the season and scoring at least 20 points in every game.
“We play a top-five conference schedule, but I don’t think any of the teams in our conference has the level of talent this team has,” Boser said of East Central. “It was a measuring stick, and we see where we’ve got to grow.”
