Greenwood hasn't had much luck against Decatur Central recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Woodmen will host the Hawks at 7:00 p.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Having struggled with four defeats in a row, Greenwood turned things around against Perry Meridian on Friday. They enjoyed a cozy 35-20 victory over the Falcons. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last five times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
A big part of Greenwood's win came down to the chemistry between Brady Smith and his top target Benjamin Hommell. Smith threw for 194 yards and three touchdowns on only ten passes while Hommell picked up 179 receiving yards and three scores. Hommell really caught the secondary sleeping when he pulled down a catch that went for 74 yards.
Greenwood was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 268 rushing yards. They are 2-1 when they've run for more than 200 yards.
Meanwhile, Decatur Central faced Plainfield in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Friday. The Hawks strolled past the Quakers with points to spare, taking the game 37-19. The Hawks haven't had any issues with the Quakers recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive victory against them.
Greenwood better keep an eye on Braylon Morris. He was instrumental in Decatur Central's win, rushing for 97 yards and a pair of TDs on only ten carries.
Decatur Central didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. In fact, those interceptions all came courtesy of defensive juggernaut Fa'Rel Carter.
Greenwood's win was their first in the conference, bumping their conference record up to 1-3 and their overall record up to 2-4. As for Decatur Central, their victory bumped their record up to 4-2.
Friday's game might be decided on the ground. Greenwood has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 193.7 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Decatur Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 297.7 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's contest turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Greenwood was dealt a bruising 44-7 loss at the hands of Decatur Central when the teams last played back in October of 2024. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of the Hawks' Bo Polston, who threw for 212 yards and three touchdowns while completing 73.3% of his passes, and also rushed for 69 yards and a pair of scores. Now that the Woodmen know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
