Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
WHITE HALL - The Greenfield-Northwestern Tigers are now one game away from punching their ticket to the IHSA Class 1A playoffs.
Behind eight carries, 192 yards, and four total touchdowns from sophomore running back, Denver Davenport, the Tigers blitzed the North Greene Spartans 53-6 in White Hall on Friday night.
“[The offensive line] blocked really good this week and I couldn’t thank them enough. It all starts there,” Davenport said. “It feels pretty good, but I’m looking forward to next week against Calhoun.”
Greenfield-NW improves to 5-1 and 3-1 in WIVC South play. North Greene falls to 0-6 and 0-4 in the South.
“We wanted to get off to a good start. We emphasized that in our mental preparation being ready to go from the opening kickoff,” Tigers head coach Joe Pembrook said. “We were able to create some openings for ourselves. We were able to get some of our explosive players out in the open field and exploit them in spots and take it to the house for some early scores.”
Those explosive players were Davenport and other running back junior Colin Grummel.
“Our backs hit the seams hard. We want to attack people from different angles,” Pembrook said. “Getting Denver and Colin going is a big part of our offense.”
Fifty-three seconds into the game, Davenport rushed for a 67-yard touchdown run. Less than three minutes later, Grummel took a handoff up the middle burst for a 56-yard score to put the Tigers up 16-0. Davenport added two more rushing touchdowns from 41 and 43 yards that saw Greenfield-NW lead the Spartans 32-0 at the end of first quarter.
The sophomore now has 11 touchdowns 777 rushing for the season.
“[Davenport] was everything that he’s been advertised,” North Greene head coach Donnie Allen said. “When he’s going to bounce outside he’s going to score points. We had a hard time keeping him inside the box, and he made us pay for it.”
The Spartans could’ve possibly changed things had it not been for untimely penalties in the first quarter. On a third down in Greenfield territory, North Greene was flagged for pass interference, which led to Grummel’s 54-yard touchdown. On the next Tigers series, there was a fourth down and four at the Spartan 46-yard line, but a lineman jumped offsides. Davenport scored on the very next play.
“We’ve had an overabundance of penalties it seems like for several weeks,” Allen said. “When you aren’t executing every time on offense and not doing what you need to do on defense that never helps. The penalty phase of our game needs to clean up.”
Grummel made it 40-0 with another long run this time from 47 yards out to start the second quarter. He would finish with four carries for 113 yards and two touchdowns.
The Spartans put together a positive drive only for it to end with an interception by safety and Greenfield quarterback Jacob Lansaw, who returned it for an 87-yard touchdown. With 1:13 to play in the half, Davenport returned a 35-yard punt to the end zone that gave the Tigers a 53-0 lead at halftime.
Defensively, Greenfield held North Greene to 177 total yards.
North Greene got on the board in the fourth quarter.
Carter Hoesman caught his fourth touchdown pass of the season on a 12-yard pass from Heberling.
More like this:
