By Jeff Hodge
Contributing Writer
INDIANAPOLIS – Greenwood was looking for better results this year in its season-opening 10th Annual PeyBack Classic clash against Class 5A eighth-ranked Columbus East. East, you see, had drubbed the Woodmen last year, 52-0, in Columbus.
And on Aug. 21, the Woodmen had a chance going into halftime only down 7-0. But several opportunities to score that slipped through their hands would come back to haunt them as the Olympians prevailed, 37-14.
Each team showed early season jitters by turning the ball over on successive plays in the first half. Add in some dropped passes, fumbles, an interception, and a field goal that doinked off the right upright, and you could tell it was still early in the year.
Whatever happened in the Columbus East locker room, however, really lit a fire under the Olympians. They reeled off 30 unanswered points in the third quarter to blow the game open.
After recovering a Greenwood fumble, the Olympians took only three plays and 1:05 to extend the lead to 14-0, scoring on a 21-yard run by senior Damon Megerle (16 carries for 184 yards) that was set up on a 27-yard pass to junior Jackson Renshaw from sophomore quarterback Gunner Kiel.
Columbus East then caught the Woodmen napping by recovering an on-side kickoff at the Greenwood 42. In less than a minute, the Olympians added another score to go up 21-0. That came on 4th and 6, when senior Anthony Miller took a hand-off around the right side, weaved and bobbed through the Woodmen defense, and didn’t stop until he was in the end zone 38 yards later.
Columbus East added a 22-yard field goal from junior Shane Henderson as well as an 11-yard TD run by junior Jonathan Hunter and a 19-yard run by Megerle to take a commanding 37-0 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Greenwood showed some life to start the final period, mounting a 13-play, 62-yard scoring drive. On fourth and goal from the 1, senior Sean Brown squeezed through a small hole to find pay dirt.
The Olympians fumbled the ensuing kickoff to set up another Woodmen score. Brown took a quarterback keeper on second and goal from the 3 to make the final score 37-14.
Over the last 15 years, the series was tied at 6-6, including a 52-0 shutout romp a year ago at Columbus East. East had won the previous three, with Greenwood’s last victory coming 23-0 at home in the 2003 season opener.
Next up for Columbus East is its annual battle with cross-town rival Columbus North (1-0), a 42-0 Week 1 winner over Seymour, at home Aug. 28. Greenwood will travel to Indian Creek (1-0), a 60-6 winner over Edinburgh.
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