Greencastle rolls past North Putnam

The Tiger Cubs set the tone by not only dominating both sides of the line, but also holding a North Putnam offense that features junior quarterback Christian Kramer, who was second in the state in total yards, in check.

For weeks, Greencastle head football coach Dave Stephens had maintained his Tiger Cubs team was better than scores had indicated and it was only a matter of time before it showed.

On Friday, it all came together in all three facets of the game, as Greencastle rolled up over 400 yards of offense and knocked off North Putnam, 49-28. The win was the third in less than a calendar year for the Tiger Cubs, who improved to 3-6, ahead of next week's Class 2A Sectional 39 opener at Pike Central. North Putnam fell to 7-2 and will host Western Boone (7-2) in the Sectional 34 opener. Western Boone fell to Lebanon, 26-7. 

"We played our cards close to the vest and had that coy smile where I knew what other people didn't knew. I knew we would change our personnel options around on offense a bit with (Parker) Welker at running back and some things we had kind of played around with and having a player like Brayden Monroe and a player like Cam Pingleton coming back just established dominance on the defensive line against North Putnam's offensive line. They played well against a team that averages 40 something and they really scored 14 points, and got two cheap ones and it was all because our defensive line dominated the offensive line," Stephens said. 

The Tiger Cubs set the tone by not only dominating both sides of the line, but also holding a North Putnam offense that features junior quarterback Christian Kramer, who was second in the state in total yards, in check. 

"I am a big believer in an obscure definition of balance. I believe balance is run the ball when you need to and throw the ball when you need to and if you can do that, you're a good football team. I believe we are a good football team. We ran the ball and were able to take time off the clock, grinded out first downs and exerted our will. We were able to run and play some bully ball," Stephens said. 

After a pair of punts to open the game, Greencastle struck first as Cayden Blodgett took a handoff and found paydirt from three yards out, putting the Tiger Cubs ahead 7-0. The lead would stretch to 14-0 minutes later, as quarterback Cole Stephens hit Anthony Adams for a 73 yard touchdown. 

Greencastle was only getting started, as another big pitch and catch between Stephens and Ian Williamson, this time for 75 yards, would push the lead to 21-0. North Putnam would answer back as Kramer scored from eight yards out to cut the deficit to 21-7. A 59 yard touchdown pass from Stephens to Trevin Long gave Greencastle a commanding 28-7 halftime advantage. 

North Putnam opened the third quarter with a 73 yard touchdown from Wes Murphy, trimming the deficit to 28-14. However, Greencastle answered right back with two touchdowns on two possessions, as Adams accounted for a 65 yard touchdown and moments later, Parker Welker rushed for 58 yards to set up a 3 yard touchdown plunge from Blodgett, pushing the lead to 42-14. 

Kramer would find paydirt again, to cut the lead to 42-21, but following an unsuccessful onside kick attempt by the Cougars, Greencastle took over at the North Putnam 45 yard line and methodically moved the ball with Welker scoring Greencastle's final touchdown of the night. 

Welker finished the night with 146 yards on 23 touches, including a 58 yard gain in the third quarter to set up a Cayden Blodgett touchdown run. 

"He is a kid that we knew we wanted to run the ball. He is strong as an ox in the weight room and we had been messing around with it. To see it come to fruition tonight was really big because when you have a guy like him with his dynamic skill set and tough running, it really puts you in a bind on how you will defend us. Are you going to try to play four or five in the box? I don't think so when you have a 6-foot-2, 230-pound running back there. I think that is a big difference maker and he gave us a lift. It really put North Putnam's defense in a bind," Stephens said. 

North Putnam found the end zone one more time as Paxton O'Brien cashed in on his lone catch of the game, racing 46 yards for a touchdown. 

Cole Stephens finished with 318 yards on 11-of-18 passing for the Tiger Cubs, who saw Adams finish with five catches for 170 yards. In addition to Welker's yards on the ground, Blodgett added 60 yards for the Tiger Cubs. 

The Cougars were paced by Kramer, who finished 10-of-21 for 159 yards passing and added another 136 yard on 22 carries. Murphy rushed 12 times for 103 yards and added 46 yards receiving. 

With the win, Dave Stephens believes his squad is now ready to make a serious postseason run.

"We felt that we were a good team. We felt if we could stay healthy, we could make a run in 2A. We talked about how we reached the step of competing for regular season titles and we had reached that and checked that off. I think your next step of growth as a program is can you be a serious contender for postseason titles. With our draw and the way our program is starting to play, I think we can be a serious contender for postseason titles," Stephens said.