Greenwood ranked #7 after taking down McDonell 48-6

Greenwood was scheduled to play at Sevastopol in the second-to-last week of the 8-man football regular season. Chippewa Falls McDonell may wish the Indians had kept that date.

Instead, Greenwod made the far-shorter trip to Chippewa Falls and manhandled the Macks for a 48-6 win. That improved the Indians’ season record to 4-2, with one regular game left at home against Alma Center Lincoln this Thursday night.

McDonell entered the game ranked seventh in the state in the 8-man format, with Greenwood one spot behind at #8. The game was never as close as those rankings may have suggested.

Greenwood scored its first touchdown on a 36-yard Cooper Bredlau run. Sully Whitford added a 3-yard run late in the first period for a 14-0 Indian lead.

The gap would swell to 26 points in short order. Whitford scored on an 11-yard run with 4:52 to go in the half, and Bredlau connected with Westen Schmitz for a 29yard scoring pass play with 2:38 left.

McDonell finally found the end zone six seconds before the half, on a 2-yard Tanner Opsal carry.

After a scoreless third period, Greenwood left no doubt on the game’s outcome. Bredlau broke a 49-yard touchdown run early in the quarter, and then added a 42-yarder about five minutes later. Just to be sure, Xander Hinker scored on a 46-yard run with 2:28 to go.

Greenwood totalled 412 yards on the ground, with Bredlau running roughshod for 232 yards on 27 attempts. Whitford picked up 110 yards on 13 rushes, and Hinker added 70 yards on 10 attempts.

Bredlau passed 11 times with three completions for 37 yards.

McDonell was pass-happy, throwing 47 times in the game with 21 completions for 232 yards. Bredlau and Schmitz each intercepted one of those throws.

McDonell’s ground game had a negative total for the night. Quarterback Tanner Opsal was caught in the backfield on multiple occasions and was credited with a loss of 51 yards on 19 carries.

Greenwood fumbled three times and los possession once. McDonell also put the ball on the ground three times, and lost two of the fumbles.

The result of the game on the rankings was for the two teams to switch spots, with Greenwood now at #7 and McDonell at #8. Wausau Newman, to which Greenwood lost in its first game, remains atop the rankings at 5-0. Belmont is second at 5-0 and Gilman is third at 6-0.