There is an old thought experiment about what occurs when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. Two things that by their moniker necessitate that all things must bend to their will, confront one another. In the end, the solution is not an unsolvable conundrum. Pragmatically, one of the two will simply lose their title. Either the force will prove stoppable, or the object will prove to be movable.
This Friday night in Greensburg, it would be the Senators who would prove unstoppable, running over the previously immovable North Decatur defense 36-20 to claim their 4th regional title in school history,
North Decatur came into the contest with the state’s number one scoring defense, and having shut out their last seven opponents. None of that matter, as the Senator offense would roll up over 300 yards rushing and five touchdowns, led by senior running back Bobby Stevens’ 29 carries for 200 yard and 4 touchdowns.
“I feel glad to be playing with my brothers,” said Stevens. “I was playing for Coach Bowsman and my mom. We laid it all on the field for them tonight.”
The contest would start with North Decatur receiving the football and striking first, taking a 7-0 lead out of the gate.
The Senator’s would answer, however, on the next series, capping off a 70 play drive with a 30 run by Stevens off tackle to give the Senators an 8-7 edge.
“To be able to answer their score was huge,” said offensive coordinator Duane Nance. “It was big for our kids from a mentality standpoint to be able to end that shutout streak.”
But North Decatur, winners of ten games, would not go away quietly. Taking advantage of Senator penalties and timely passing, the Cougars were able to garner their second touchdown of the evening to retake the lead 14-8.
Momentum seemed to be swinging the Charger’s direction after forcing a Senator punt and driving into the Senator red zone, but as they have time and again, the Senators bowed their backs and forced an incomplete pass on 4th down to retake possession.
The Senators would embark on an 80 yard drive, keyed by a big 4th down conversion pass from senior quarterback Holden Bowsman to senior wide receiver Parker Green, and would end with Stevens punching it into the endzone from 10 yards out to reclaim the lead.
North Decatur would again threaten to even the contest by driving the ball into the Senator red zone, and once again the Senator defense would find a way to deny them points, giving the ball back to the offense with a little over 2 minutes left until halftime.
Bowsman and Stevens would take turns over the next two minutes matriculating the football down the field before Bowsman would turn a scramble into a 5 yard touchdown run with seconds on the clock to give the Senators an 8 point lead at the break.
The Senators would receive the second half kickoff, but a promising drive would end with a turnover in the red zone. Not to be outdone, freshman defensive back Greyson McCoy would intercept the Charger pass attempt to reclaim the ball for the Senators. After a turnover on downs, McCoy would again rise to the occasion, this time forcing a fumble to set up the Senators in Charger territory.
“Impressive play for a freshman to come out in a high pressure situation,” said head coach Keith Nance. “Creating those turnovers was huge for us.”
The Senators would not be denied this time, extending their lead to 16 points on an Stevens touchdown run.
North Decatur would answer with a touchdown drive of their own, but Green would knock down the 2 point conversion pass attempt to maintain a crucial two score advantage 30-20.
On the Senators’ next possession, they would consume over 8 minutes of clock on a drive that would be punctuated with Stevens’ fourth score of the evening from 5 yards out.
It would be the final blow that would break the will of the Charger team.
“I love pancaking people,” said senior offensive tackle Mike Leach. “It was very exciting to play in my first regional game and to win it with my teammates.”
The Senators would close the door on the next possession when Green would intercept the Charger pass attempt with just minutes to play on the clock.
The Senators (11-0) play host to the Covenant Christian Crusaders on Friday evening at Art Sanders Field for a chance to play for a State championship in Lucas Oil Stadium Thanksgiving weekend.