Karnes goes for 206 yards, 2 scores in Greenwood’s rout
“He played great. He really stepped up for us. I’m so proud of him.”
Greenwood wide receiver Grant Karnes on quarterback Cooper Goodwin
6A-WEST
GREENWOOD 61, VAN BUREN 17
VAN BUREN — Greenwood junior wide receiver Grant Karnes is no stranger to having big games. With the Bulldogs playing a backup quarterback, Karnes stepped up and was at his best Friday night at Blakemore Field.
Karnes hauled in 10 receptions for 206 yards and 2 touchdowns all in the first half. His effort helped Greenwood pull away for a 61-17 victory against Van Buren in a 6A-West matchup.
“Every time I was open, I got the pass,” Karnes said. “For a while, I just had one-on-ones and our offensive line blocked great. It was perfect. We are proud of this win. Our chemistry as a team is really special playing together for so long.”
Karnes, who had 1,297 yards and 16 touchdowns on 96 catches last year, has battled injury like a lot of his teammates have this year. It didn’t look like it Friday night, as he made an impact early and often with fellow wideout LJ Robins, who finished with 6 catches for 97 yards and a score.
“Grant has been banged up a little bit and we have been trying to get him healthy,” Greenwood Coach Chris Young said. “We have moved him around a little bit as well. Everybody is focused on Grant and LJ, but both those guys had big nights. The thing I love to see is both those guys running down on special teams trying to get tackles. They are team players and will do whatever it takes to win.”
Greenwood (5-0, 2-0 6A-West) jumped out to a 34-10 halftime lead and didn’t look back after that against Van Buren (1-3, 1-2).
Sophomore backup quarterback Cooper Goodwin completed 17 of 26 passes for 324 yards and 3 touchdowns. He had 290 yards just in the first half. Greenwood sophomore starting quarterback Kane Archer, who holds many Division I offers, missed his second consecutive game because of an injury.
“With him back there, we feel as comfortable with Cooper as we do with Kane,” Karnes said. “He played great. He really stepped up for us. He looked good all week. I’m so proud of him.”
Senior running back Brayedan Davis continued his breakout season with another strong game for Greenwood. He had 20 rushes for 95 yards and 3 scores.
“He is just a great football player that has earned it,” Young said. “He changed his body in the weight room. He worked his tail off this summer. I’m so proud and happy for him. We felt pretty good early in the game, so we didn’t want to give him a whole lot of touches. It’s a long season for a running back. We protected him a little bit, but he is just a great football player.”
Van Buren avoided the shutout with a 90-yard interception return for a touchdown by Peyton Pschier and a 36-yard field goal from Derek Kelly. The Pointers also scored on a 5-yard touchdown pass from Bryce Perkins to Trenton Cooley.
Greenwood’s defense was a big factor in the game as well, as the unit had two interceptions returned for touchdowns in the second half. Braden Skaggs went 30 yards for his score, while Kaylor Jasna scored from 32 yards out. Brady Mackey made an interception in the first half that helped set up a score.
“It starts with preparation,” Young said of his defense’s strong play. “Coach [Jason] Gill and our defensive staff do such a great job. They work all week to put our guys in a good position. We still have some guys missing on that side of the ball. But we have guys stepping up making plays, too.”
Greenwood is off to a 5-0 start for the first time since 2020 when it went a perfect 14-0. With all the adversity the team has battled because of injuries, Young said he is very proud of his squad.
“We’ve got a full starting lineup just about on injured reserve it seems like,” Young said. “Luckily our defense is playing so well. Our backup sophomore quarterback is playing so well, too. I’m so proud of him. It was a good win. Anytime you can find a way to win missing guys, that’s special.”