Purples roll past Gators 45-7

Published 11:30 am Saturday, October 17, 2026

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Bowling Green’s Nick Graham (4) drives past Arlando Davis (8) and Greenwood’s Trestan Bailey-Thomas (1) during Bowling Green’s game against Greenwood on Friday at Greenwood High School.
(JACK DOBBS / Daily News)

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Greenwood’s Tyson Howell (4) defends Bowling Green’s Izek Reed (24) during Bowling Green’s game against Greenwood on Friday at Greenwood High School.
(JACK DOBBS / Daily News)

There were no fall break blues for the Bowling Green football team, which rolled to a 45-7 victory over Greenwood on Friday at Greenwood High School.

Bowling Green (4-4 overall, 3-0 Class 5A, District 2) built a 42-point lead by halftime and cruised from there to remain in control of the top seed in district play.

“It was night and day from last year,” BG coach Mark Spader said. “We created a lot of adversity for ourselves coming out of the break last year and it showed on the field. We had great practices and it paid off on game night. We haven’t been able to do that to this point. We just haven’t been able to play a complete game.”

Bowling Green had five first-half possessions with five touchdowns, four by Nick Graham.

The senior back accounted for all 34 yards on three carries on the opening drive — including a 15-yard sprint to the end zone that put the Purples on the board less than three minutes in.

BG immediately got the ball back when Kipton Walden recovered his own onside kick to set the Purples up near midfield. Six plays later, Graham scored again from five yards out to make the score 14-0.

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“One of our offensive coaches, along with our special teams coordinator noticed they were really recessed off,” Spader said. “It was something that we practiced and Kip is really good at it. I just felt like to get us going, get our flow going in this season that was important to do. We executed it and it paid off.”

Graham added a 9-yard score late in the first quarter and scored for the fourth time with a 1-yard plunge with 8:05 left in the half. He finished his night with 94 yards on 12 carries, all in the first half.

“Just win a play,” Graham said. “Taking the ball and winning one play at a time. By the time the game is over we should be good.”

Bowling Green’s defense would get in on the scoring less than a minute later when Izek Reed intercepted a pass and returned it 30 yards to make the score 35-0.

Reed said practice and scouting from coaching staff led to the big play.

“The first time it happened in the game he stepped up and I went to try to cover the scramble and then he threw it,” Reed said. “On the next one when he stepped up I knew he was going to try to throw it again, so I picked it and made sure they didn’t tackle me.”

Bowling Green added one more score in the final minute of the first half when Anthony Davis found Reid Gathright for a 6-yard score to give the Purples a commanding lead.

“We had some penalties and we had some breakdowns here and there, but as far as looking at us through the season in all three phases we were executing what we needed to do,” Spader said.

With a running clock the entire second half, BG added a 31-yard field goal from Walden in the third quarter. Greenwood (2-6, 1-3) got on the board in the fourth quarter on a touchdown pass from Tyson Howell to Caide Webb.

Bowling Green outgained Greenwood 300-118. Davis was 7-for-9 passing for 118 yards in limited action, while Arlando Davis had 84 yards receiving on three catches.

Both teams return to action on Oct. 23. Greenwood will host East Robertson (Tenn.), while the Purples host Grayson County in a game that will decide the top seed in the district. Bowling Green wins the top seed outright with a victory. Grayson County can clinch with a win and a Barren County loss to Warren Central. If it finishes in a three-way tie it would go to RPI. Grayson County currently has the highest RPI among the three teams.

“They have a fine team,” Spader said. “We’ve peeked at them through the film we have and he’s done a great job with them. They gave us all we wanted when we went over there last year. I hope our kids are challenged by that and we will have another great week of practice and give them our best.”

BGHS 21 21 3 0 — 45

GHS 0 0 0 7 — 7

First quarter

BG — Nick Graham 15 run (Kipton Walden kick), 9:30

BG — Graham 5 run (Walden kick), 6:36

BG — Graham 9 run (Walden kick), 1:29

Second quarter

BG — Graham 1 run (Walden kick), 8:05

BG — Izek Reed 30 interception return (Walden kick), 7:14

BG — Reid Gathright 6 pass from Anthony Davis (Walden kick), 0:29

Third quarter

BG — Walden 31 field goal, 4:59

Fourth quarter

GHS — Caide Webb 5 pass from Tyson Howell (Rudy Pardue kick), 6:36

About Micheal Compton

I am a sports reporter and movie critic for the Bowling Green Daily News.

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