Down at halftime, the Bowling Green football team found another gear, rallying past Greenwood 42-21 in the second round of the Class 5A playoffs Friday at El Donaldson Stadium.

Bowling Green (10-2) got two turnovers during a strong third quarter that saw the Purples outscore the Gators 16-0 to take control and advance to next week’s region championship game.

“Coach just said we had to hit downhill and hit our landmarks and play fast,” Bowling Green senior linebacker Justice Dingle said. “We got after it the second half and it made a big difference.”

The Purples beat Greenwood 49-19 in the regular season and were 26-0 all-time against the Gators entering Friday’s game, but Bowling Green needed a strong second half to continue the streak and extend its season.

Greenwood (4-8) set the tone early with a 14-play drive, but turned it over on downs.

Bowling Green scored six plays later on a 25-yard jet sweep from Ziyon Kenner.

The Purples added to the lead early in the second quarter on a 2-yard touchdown run by Dazhon Blakey to make the score 13-0 with 9:34 left in the half before Greenwood went to work.

The Gators used an eight-play, 49-yard drive – scoring on a Triston Wilson touchdown run with 3:20 left in the half. Greenwood then recovered the onside kick near midfield and took the lead before halftime when Jackson Adams connected on a 13-yard touchdown pass to Jake Sanson. Ben Patterson’s extra point made the score 14-13 Greenwood at the half.

Greenwood ran 43 plays in the first half, holding Bowling Green to 18 plays.

“That’s how we want to win football games at Greenwood High School with the lack of athleticism that we have right now,” Greenwood coach Chris Seabolt said. “We did exactly what we wanted to do and had an opportunity going in the half there up one, but we knew they were going to come back right at us pretty strong. I think we got their attention, obviously.”

Bowling Green quickly regained the momentum on the opening drive of the second half.

The Purples marched 64 yards in less than two minutes, surging ahead 19-14 on Blakey’s second touchdown run of the night.

“I thought the first drive of the half was huge,” Bowling Green coach Kevin Wallace said. “We had to come out and drive the ball down the field and that’s exactly what we did. That’s massive.”

The Purples defense kept the momentum rolling on the next two drives.

Vito Tisdale started it by recovering an Adams fumble and returning it 55 yards to extend the lead to 26-14. On the next possession, Dingle intercepted a pass to set up a 20-yard field goal that made the score 29-14.

“I’ve grown to kind of expect some of that stuff (from Bowling Green),” Seabolt said. “They are a good football team and a great football program. Any time you are battling somebody like that you can’t turn the ball over.”

Greenwood regrouped and cut the deficit to 29-21 early in the fourth when Adams’ 1-yard keeper capped a 16-play, 81-yard drive, but Kenner answered with an 85-yard touchdown run two plays later.

The Gators were stopped inside the 5 on the next possession and Bowling Green put the game away with a 98-yard drive that ended with Blakey’s third touchdown run of the night.

“I don’t think we played consistently,” Wallace said. “I thought we had too many penalties and too many dropped balls in the first half. We had a drive in the first half where we should have scored a touchdown and we dropped two balls and we had a penalty and that took us out of it. Then we didn’t recover an onside kick. It was as if everything was going to go wrong for us and somehow we were able to persevere.”

Beau Buchanan was 14-for-20 passing for 170 yards for the Purples. Kenner ran for 115 yards and added 70 yards receiving, while Blakey ran for 101 yards.

Adams ran for 194 yards and threw for 79 yards in his final game as a Gator.

“He’s really good,” Wallace said. “I don’t know what else you say about him. I’m not sure in my career that I’ve ever seen one player who has as much put on his plate to carry a team as he has. He must be a very resilient young man because he’s taken a literal beating for four years and seems to never stop. I’m glad we don’t have to play against him anymore.”

Seabolt had plenty of praise for Adams following the game.

“He’s the best veer quarterback I have ever had, but he’s one of the best players I have ever coached as well at any school,” Seabolt said. “It will be a shame if he is not an all-state player at some level.”

Bowling Green will now face South Warren in the region championship, a rematch of an Oct. 20 meeting the Purples won 43-7. That win means Bowling Green will host the Spartans for the second time this season.

“That’s the good part,” Wallace said. “The bad part is we are going to play a really good football team that has obviously hit its peak the last two weeks.”

GHS 0 14 0 7 – 21

BGHS 6 7 16 13 – 42

First quarter

BG – Ziyon Kenner 25 run (kick failed), 3:34

Second quarter

BG – Dazhon Blakey 2 run (Dalton Major kick), 9:34

GHS – Triston Wilson 6 run (Ben Patterson kick), 3:20

GHS – Jake Sanson 13 pass from Jackson Adams (Patterson kick), 0:14

Third quarter

BG – Blakey 6 run (run failed), 10:14

BG – Vito Tisdale 55 fumble return (Major kick), 8:50

BG – Major 20 field goal, 5:52

Fourth quarter

GHS – Adams 1 run (Patterson kick), 10:27

BG – Kenner 85 run (kick failed), 9:34

BG – Blakey 13 run (Major kick), 3:25{&end}