GREENFIELD — Non-stop pouring rain during the Pendleton Heights vs. Greenfield-Central football game was tough to play in, but the Arabians were able to turn in a strong performance nonetheless, claiming a 50-0 shutout road win.

The Friday, Sept. 7, victory upped the Arabians to 4-0 overall (2-0, Hoosier Heritage Conference), with their biggest challenge of the season in front of them.

Pendleton Heights plays host to top-ranked conference foe New Palestine High School (4-0, 2-0) Friday, Sept. 14, in a 7:30 p.m. battle of unbeaten conference teams.

“We have a ton of respect for Coach (Kyle) Ralph and New Pal,” said Jed Richman, Pendleton Heights head coach. “This might be the best team he’s had there.”

Richman noted the Dragons play extremely hard and are a very talented team, and the game will be a good indicator as to where his squad is five games into the season.

“Anytime you play the best, that is going to be a measuring stick for where you’re at,” Richman said. “With that said, it’s Week 5, and our goal is to improve this week as we continue down the road toward the sectional.”

In the Greenfield-Central game — thanks to the non-stop, sometimes buckets, of rain pelting — neither the Arabians nor the Cougars could get going early on. The first quarter ended scoreless.

Pendleton Heights found its footing in the second quarter, building a 21-0 halftime lead.

“I was very proud of how the kids handled the adversity of the weather,” Richman said. “Offensively, we were limited due to conditions, but we fought through that and made plays.”

Christian Conkling got the Arabians on the board with a seven-yard touchdown run up the middle at the 10:55 mark in the second quarter for the 7-0 lead.

After a good defensive stand, Kamden Early broke free on the left side for an 11-yard scoring run, and it was 14-0.

When the Arabians got the ball back shortly before the half, they pushed it down the field. Conkling capped it off with a 14-yard TD pass play to Anakin Allison for a 21-0 halftime lead.

The weather surely played a role in the Arabians’ next score. The Cougars had a bad snap that resulted in a safety for Pendleton Heights and a 23-0 lead.

A few minutes later, Early got the Arabians on the board again, this time with a six-yard run into the end zone to make it 30-0.

Conkling and Early each added a one-yard touchdown in the third for a 43-0 Pendleton Heights lead after three quarters.

Kirby Hess got in on the scoring with a six-yard run in the fourth to cap off the scoring.

Nick Taylor did a good job kicking in the downpour, during which he was 6-of-7 on extra points.

The rain clearly was a factor, and fumbles especially hurt the Cougars with three. The Arabians defense also intercepted two of Greenfield- Central’s passes.

Conkling connected on 10-of-17 pass attempts, with Allison and Eli Pancol each getting four receptions. Tristen Spinks helped round out the receiving corps with two catches.

“I thought Kamden Early did a really good job of protecting the football on offense,” Richman said.

Early carried the ball 25 times for 109 yards.

The Arabians managed 362 yards of total offense, while the Pendleton Heights defense held the Cougars to 98 total yards. The Arabians defense also collected two quarterback sacks for a loss of 14 yards.

“Defensively, we were dialed into their tendencies and played with great effort,” Richman said. “I thought linebacker Joe Rios showed a lot of toughness.”

The coach also gave high praise to Allison, who he said played very well in all three phases of the game.

Allison did a good job getting the Arabians aligned on defense, punting and covering on special teams, and caught multiple passes, including a touchdown in the rain, Richman said.