Jr. Bulldogs open with impressive win at Alma
By Richard White
Greenwood's hurry-up, no-huddle offensive style put 30 points on the first half scoreboard and wearied the hometown defense in the second half. “They're a good team,” said Coach Harrison of the Jr. Airedales, who scored on their first two offensive possessions in the first half, tying the game at 14-14 with 1:57 remaining in the second quarter. But two quick Greenwood touchdowns sandwiched around a defensive stop by the Bulldogs, left the Airedales on the short end of a 30-14 halftime deficit.
The visitors received the opening kickoff with Taylor Loveday returning it 16 yards to the Greenwood 34-yard line. Drew Morgan got the call on first down and rambled 12 yards to the 46, the first of several good efforts turned in by the freshman running back. Two plays later QB Houston Kennedy completed a 13-yard toss to receiver Jansen Stein, crossing midfield and putting the 'Dogs in business at the Alma 39.
On first down, Morgan moved the chains another 10 yards to the 29, before the offense stalled at the 25 on fourth down. A rare penalty pushed the ball back to the 30, but the Jr. 'Dogs converted on a pass from Kennedy to Cole McAlister to the 15. RB Zach Claude added a10-yard scamper to the Alma 2, before Kennedy passed to a wide-open Brandon Proctor in the left side of the end zone for the game's first score. The kick for point after touchdown failed for a 6-0 score with 2:48 remaining on the first quarter clock.
The Airedales started their first possession at their own 38. Five plays later they beat the Greenwood defense deep, completing a 44-yard pass to the 1-yard line. It still required three tries before the home team could dent the end zone to tie the score at six all. The PAT failed with 51 seconds left in the opening stanza.
The Jr. 'Dogs responded with another nice drive, starting at their own 24. Twelve plays later, Zach Claude scored on a 1-yard plunge with 5:03 left in the second quarter. Claude also contributed a solid 13-yard run for a first down at the Alma 45. But the biggest plays were in the passing game, as Houston Kennedy hooked up with receiver Mason Copeland for a 10-yard gain to the 28, and a 26-yard catch-and-run by Jansen Stein to the Alma 2-yard line, setting up the touchdown. Kennedy also connected with Brandon Proctor for two points, making the score 14-6.
The Airedales wouldn't go away, though. Aided by a short kickoff, downed at the Alma 41, the hometown green-and-gold overcame a 5-yard penalty on first down to march 64 yards in seven plays to tie the score at 14-14. A 37-yard pass and a facemask penalty on Greenwood helped the Airedales on their way to the end zone. The final play of the drive was a 4-yard TD pass.
With 1:57 left in the first half, Greenwood coaches hoped to score once more to take a lead into the locker room at halftime. Instead, the Jr. 'Dogs needed just 18 seconds to score their third touchdown, and 33 seconds to score again to take control of the game at the midway point.
Matt Sisco returned the kickoff 20 yards to the 40, and a facemask penalty on the tackle moved the ball into Alma territory to the 45. The Jr. “Dogs then scored on a quick strike from Kennedy to Stein, who slipped a tackle near the 15-yard line to dance in for the score. Claude scored the 2-point conversion for a 22-14 Greenwood lead with 1:39 left in the half.
The defense then stopped the Alma offense on three downs at midfield, forcing a punt with 43 seconds left in the quarter. The ball rolled dead at the 18. From there, Greenwood needed just over half a minute and three plays to score its fourth TD. Kennedy completed a screen pass to Morgan for 19 yards to the 37 on first down. Following a roughing the quarterback penalty to the Alma 43, Kennedy recovered from a dropped snap to complete a long scoring pass to Stein with 10 seconds left on the first half clock. Kennedy then rolled to his right and scampered into the front corner of the end zone for the 2-point conversion.
The Bulldogs defense held Alma on its first offensive possession of the third quarter, stopping the Airedales on fourth down at the Greenwood 39. Another screen pass from Kennedy to Morgan moved the ball to the 50. Two plays later Morgan rambled 16 yards to the 29. Facing fourth and six at the 24, yet another screen pass to Morgan garnered a first down at the 17. After a short pass completion to Cole McAllister, Morgan ran 12 yards for the score. The PAT kick by Avery Sinkuler hit the crossbar to keep the score at 36-14 with 2:09 left in the period.
Alma made the final score more respectable with a pair of touchdowns, one on the last play of the third quarter, and another on the last play of the game. The first of those scores came on a 29-yard scoring pass. The PAT failed. After the Jr. 'Dogs marched 59 yards and turned the ball over on downs at the Alma 6-yard line, the home team scored its final TD on 71-yard pass reception and run, accounting for the 36-26 final.
Acknowledging that his team must still improve to compete and contend in the tough River Valley Conference, Coach Harrison was still quite pleased with his player's efforts. Defensively, he conceded some breakdowns in the secondary, saying, “We caught ourselves in a couple of bad spots. [Alma] caught two deep balls on us.”
But he also praised the defense, adding, “We came up with a key stop in the first half.” The coach also singled out the play of defensive tackle Tyler Thompson, whom he called, “the strength of our defense.” Harrison also agreed that his defenders pursued the ball well and tackled well.
Offensively, the coach spoke in glowing terms of QB Houston Kennedy. “He played great. No one has more responsibility than he does, but he was in such control. He does a great job setting his feet and reads the field very well. We snapped the ball so quickly that [the Airedales] weren't set. They were really tired in the third quarter.” Harrison was also proud of the fact that his team did not commit a single turnover. “That's a big deal,” he said.
Offensively, Greenwood had more than 350 yards in offense - 231
passing and 143 rushing, unofficially. QB Houston Kennedy completed 17 of 23 pass attempts for three touchdowns. Jansen Stein had 127 yards receiving on just four catches, two for scores. Cole McAllister had six receptions for 36 yards and a TD. Mason Copeland had three grabs for 27 yards. Running back Drew Morgan had three catches for 37 yards, plus 76 yards rushing on 12 carries and a touchdown. Zach Claude also rushed 16 times for 67 yards, denting the end zone once.
“I thought the screen [pass] was huge tonight,” said Coach Harrison. “I was really happy with that.” The coach gave credit for success in the passing attack to the running game. “We had them,” he said of Alma, “when we run the ball as effectively as we did.”
Finally, the coach had high words of praise for several of his receivers, saying that Jansen Stein can be “real special.” Of Cole McAllister the coach said, “Everybody in this conference knows who he is.” Harrison added that Mason Copeland is “our intermediate guy. He likes to run stuff over the middle and has great hands.” The coach also mentioned Avery Sinkuler as a reliable pass catcher who will be important as the season unfolds.
Next on the schedule are the Darby Rangers, with the game slated for Thursday, September 10 at 7 p.m. The contest will be played at Northside High School in Fort Smith.
Freshman Show Big Play Power
Greenwood 36, Alma 26
9-3-09
Photos By: Brian Vaughn
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