The Buffaloes entered last week's game with a 2-6 overall record, and were supposed to host Greenwood at Southside High School in Fort Smith. But once again the recent wet weather forced the contest to be moved just like the week before. Instead of being the home team, Trinity agreed to play the game on the artificial turf at Greenwood's Smith-Robinson Stadium.

Maybe the change of venue played a role in the Buffaloes' decision to try an onside kick to start the game, but the strategy backfired when the ball failed to travel the necessary 10 yards, giving Greenwood possession at the Trinity 49-yard line. The Jr. 'Dogs needed just seven plays to score on their way to a commanding 25-0 lead at the half.

Sensational running back Drew Morgan got the drive's first two carries, moving the ball inside the visitor's 35. Zach Claude ran for 5 yards to the 30, then Morgan rushed three more times to the 7-yard line. Quarterback Houston Kennedy then tossed a TD pass to receiver Cole McAllister with 5:48 showing on the scoreboard clock. The point after failed and the score remained 6-0.

The next four series were a comedy of errors, with each team giving up a pair of turnovers, mostly on Trinity's side of the field. The first came after a poor kickoff went out-of-bounds at the visitor's 48-yard line. On first down, Greenwood's Drew Morgan, also a defensive back, intercepted a Trinity pass and returned it to the Greenwood 37-yard line. After the Bulldogs moved the ball into enemy territory inside the 30, Kennedy's pass attempt was also intercepted by the Buffaloes' Mitchell Spradlin at the 23-yard line.

But on the very next play, Greenwood's Matt Sisco made a great diving interception at the 34, giving the ball back to the Bulldogs. After a gain of three yards by Morgan on first down, Kennedy completed a pass near the Trinity sideline, but Greenwood receiver Mason Copeland coughed up the football when he was tackled and the Buffaloes recovered at their own 27.

Trinity was unable to move the ball against the stout Greenwood defense, however, and had to punt, putting the Bulldogs' offense in business at the visitor's 47 with 1:28 left in the first quarter. Morgan ran three times for 22 yards, before Kennedy threw to McAllister for seven more to the 18-yard line. Greenwood then threw Trinity a curve, calling a QB keeper. Kennedy ran straight ahead then shifted to his right before reaching the end zone. The Bulldogs lined up in a wacky formation and tried a two-point conversion, but the pitch play to Avery Sinkuler failed, keeping the score at 12-0 early in the second quarter.

The Buffaloes managed a first down on their next possession, but a pair of incomplete passes and a penalty doomed their drive and forced another punt. From their own 25, the Bulldogs began their third scoring march with a bang, giving the ball to running back Kenton Turner, who raced to the Trinity 43-yard line. A personal foul penalty added another 15 yards to the 27. Kennedy then found receiver Jansen Stein for a nice gain to the 14. Turner ran to the 10 and Kennedy kept for seven yards to the 3. After a two-yard loss on first down, Kennedy's pass to Brandon Proctor was dropped at the goal line. But Drew Morgan scored on third down, pushing the lead to 18-0. The extra point was blocked with 4:30 remaining in the first half.

The Buffaloes moved into Greenwood territory on their next possession, reaching as far as the 39-yard line before the defense stiffened. After a loss on third down, Trinity quarterback Gary Stanton was sacked on fourth down at midfield with 1:13 left before the intermission.

Greenwood's final score of the first half came quickly. Kennedy executed a quarterback draw for 11 yards to the 37 on first down. He then fired a long pass over the middle to Jansen Stein, who caught the ball near the 5-yard line and simply turned up field for the short stroll into the end zone. This time the extra point was perfectly executed, and Avery Sinkuler's kick was good for a 25-0 halftime lead by the Bulldogs.

The Buffaloes received the opening kick of the third quarter, and went on fourth down after reaching their own 45-yard line. But the defense was up to the task, stuffing the running back for no gain, giving Greenwood the ball in Trinity territory. Morgan ran twice for 16 yards to the 29, then the visitor's were assessed a penalty, moving the ball to the 24 and setting up the touchdown. Kennedy passed to Stein in the end zone for the score, and Sinkuler added the PAT.

Leading 32-0, Greenwood relieved most of its starters on both sides of the ball for the rest of the game. Their last score also coincided with the arrival of a steady light rain that fell throughout the remainder of the half. Taking advantage of a fumble and the absence of the Greenwood starting defense, the Buffaloes marched 91 yards in 16 plays to score their only touchdown with 4:48 left to play. The extra point failed, keeping the score at 32-6.

Greenwood had one more scoring chance on its next possession. Battling the rain, the Bulldogs returned the kick to the 24-yard line. Running back Taylor Loveday did most of the work, rushing nine times for 37 yards. Facing fourth down and three at the 29, Coach Don Harrison decided to try a long field goal. However, the 45-yard kick by Sinkuler was straight but short.

After the game, Coach Harrison was ready to reward his team with a fourth consecutive conference championship. "We are conference champs as of right now," said the coach. "We have a share of the conference title no matter what happens next week. Hopefully we'll take care of our business, but no matter what happens next week we get a trophy and we put another banner on the wall. [But] these boys are still really pushing [for] perfection."

Regarding the turnovers during the game, Harrison said, "I hope we got them out of our system. Even though it [wasn't] raining at the time, the turf was wet anyway, and once [the ball] gets rolled around a couple of times it's going to get a little slick. But I know we had a bunch of turnovers on defense. We really push our kids every game and the whole season to win the turnover battle. In 2007 we really started keeping up with this, and in '07 we had 26 takeaways and we gave them the ball twice. Last year it was 23 to 3." Asked about this season's turnover ratio, Harrison said, "I don't know it offhand, but I know we're way ahead. I think we're 14 or 15 ahead, which is good. So we do a really good job of that. Anytime you win the turnover battle, that's a big thing and that's what we want."

Regarding his team's running game, the coach was complimentary of all of his backs, including quarterback Houston Kennedy. "Houston had some good runs, and that's always a good thing. When people watch film, they know they can't just completely key on the tailback. They've got to honor our quarterback. He pulled the ball a couple of times or we just called designed plays for him. Drew Morgan is getting better, and I told him at the end of the third quarter that he wasn't going back in. He'll get the brunt of the carries next week, and he'll be ready. It's always good to have two guys that can carry [the ball]. Kenton Turner got a few more carries than I think he was ready for tonight, but he's doing a good job." The coach also mentioned the continuing good work of backs Zach Claude and Taylor Loveday.

The coach remarked as well on an improved passing game against Trinity, compared to a poor performance a week earlier. Referring to QB Houston Kennedy, Harrison said, "He went one for nine to start the game last week, and he wasn't real happy about it. But you can't play in this offense and not have bad nights. There's going to be nights when the defense is ready for you. But as the game went on he got better and he figured it out, and he threw some good balls tonight. The thing that happened tonight is, they weren't blitzing. They were running a three-man front, and normally [teams] blitz like crazy. But they didn't blitz, so we really did a good job of getting them with the run game. And we did the run game so well that we hit them with play action, and there was no one there."

Defensively, the coach continued to praise assistant coach and defensive coordinator Tim Cothran and his players for their outstanding performance. "Like I said last week, it's almost like they and Coach Cothran [have] the same brain. They really understand what he wants. We're able to run a lot of complex blitzes and stunts because this is an athletic group. We do such a good job in practice of making them understand exactly what we're doing, and that goes to coaching - Coach Cothran, Coach [John] Herbert, and Coach [John] Kincaid and their defense.

Asked about the role of sophomores contributing on the high school level, or any current freshmen who might move up to the varsity for the post-season, the coach indicated that promoting a freshman was unlikely for two reasons. "I don't think Coach [Rick Jones] does that," said Harrison, "and the speed of the game is a lot faster. But I think there are three or four guys that could start on the high school team next year. And if we can send three or four guys who start as sophomores, that makes us feel good."

Regarding former ninth graders and current sophomores contributing on the senior high team this year, Harrison mentioned several players by name including Hayden Smith, Blake Hasley, Landon Williams, Garrett Moore, and Justin Sunde. Harrison also agreed that Greenwood is well stocked with running backs and receivers for the next few years with the likes of Drew Morgan, Jansen Stein, Mason Copeland, and Cole McAllister moving up to the varsity level. The coach also added that two of his linemen, Tyler Thompson and Logan Gregory, have a real chance to contribute or even start for the varsity next year, assuming they work hard and have a good off-season. "Not only do they have the size to play high school offensive line," said the coach, "but they have the agility, the speed, and I think they've figured out how to play in this system."

So it all comes down to next Thursday's showdown with Alma, a team Greenwood defeated in the season opener in non-conference play. Still, the Jr. Airedales scored more points against the Jr. 'Dogs than any other team this season - 26 points to be exact. And if they need any more incentive to play hard, they have only to recall what happened in last year's season finale when Alma upset Greenwood 14-13 and spoiled a perfect season for the Bulldogs. Kick off this week is set for 7 p.m. at Smith-Robinson Stadium.