“It was not what we expected,” continued Jones, beginning his sixth year at Greenwood. “It was really disappointing. We expected to compete with them, but they whipped us thoroughly. They have a great team. They're big, strong, physical, and well coached. They just got after us. We ran into a buzz saw. It's one of those nightmare scenarios. We had trouble stopping them and we had trouble making first downs. They're a very good football team.”

Indeed, the Har-ber Wildcats under coach Chris Wood are the pre-season favorites to win the 7A West title and the overall championship in the state's largest gridiron classification, according to Hooten's Arkansas Football. The same publication also picked Greenwood to win the 5A West and capture a fourth state title in the past five years.

In its weekly forecast, Hooten's had predicted a tight game between the two state gridiron powers, despite the difference in classifications, giving the hometown Wildcats a mere six-point edge. But the visiting Bulldogs couldn't find any traction or consistency on offense, leaving the defense at the mercy of a balanced Wildcat attack that made few mistakes.

Har-Ber scored early and often, racking up four first quarter touchdowns, three on offense and one on defense, for a stunning 28-0 lead after the first 12 minutes. The unexpected scoring onslaught quickly silenced a large contingent of GHS fans that made the 60-mile trip to Northwest Arkansas on a warm and humid night. The Wildcats added one more TD in the second stanza for a 35-0 score, invoking the mercy rule for the remainder of the contest.

After holding Greenwood to three plays and a punt to start the game, the Wildcats drew first blood at the 8:54 mark, scoring on a 2-yard run by running back Tre Tyler. The PAT made it 7-0. Just 2½ minutes later Har-Ber added to its lead on a 1-yard plunge by running back Gordon Welch. The point after made it 14-0 with 6:22 left in the first quarter.

The Bulldogs managed a couple of first downs and took some time off the clock, but could not sustain the drive, giving the ball back to the red-hot Har-Ber offense. The Wildcats wasted little time cashing in, scoring at the 2:00 mark on another 1-yard run by Welch. Leading 21-0, the Springdale defense added insult to injury, picking off a Tyler Shook pass. Linebacker Jacob Brudrick returned the interception 30 yards for a touchdown with 1:49 remaining on the first quarter clock.

Trailing 28-0 as the second period began, the Bulldogs continued to sputter on offense. Greenwood managed just two first downs in the first half. The running game was a non-factor, with a minus 10 yards on 16 carries for the entire game. QB Tyler Shook completed 15 passes for 153 yards, accounting for all of Greenwood's offensive production. He suffered two interceptions.

At the 7:10 mark of the second quarter, Har-Ber scored its final touchdown on a 20-yard scamper by Gordon Welch. The PAT made it 35-0. With the clock running continuously, the Wildcats dialed back their offense somewhat, relying almost exclusively on the running game. But the Springdale defense was still giving Greenwood problems.

The Bulldogs again failed to make a first down on their next possession, punting the ball to the Springdale 24 with 5:02 remaining in the first half. The Wildcats earned a first down, but were slowed by a holding penalty and a nice defensive play by Greenwood's Drew Hasley, a senior defensive back who broke up a long pass attempt. The 'Dogs got the ball back in good field position at their own 44 with 1:45 left in the second quarter.

Shook rolled left and fired a strike to Stephen Hogan for 14 yards to the Springdale 42 for a first down. An incidental facemask penalty added five yards to the 37. Shook then found sophomore Blake Hasley for five yards to the 32, but the GHS quarterback was sacked on the next play for a big loss back to the 42, killing the drive. The Springdale QB downed the ball twice to run out the remaining time.

Har-Ber penetrated into Greenwood territory on its first possession of the second half, reaching the 48-yard line before punting to the GHS 18. The Bulldogs made two first downs, one on a 16-yard pass completion to senior Spencer Harris, and the other by way of a Springdale penalty. Greenwood reached the Har-Ber 36-yard line before turning the ball over on downs.

Three plays later, Bulldogs' defensive lineman Ross Wheeler recovered a Springdale fumble at the 39, giving Greenwood its best scoring chance of the game with 1:12 left in the third quarter. On first down, Shook threw his best pass of the evening over two defenders into the steady hands of junior receiver Seth Parker, who made a nice catch before going out-of-bounds at the 18-yard line.

A penalty moved the ball to the 13 as the fourth quarter began, before Shook passed to running back Travis Green for a short gain to the 10. But after a dropped snap and QB sack at the 13, Shook fired a fourth down pass into the end zone that was picked off by Springdale, ending the only genuine GHS scoring threat of the game. The Bulldogs ran only one more offensive series before time expired.

The shutout was the first in Har-Ber Wildcats' history - they began playing football in 2006. It was also the first shutout suffered by Greenwood under Coach Rick Jones. It was only the second time the mercy rule has been employed against the Bulldogs under Jones. The first time was in week nine of the 2007 season on the road when Little Rock Christian ambushed the 'Dogs for a 44-7 win to capture the conference title. But four weeks later Greenwood got sweet revenge with a dominating 26-7 victory over LR Christian in the state title game.

Coach Jones didn't try to hide his frustration and disappointment with Friday night's result. “Football is a rough sport,” he said, “and we have to respond when it gets rough.” He added that the first game is always a time to find out some things about where a team stands. “Some of the things we found out weren't too good,” he added.

Still, the coach discounted the idea that he will need to use the lopsided loss to motivate his players for their next game. “Our guys have a good work ethic,” he said. “They will give a great effort next Friday. We just have to look at [our] mistakes and get better.”

Next up for the Bulldogs is Hope of the 5A Southwest. The game will be played Friday night at Smith-Robinson Stadium on the GHS campus. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. It will also be the first of three consecutive home games. Shiloh Christian comes to Greenwood on September 18th, followed by the conference opener against Morrilton on September 25th. Greenwood's first league game on the road is at Harrison on October 2nd.