The Bulldogs improved their record to 10-1 and extended their winning streak to double-digits after dropping their season opener to Class 7A Springdale Har-Ber. Three more victories would give Greenwood its fourth state title in five years, but standing in the way are the defending state champions from Pulaski Academy, and looming on the horizon is undefeated Monticello. The P.A. Bruins travel to Greenwood this week for a quarterfinal matchup, after outscoring Helena in the first round, 50-39. Monticello easily defeated Vilonia, 31-0, and remains the only 5A team with an unblemished record.

Friday's game was almost over before it began, with Greenwood scoring four first quarter touchdowns en route to invoking the 35-point mercy rule before halftime. Sylvan Hills entered the game with a 4-6 record and a depleted roster. Between spring drills and fall practice, the Bears lost 16 players to disciplinary suspensions and academic ineligibility, and seven more multi-sport athletes dropped football in favor of baseball. The Bears started the season 0-5, but rallied to win four of their last five games to make the playoffs as a fourth seed. Their low numbers were clearly evident Friday night.

The visitors won the opening coin toss and elected to give Greenwood the football first. The Bulldogs responded with a nearly flawless three-minute drive and a touchdown. The kickoff was short with no return and the GHS offense took over at its own 30-yard line. Senior quarterback Tyler Shook began the drive with a quick pass to junior Tony Sandifer for 14 yards down the left sideline. Senior Travis Green ran for three yards, and Sandifer rushed for four more to the Sylvan Hills 49. Shook then passed to Sandifer for nine yards and found senior receiver Spencer Harris for 13 yards to the 27.

To keep the defense honest, Green ran again for three yards to the 24, before Shook passed to Sandifer inside the red zone at the 19-yard line. Sandwiched around a dropped pass, Green ran twice for four yards and a first down, but after a penalty, the Bulldogs faced third and 14 at the 20. Shook then looked to the left sideline for the completion to Green, who nearly reached the end zone before going out-of-bounds at the 3-yard line. Sophomore running back Justin Sunde gently tip-toed in for the score on the next snap. Senior Austin Hartness added the extra point for a 7-0 lead at the 8:48 mark.

Just like the offense, the Greenwood defense looked primed and ready for action, stuffing the Bears on their first two possessions, giving up exactly zero yardage on six plays and forcing two punts. In between, the offense scored again, needing only two plays to go 51 yards. On first down, Shook threw deep to Spencer Harris down the right sideline. Harris caught the ball near the 10 and fell forward to the 1, setting up a short TD run by Sunde on the next play. Hartness added the PAT for a 14-0 lead.

The next two times Greenwood got the football, the Bulldogs needed only one play to score. The game's third touchdown came on a 59-yard strike from Shook to Sandifer. The GHS receiver was wide-open over the middle and managed to stay ahead of the defensive pursuit all the way to the end zone. The extra point put the home team comfortably ahead, 21-0, with 5:16 remaining in the first quarter.

Three minutes later, Greenwood junior Chance Moquett recovered a Bears' fumble at the Sylvan Hills' 46-yard line, before lightning struck again. This time Shook pitched the ball to Sandifer, who pulled up and launched a deep pass downfield for Harris, who was so uncovered that he had time to turn back and wait for the underthrown ball and still reach the end zone. The PAT failed and Greenwood led 27-0 with 2:09 left in the opening period. The Bulldogs had scored on successive drives of 15, nine, and seven seconds in length.

On the first play of the second quarter, Spencer Harris intercepted a Bears' pass near midfield and returned it all the way to the Sylvan Hills' 16-yard line. From there, the Bulldogs needed six plays to score, five of them on the ground. On first down, Travis Green got eight yards, but later, when the Bulldogs faced fourth and two, they gave the ball to Justin Sunde, who got the first down at the 4-yard line. Green ran again to the one, before taking the next handoff and jumping over the pile and into the end zone. The kick by Hartness was good for a 34-0 GHS lead with 9:54 left in the first half.

Sylvan Hills finally got on the scoreboard midway through the period, marching 70 yards in eight plays, the last of which was a 27-yard pass from quarterback Jordan Spears to receiver Ahmad Scott. The GHS defender appeared to slip down trying to cover the play, allowing for the easy touchdown. But once again Spencer Harris made his presence felt by blocking the extra point attempt.

Leading 34-6, the Bulldogs went right back to work offensively after Tony Sandifer returned the kick from the Greenwood 2-yard line to the 49. Shook passed to Harris for six yards on first down, moving the ball into Bears' territory at the 45. Shook then gave the ball to sophomore Blake Hasley, who picked up some nice blocks around the right side for a big gain to the 27. After an incompletion and a gain of one, Shook passed to Harris to the 20, setting up fourth down and three. Shook then came right back to Harris on the same play for the first down to the 10. Sandifer ran to the seven, Sunde rushed for no gain, then Shook passed to Harris on the right side of the end zone for the score. Hartness added the PAT to invoke the mercy rule with Greenwood leading 41-6 with 2:57 left in the second quarter.

The Bulldogs got the ball again before the half ended after Harris made his second interception of the game. But head coach Rick Jones called for Tyler Shook to take a knee on two successive plays to run out the clock, and both teams headed to their respective locker rooms at the intermission. Of course, the halftime statistics all favored the home team. Greenwood had only 10 first downs to eight for the Bears, but the Bulldogs had over 300 yards in total offense to just 131 yards for Sylvan Hills. Shook was 11 for 14 passing for over 200 yards. Tony Sandifer completed the only pass he attempted for 46 yards. Greenwood had 60 yards rushing on 18 carries.

The Bears got the ball to start the second half, and wasted little time in taking advantage of Greenwood's second team defense. From its own 30, Sylvan Hills scored on another long pass play from Spears to Scott, the ball just clearing the outstretched hands of leaping sophomore defensive back Hayden Smith near the Bears' sideline. The PAT was good, trimming the GHS lead to 41-13.

Wanting that touchdown back, the Bulldogs kept most of their offensive starters on the field to begin the half. Starting at its own 20 after the kick, Greenwood marched 80 yards in 10 plays for the score. Justin Sunde ran twice for 11 yards to begin the drive. Three plays later, Shook passed to junior William Caster for seven yards and a first down at the 45. Shook then hit sophomore Landon Williams for 11 yards to the Bears 44-yard line. Sunde ran again to the 39 and sophomore Derek Morgan ran for three yards to the 36, before Sunde got the call again, reaching the 32. The touchdown came on the next play, a pass from Tyler Shook, and a spectacular leaping catch in the end zone by Seth Parker. The junior receiver battled a defender for possession and did not appear to secure the ball until he was falling to the ground. Hartness added the extra point to make the score 48-13 with 5:36 left in the quarter.

Neither team scored in the fourth quarter and Greenwood only had one other offensive possession after its final touchdown. An interception by GHS senior defensive back Trevor Blalock was disallowed due to a roughing the passer penalty in the final minutes of play. Uncharacteristically for a Greenwood game, the first half lasted only an hour in real time, and with the mercy rule in effect, the second half lasted just over 30 minutes, so most Bulldogs' fans were headed home by around 9:30 p.m.

After the game, Coach Jones gave credit to his players for a great week of preparation. "I thought we practiced really well. That was the thing - coming off an emotional win against Alma - I was a little bit concerned on Monday. But our guys came out and had a great practice. They really practiced well this week, so I felt pretty good about it. I know all the pitfalls and the trap game and all of that, but they have a lot of sense of history and tradition and I think they wanted to go out and play well tonight, and they did."

The coach also talked about the relative ease of the victory and using his reserves. "We didn't play a whole lot of young kids," he said. "We played a lot of those seniors that have been around for a long time. It was good to see that, and we did get a mix of young kids in. We got the clock running, then they scored quickly, so we put some of our guys back in there to get that other [touchdown] in the third quarter. But it was fun. We haven't had [a game like] this in a long time, so hopefully our guys had a little bit of a break. We know we're going to have to play a good football team next week."

Jones also addressed the lightning fast way that his team scored and the lack of offensive plays and time of possession by the Bulldogs. "At this point in time, if we're not in shape, we're not going to get in shape. It's not bad at all. I thought it was wonderful. It's a long grind. This is week 12 coming up, and whoever we play [next week] we know it's going to be a battle to the end. So we may as well take a little break tonight if we can get one," said the coach. "Our guys love to make big plays, and we thought we had an opportunity to attack them deep, and we were able to execute. You can't say enough about the guys throwing and catching, but also about the guys protecting. Once again Tyler [Shook] wasn't touched [one] time. He had time to throw, and that just means so much in our offense. We're usually pretty decent when we have time.

But the coach wasn't through praising the play of his senior quarterback. "He was very efficient. I told him at halftime that [his] quarterback rating was about two-eleven. It was ridiculous. But that's the way Tyler's been all year, knock on wood. He's been solid as a rock. He's very, very accurate. He makes great decisions, and he has protection and some guys to throw to, and that's a big part of it."

Jones also recognized his defensive players for their solid performance. "We gave up one drive, and that was basically it. Sylvan Hills - they got after us. Those guys ran hard. Those backs ran hard. I give those guys a lot of credit, because it wasn't that close a game, and they just came out and rolled over us. They played really, really well that drive."

So the stage is set for a quarterfinals match between the last two Class 5A state champions. Pulaski Academy defeated Greenwood last year at Smith-Robinson Stadium in the semi-finals on their way to the state title game. But this season the Bruins finished third in their conference behind Camden and Magnolia and enter this week's game with an 8-3 overall record. Greenwood and P.A. did share two common opponents in Hope and Central Arkansas Christian. The Bruins defeated Hope 47-14 and beat CAC 33-20. The Bulldogs downed Hope 43-7 and topped the Mustangs in the mud, 28-6.

Greenwood fans may also remember that Pulaski Academy head coach Kevin Kelly rarely ever punts the football and loves the passing game, so Friday's contest should be both entertaining and high scoring. The winner will likely play Monticello on the Friday after Thanksgiving in the semi-finals. The Billies will host Greene County Tech this week, but would have to travel to Greenwood if the Bulldogs survive P.A. Game time this Friday is 7:30 p.m.