Jr. Bulldogs too much for Trinity Buffaloes, 42-0
By Richard White
The game was an obvious mismatch from the start, and the Fort Smith Trinity Buffaloes were fodder for the Greenwood Junior High Bulldogs last Thursday night. Greenwood rolled to an easy 42-0 win in a game played on the campus of Fort Smith Ramsey Junior High School. The Jr. 'Dogs will play Ramsey on October 13th for its lone remaining road game in River Valley Conference play, but that contest will be played at Fort Smith's Southside High School.
The visiting Bulldogs kicked off to start the game, and the Buffaloes took their first snap from the 20-yard-line, after the kick reached the end zone. Facing third down, a pass attempt by Trinity was picked off by Greenwood defensive back Tanner Cooper, who was tackled at the Buffaloes' 30. After an incomplete pass on first down, and a 5-yard penalty on Trinity that moved the ball to the 25, Greenwood running back Cameron Palmer rambled in for the touchdown. Kicker Kevin Jones added the extra point for the early 7-0 lead with 6:50 left in the first quarter.
After a short kickoff return to the 16, the Buffaloes tried to pass again, with a similar result. This time it was defensive back Tristan Brasher who intercepted the football and also returned it to the Tinity 30-yard-line. Greenwood quarterback Reid Wheeler completed a first down pass to Kevin Jones, reaching the 20. Wheeler then threw to receiver Jackson Cole for 15 yards to the 5, before Palmer ran twice, the last carry a 1-yard plunge for the touchdown. Jones added the extra point for the 14-0 lead less than three minutes into the contest.
The visiting defense continued to stifle the Trinity offense, forcing the Buffaloes to punt on their next possession. Pressure on the punter resulted in a poor kick that gave Greenwood the ball at midfield. Wheeler passed over the middle to Cole for 14 yards to the 36 on first down. After an incompletion, Wheeler threw again to Kevin Jones on the right sideline for 12 yards to the 24 and another first down. The Jr. 'Dogs were flagged for a penalty on the next play, pushing them back to the 30-yard-line. But Reid Wheeler and Kevin Jones quickly erased the lost yardage and then some, hooking up for a short pass completion over the middle, with Jones taking it the distance for the score. He also added the extra point, giving Greenwood a commanding 21-0 lead with 2:15 remaining in the opening period.
Trinity managed to move the chains on its next possession, albeit with the aid of a Greenwood penalty. But the first down was followed by a run for no gain, a quarterback sack, and a fumble that the Buffaloes managed to recover at their own 11-yard-line. The ensuing punt was fielded by Kevin Jones and returned to its point-of-origin at the 11. Reid Wheeler then tucked the ball and ran a QB keeper for the touchdown on Greenwood's first offensive snap. Jones added the extra point for a 28-0 lead with 7:37 left in the second quarter.
Another pass interception accounted for Greenwood's next score just over a minute later. On third down, the Buffaloes tried a pass that was picked off by Tristan Brasher near the 35-yard-line - his second interception - and returned down the left sideline, breaking a pair of tackles before reaching the end zone for the touchdown. The extra point by Jones made the score 35-0.
Trinity attempted what appeared to be a fake punt on their next possession, but failed to move the chains, giving Greenwood the football at the Buffaloes' 36-yard-line. Greenwood head coach Kenneth Thornton sent in backup QB Kyler Watson, who passed to Wes Robinson on first down for 12 yards to the 24. Running back Chris Sunde then got the ball, racing around left end for the score. Jones added his final extra point of the night for the 42-0 halftime lead.
Trinity executed a successful onside kick to open the second half, and began a time-consuming drive at its own 47-yard-line. With the clock running because of the mercy rule, the Buffaloes moved all the way to the visitor's 12, against Greenwood's second team defense. After a third down incomplete pass, Trinity lined up for a 29-yard field goal try, but the kick attempt was no good, preserving the shutout. Greenwood's offense, which never had the ball in the rapidly moving third quarter, ran just one full series in the fourth period, managing a single first down. Greenwood defensive back Landon Burklow intercepted another Trinity pass on the next-to-last play of the game, and Greenwood ran one offensive play before time expired on the 42-0 victory.
The victory moved the Junior Bulldogs to 4-1 on the season and 4-0 in River Valley Conference play, keeping them at least tied for first place in the league race. Since their season-opening loss at Alma, the Bulldogs have won four consecutive conference games over Fort Smith Chaffin, Van Buren Butterfield, Fort Smith Darby, and now Trinity, by an average score of 33.5 points on offense while allowing just 6.25 per game on defense. The Greenwood defense has held its last two opponents scoreless and the first team defense hasn't given up a point since week two against Fort Smith Chaffin.
Greenwood head coach Kenneth Thornton was very pleased with his team's play against Trinity. "I thought they executed real well," he said in comments following Thursday's game. "We watched film and we knew that we would be alright athletically with [Trinity]. We just wanted to concentrate on Greenwood and us getting better as a football team. We know that we've got some tough ballgames coming up, and this bunch has some pretty lofty goals, so we're just trying to get better and not turn the ball over. We're going to evaluate this film and we'll probably be tough on them as far as stances and alignment. We didn't want any pre-snap penalties, any drive-killing penalties, we didn't want to turn the ball over, we wanted to be sound tacklers, chase the football defensively, and play perfect in the special teams. We talked a lot about perfection this week, and I thought we came out in the first half and played about as perfect as we can play."
When asked about the multiple pass interceptions by his defense, Coach Thornton said, "We knew they were going to throw it a lot, but it doesn't matter what they do. If they want to run the ball, then hopefully we'll stop the run. If they want to throw it, hopefully we'll get lots of interceptions. It's just being in the right place and making plays. I know our competition hasn't been great the past couple of weeks, but you can still play bad, and we haven't done that. I'm real pleased with our progress. We're not there yet, but we're getting close to where we want to be. It's just how we're going to match up when the competition gets a whole lot better."
Reminded that his team had reached the halfway mark of the season, with four of the next five games all scheduled at home, the coach added, "It really doesn't matter to me where we play, but it's nice to be home. We've got all of our fans and the jumbotron there, and we're thrilled to be at home." As for the conference race, Thornton said, "[Van Buren] Coleman is still unbeaten. They beat Kimmons last week, and we'll get that film tomorrow. Alma lost to Coleman. [Greenwood] and Coleman are probably the only undefeated teams [in conference play]. But we just try and focus so much on what we do, offensively and defensively. We just concentrate on our kids doing the things we do, which is not much, but we do it every single day. We snap it as fast as we can, and hopefully we get better every week."
The Junior Bulldogs will host Fort Smith Kimmons this week at Greenwood's Smith-Robinson Stadium. Game time Thursday night is 7 p.m. Following the Kimmons contest, Greenwood will play its final road game against Fort Smith Ramsey before closing out the season with three home games against Van Buren Coleman, Shiloh Christian, and Alma. The Shiloh Christian game is not a River Valley Conference contest, but the Jr. 'Dogs could control their own destiny by winning out in league play.
By Richard White
The game was an obvious mismatch from the start, and the Fort Smith Trinity Buffaloes were fodder for the Greenwood Junior High Bulldogs last Thursday night. Greenwood rolled to an easy 42-0 win in a game played on the campus of Fort Smith Ramsey Junior High School. The Jr. 'Dogs will play Ramsey on October 13th for its lone remaining road game in River Valley Conference play, but that contest will be played at Fort Smith's Southside High School.
The visiting Bulldogs kicked off to start the game, and the Buffaloes took their first snap from the 20-yard-line, after the kick reached the end zone. Facing third down, a pass attempt by Trinity was picked off by Greenwood defensive back Tanner Cooper, who was tackled at the Buffaloes' 30. After an incomplete pass on first down, and a 5-yard penalty on Trinity that moved the ball to the 25, Greenwood running back Cameron Palmer rambled in for the touchdown. Kicker Kevin Jones added the extra point for the early 7-0 lead with 6:50 left in the first quarter.
After a short kickoff return to the 16, the Buffaloes tried to pass again, with a similar result. This time it was defensive back Tristan Brasher who intercepted the football and also returned it to the Tinity 30-yard-line. Greenwood quarterback Reid Wheeler completed a first down pass to Kevin Jones, reaching the 20. Wheeler then threw to receiver Jackson Cole for 15 yards to the 5, before Palmer ran twice, the last carry a 1-yard plunge for the touchdown. Jones added the extra point for the 14-0 lead less than three minutes into the contest.
The visiting defense continued to stifle the Trinity offense, forcing the Buffaloes to punt on their next possession. Pressure on the punter resulted in a poor kick that gave Greenwood the ball at midfield. Wheeler passed over the middle to Cole for 14 yards to the 36 on first down. After an incompletion, Wheeler threw again to Kevin Jones on the right sideline for 12 yards to the 24 and another first down. The Jr. 'Dogs were flagged for a penalty on the next play, pushing them back to the 30-yard-line. But Reid Wheeler and Kevin Jones quickly erased the lost yardage and then some, hooking up for a short pass completion over the middle, with Jones taking it the distance for the score. He also added the extra point, giving Greenwood a commanding 21-0 lead with 2:15 remaining in the opening period.
Trinity managed to move the chains on its next possession, albeit with the aid of a Greenwood penalty. But the first down was followed by a run for no gain, a quarterback sack, and a fumble that the Buffaloes managed to recover at their own 11-yard-line. The ensuing punt was fielded by Kevin Jones and returned to its point-of-origin at the 11. Reid Wheeler then tucked the ball and ran a QB keeper for the touchdown on Greenwood's first offensive snap. Jones added the extra point for a 28-0 lead with 7:37 left in the second quarter.
Another pass interception accounted for Greenwood's next score just over a minute later. On third down, the Buffaloes tried a pass that was picked off by Tristan Brasher near the 35-yard-line - his second interception - and returned down the left sideline, breaking a pair of tackles before reaching the end zone for the touchdown. The extra point by Jones made the score 35-0.
Trinity attempted what appeared to be a fake punt on their next possession, but failed to move the chains, giving Greenwood the football at the Buffaloes' 36-yard-line. Greenwood head coach Kenneth Thornton sent in backup QB Kyler Watson, who passed to Wes Robinson on first down for 12 yards to the 24. Running back Chris Sunde then got the ball, racing around left end for the score. Jones added his final extra point of the night for the 42-0 halftime lead.
Trinity executed a successful onside kick to open the second half, and began a time-consuming drive at its own 47-yard-line. With the clock running because of the mercy rule, the Buffaloes moved all the way to the visitor's 12, against Greenwood's second team defense. After a third down incomplete pass, Trinity lined up for a 29-yard field goal try, but the kick attempt was no good, preserving the shutout. Greenwood's offense, which never had the ball in the rapidly moving third quarter, ran just one full series in the fourth period, managing a single first down. Greenwood defensive back Landon Burklow intercepted another Trinity pass on the next-to-last play of the game, and Greenwood ran one offensive play before time expired on the 42-0 victory.
The victory moved the Junior Bulldogs to 4-1 on the season and 4-0 in River Valley Conference play, keeping them at least tied for first place in the league race. Since their season-opening loss at Alma, the Bulldogs have won four consecutive conference games over Fort Smith Chaffin, Van Buren Butterfield, Fort Smith Darby, and now Trinity, by an average score of 33.5 points on offense while allowing just 6.25 per game on defense. The Greenwood defense has held its last two opponents scoreless and the first team defense hasn't given up a point since week two against Fort Smith Chaffin.
Greenwood head coach Kenneth Thornton was very pleased with his team's play against Trinity. "I thought they executed real well," he said in comments following Thursday's game. "We watched film and we knew that we would be alright athletically with [Trinity]. We just wanted to concentrate on Greenwood and us getting better as a football team. We know that we've got some tough ballgames coming up, and this bunch has some pretty lofty goals, so we're just trying to get better and not turn the ball over. We're going to evaluate this film and we'll probably be tough on them as far as stances and alignment. We didn't want any pre-snap penalties, any drive-killing penalties, we didn't want to turn the ball over, we wanted to be sound tacklers, chase the football defensively, and play perfect in the special teams. We talked a lot about perfection this week, and I thought we came out in the first half and played about as perfect as we can play."
When asked about the multiple pass interceptions by his defense, Coach Thornton said, "We knew they were going to throw it a lot, but it doesn't matter what they do. If they want to run the ball, then hopefully we'll stop the run. If they want to throw it, hopefully we'll get lots of interceptions. It's just being in the right place and making plays. I know our competition hasn't been great the past couple of weeks, but you can still play bad, and we haven't done that. I'm real pleased with our progress. We're not there yet, but we're getting close to where we want to be. It's just how we're going to match up when the competition gets a whole lot better."
Reminded that his team had reached the halfway mark of the season, with four of the next five games all scheduled at home, the coach added, "It really doesn't matter to me where we play, but it's nice to be home. We've got all of our fans and the jumbotron there, and we're thrilled to be at home." As for the conference race, Thornton said, "[Van Buren] Coleman is still unbeaten. They beat Kimmons last week, and we'll get that film tomorrow. Alma lost to Coleman. [Greenwood] and Coleman are probably the only undefeated teams [in conference play]. But we just try and focus so much on what we do, offensively and defensively. We just concentrate on our kids doing the things we do, which is not much, but we do it every single day. We snap it as fast as we can, and hopefully we get better every week."
The Junior Bulldogs will host Fort Smith Kimmons this week at Greenwood's Smith-Robinson Stadium. Game time Thursday night is 7 p.m. Following the Kimmons contest, Greenwood will play its final road game against Fort Smith Ramsey before closing out the season with three home games against Van Buren Coleman, Shiloh Christian, and Alma. The Shiloh Christian game is not a River Valley Conference contest, but the Jr. 'Dogs could control their own destiny by winning out in league play.
The Dog Pound is a fan based website.
The views expressed on this site are the sole views
of the fans known as the Dog Pound and other fans and are not those of
the Greenwood Public Schools, Administrators, Coaches, or Students.
This site is not maintained or apart of the Greenwood Public Schools.
Contact the webmaster: webmaster@greenwooddogpound.com
Freshman Bulldogs Continue To Roll Against Trinity
Greenwood 42, Trinity 0
9-27-11
Photos By: Brian Vaughn
Game Article By: Richard White
