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Greenwood Bulldog Football TV Show
Greenwood vs Alma 11-4-11
Hosted By: Darin Drennan
With Head Coach Rick Jones
Produced By: Troy Jarrell
Copyright: BFI. Inc 2011
Used With Permission
Bulldog's Finish Regular Season Perfect 10-0
Greenwood 23, Alma 20
11-4-11
Photos By: Brian Vaughn, Charlie Caster, Trey Caster & Kim Singer
Game Recap By: Richard White
Click Scoreboard For Offical Greenwood Game Stats
Photos Below By: Charlie & Trey Caster
Bulldog Radio & TV
Player Of The Game
Howie Cox
OL/DL 5' 11, 245
Senior
For a higher quality and larger show visit: www.gogwbulldogs.com
Photos Below By: Charlie & Trey Caster
Photos Below By: Kim Singer
Photos Below By: Kim Singer
Bulldogs complete perfect regular season with classic victory at Alma
By Richard White
For the first time since 1972, the Greenwood Bulldogs have completed a perfect 10-0 regular season. The tenth win came last Friday night in nail biting fashion at Alma. After a lackluster first half performance left them trailing at the break for the first time this season, the Bulldogs rallied in the second half behind the strong and accurate leg of senior kicker Adam McFain, to pull out a thrilling 23-20 victory. McFain was good on three of four field goal attempts as the Airedales actually scored one more touchdown than the visiting Bulldogs. However, both teams qualified for the playoffs, with Greenwood earning the number one seed from the 5A West, and Alma earning the three seed. The Bulldogs will host Central Arkansas Christian this week in the first round of the post-season. Alma will travel to Hot Springs Lakeside.
A huge Greenwood crowd was on hand, rivaling the number of Alma fans who turned out on a chilly night to support their Airedales. The contest was a tough, hard-hitting affair from start to finish, with neither team able to build more than a seven-point advantage. The Airedales struck first on their second offensive possession. Following a great punt by Greenwood's Derek Morgan, the home team started their drive from the Alma 15-yard-line. Behind the strong running of Nate Whitson and the arm of quarterback Brady Bradley, the Airedales moved down the field in nine plays, scoring on a 55-yard pass play from Bradley to receiver Gage Jensen down the left sideline. The extra point made the score 7-0 with 4:22 left in the opening quarter.
The Bulldogs responded by driving 50 yards to the Alma 20, largely on the passing of senior quarterback Hayden Smith, completing throws of 10 and 17 yards to junior Jansen Stein, and 14 yards to senior Drew Morgan, who made a nice leaping two-handed catch. But the threat ended at the Airedales' 20 when McFain's 42-yard field goal attempt was wide and to the left, keeping the score 7-0.
When the Airedales were stymied on their next possession and had to punt, Greenwood senior Justin Sunde fielded the ball near midfield and quickly found the right sideline, racing for an apparent 55-yard touchdown. But the score was nullified due to a blocking penalty, giving Greenwood the ball at the Alma 22-yard line. Three plays later, Hayden Smith's scrambling ability bought him some time until Drew Morgan got open in the end zone for the 20-yard touchdown strike. McFain's extra point tied the score at seven-all with 19 seconds left in the first quarter.
After an Alma punt, Greenwood's next possession ended with a fumble when Hayden Smith appeared to stumble and fall on his left shoulder, losing the football in the process. Alma recovered at the Bulldogs' 28, and Smith was shaken up on the play, giving Greenwood fans a sick feeling in the pits of their stomachs. However, Smith returned for the next series and showed no obvious signs of impairment. But the Airedales needed only two plays to score again and retake the lead. A well-executed flea flicker pass ended with a 26-yard completion by Bradley to receiver Dillon Work, reaching the 1-yard-line. Moments later, Whitson scored the go-ahead touchdown, but the PAT was blocked by Greenwood's Drew Morgan.
Following another Greenwood punt, the Airedales had excellent field position and threatened to add to their lead, moving from the Greenwood 45 to the 8-yard-line, where they faced a fourth down situation, needing five yards to move the chains. After calling their last timeout with 59 seconds remaining in the half, the Airedales missed a golden opportunity when quarterback Brady Bradley was sacked by the Greenwood defense, giving the football back to the Bulldogs, who ran out the clock and were happy to go to the locker room down just 13-7, having been outplayed by the Airedales in the first half.
The Bulldogs received the opening kick of the second half, but suffered a holding penalty on the return and started their first possession of the half at their own 12-yard-line. Two snaps later, Hayden Smith made a remarkable play. Scrambling for his life in the backfield, eluding tacklers, and buying at least 10 seconds to throw the ball, he finally connected with Cole McAlister near midfield. The junior receiver finished the play by running for an apparent touchdown, but the Bulldogs were flagged for an illegal receiver downfield, nullifying the score and moving the ball back to the 7-yard-line.
Despite the setback, the Bulldogs marched across midfield and into Alma territory in just three plays, the biggest of which was a 30-yard pass completion from Smith to Drew Morgan. After three consecutive carries by Justin Sunde moved the ball to the Alma 44, Smith passed for 12 yards to Jansen Stein, reaching the 32. After gaining the 25, the drive stalled after an incomplete pass on third down. Adam McFain then entered the game and atoned for his earlier miss by nailing a 41-yard field goal, getting the Bulldogs three points closer to the Airedales at 13-10 with 8:38 left in the quarter.
Moments later, Greenwood's Howie Cox sacked Alma QB Brady Bradley on third down, forcing a punt that gave the Bulldogs the football at their own 31. On first down, a short pass from Smith to Drew Morgan was turned into a big gain as Morgan broke three tackles and raced down the right sideline to the Alma 23. After picking up another first down at the 9, the Bulldogs were penalized again for having an illegal receiver downfield. They eventually made it to the 5-yard-line, but faced fourth-and-goal, causing Coach Rick Jones to send in his kicker once again to tie the game. McFain's short boot was good, and with 3:10 left in the third period, the game was knotted at 13-all.
Having scored on both of their second half possessions, the momentum had clearly swung to Greenwood's side, and the trend continued when Alma fumbled the football on the very first snap of their next possession. Greenwood senior Garrett Moore came up with the ball at the Airedales' 13-yard-line. The offense did the rest and in very quick fashion. Smith took the snap, faked the give to Drew Morgan, and kept the ball himself, finding open ground to the end zone. McFain's kick put the Bulldogs on top for the first time in the game at 20-13 with 2:52 left in the third period.
But the Airedales weren't about to give up without a fight, and responded with a fast score of their own. On third down from their own 27, Bradley connected on a quick pass over the middle to Ethan Brewer. With Greenwood's defense blitzing the QB, there was no one at home to stop the receiver, who streaked all the way to the end zone for the score. The kick was good and the game was tied at 20-20.
With just over a minute left in the third quarter, the Bulldogs started their next drive from their own 21, following a penalty on the kick return by Drew Morgan. The possession lasted 14 plays and took 3 ½ minutes off the clock, and it turned out to be the game winner. Pass completions to Zack Thornton and Jansen Stein were good for seven and six yards, respectively. After a penalty, Smith passed to Morgan three consecutive times for gains of 16 total yards. Justin Sunde then raced around right end and down the sideline for 55 yards and a touchdown, but was ruled out-of-bounds at the Alma 44-yard-line. Two snaps later, Smith passed to Thornton for 10 yards at the 39, and then scrambled again before finding Stein for a huge gain of 30 yards to the 9. Smith then ran to the 5 on first down, but misfired on two pass attempts on second and third downs. Adam McFain entered the game with 9:27 left in the fourth quarter and booted a 22-yard field goal, putting Greenwood on top for good at 23-20.
The Greenwood defense responded again, and Alma was forced to punt on its next possession. The GHS offense needed to manufacture a couple of first downs to eat up the clock. The first ten yards moved the chains to midfield, with Sunde and Smith running the football. But the fourth play of the possession was another run by Smith, who struggled for extra yardage, but coughed up the football. It was recovered by the Airedales at their own 30-yard-line with 5:43 left to play.
Greenwood fans held their collective breath as Alma moved to midfield. The visiting fans then went absolutely bonkers when a deflected pass was intercepted by Brandon Boerjan. But the play was nullified when Derek Morgan, who caused the deflection, was flagged for pass interference, giving the ball back to the Airedales at the Greenwood 36. Three plays later, Howie Cox and Cole Gassman sacked the Alma QB at the 27, bringing up third-and-13. Following a timeout, Cox and Cole McAlister combined for another sack, this one at the 34-yard-line. On fourth down, Greenwood's Saul Palmer picked off Bradley's pass attempt and returned it a short distance to the 28.
With only 1:10 remaining to play, it wasn't hard to run out the clock. Alma called its last timeout as Smith took a knee on three consecutive snaps. It wasn't the most elegant of wins, but when the final horn sounded, the Bulldogs had escaped with a 23-20 victory and earned their fourth consecutive outright 5A West Conference title. Alma fell to 7-3 overall and finished 5-2 in league play. Greenbrier, which finished 6-1 in league play, earned the two seed, with Alma getting the three seed in the first round of the state playoffs. Morrilton's win over Siloam Springs last Friday also put the Devil Dogs in the post-season mix as the fourth seed from the 5A West.
Against Alma, the Greenwood offense totaled 338 yards with 255 coming through the air. Hayden Smith completed 22 of his 33 pass attempts. "I was proud of the way our kids rallied," said Coach Jones in comments after the game. "It was a tough first half. [Alma] battered us pretty good. I was so proud of the way our guys fought back. They hung in there when things got a little bleak in the first half. Alma was well prepared. They had a great plan and they got after us really, really well. I just can't say enough about a great group of kids. We needed a game like this, because it will be like this for the next four weeks. We just have to get ready."
Asked about his team's offensive struggles in the first half, Jones said, "We tried to pick the pace up. We weren't playing as fast as we wanted to in the first half. One of the things we talked about at halftime was picking up the pace, and I think that helped us. But the main thing that helped us was that our guys decided to compete. It was a tough first half. Bad things were happening, and ultimately your kids have to decide if they are going to battle back."
The coach was also extremely complimentary of his senior kicker Adam McFain. "I wish we had scored touchdowns on those drives, but what can you say about our kicker?" asked the coach. "He was money tonight and I'm so proud of him. It's not necessarily a popular decision to take the three, but we won by three [points], and Adam was huge. But you don't do that if you don't have faith in your kicker. We just believed in Adam. Those were tough kicks from bad angles, but he did a super job."
Jones also praised the defense, especially the play of senior defensive lineman Howie Cox. "I was so proud of our guys. They hung in there and played hard. Howie played great and got some big sacks for us. I give Alma a lot of credit. It was a great, great battle and they played very, very well. Coach [Todd] Dilbeck and his staff did a super job. [Alma] is a great place to play in terms of atmosphere. [Their] fans are great. Our fans are great. We have the best fans in America, there's no doubt about it."
Finally, regarding the 10-0 record and a fourth straight conference championship, Jones agreed that it was a special achievement. "It's a great run," he said. "It's a great accomplishment, but we're not finished yet. We have to get ready for week eleven. We're going to take a day to enjoy [this] and watch Tyler [Wilson] beat South Carolina, and then go back to work on Sunday." And indeed, the former GHS quarterback did lead the Razorbacks to a big victory over ninth-ranked South Carolina last Saturday.
Now the Bulldogs turn their attention to the playoffs and a four-week sprint to defend their crown as reigning Class 5A state champions. They are the clear favorites to repeat, but nothing is a given in the post-season. They open at home this Friday with Central Arkansas Christian, the fourth seed from the 5A Southwest. A win would earn the Bulldogs another home game against the winner of the first round contest between the Wynne and Monticello. Should Greenwood win its first two games, the Bulldogs would likely have to travel to Camden on the Friday after Thanksgiving for a rematch with Camden Fairview. The two teams met in the state title game last December. However, to make that happen, the Cardinals must also defeat Morrilton in round one and the Beebe-Watson Chapel winner in week two.
Alma and Greenbrier are on the opposite side of the bracket from Greenwood, and could only earn a rematch with the Bulldogs in the state championship game on December 3rd in Little Rock at War Memorial Stadium. Alma opens on the road at Hot Springs Lakeside, while Greenbrier hosts Arkadelphia. But don't be surprised if the 5A West makes a big showing in the playoffs once again, just as in years past, and don't bet against an all 5A West title game with Greenwood facing either Greenbrier or Alma once again for all the marbles. However it turns out, it should be fun to watch.
By Richard White
For the first time since 1972, the Greenwood Bulldogs have completed a perfect 10-0 regular season. The tenth win came last Friday night in nail biting fashion at Alma. After a lackluster first half performance left them trailing at the break for the first time this season, the Bulldogs rallied in the second half behind the strong and accurate leg of senior kicker Adam McFain, to pull out a thrilling 23-20 victory. McFain was good on three of four field goal attempts as the Airedales actually scored one more touchdown than the visiting Bulldogs. However, both teams qualified for the playoffs, with Greenwood earning the number one seed from the 5A West, and Alma earning the three seed. The Bulldogs will host Central Arkansas Christian this week in the first round of the post-season. Alma will travel to Hot Springs Lakeside.
A huge Greenwood crowd was on hand, rivaling the number of Alma fans who turned out on a chilly night to support their Airedales. The contest was a tough, hard-hitting affair from start to finish, with neither team able to build more than a seven-point advantage. The Airedales struck first on their second offensive possession. Following a great punt by Greenwood's Derek Morgan, the home team started their drive from the Alma 15-yard-line. Behind the strong running of Nate Whitson and the arm of quarterback Brady Bradley, the Airedales moved down the field in nine plays, scoring on a 55-yard pass play from Bradley to receiver Gage Jensen down the left sideline. The extra point made the score 7-0 with 4:22 left in the opening quarter.
The Bulldogs responded by driving 50 yards to the Alma 20, largely on the passing of senior quarterback Hayden Smith, completing throws of 10 and 17 yards to junior Jansen Stein, and 14 yards to senior Drew Morgan, who made a nice leaping two-handed catch. But the threat ended at the Airedales' 20 when McFain's 42-yard field goal attempt was wide and to the left, keeping the score 7-0.
When the Airedales were stymied on their next possession and had to punt, Greenwood senior Justin Sunde fielded the ball near midfield and quickly found the right sideline, racing for an apparent 55-yard touchdown. But the score was nullified due to a blocking penalty, giving Greenwood the ball at the Alma 22-yard line. Three plays later, Hayden Smith's scrambling ability bought him some time until Drew Morgan got open in the end zone for the 20-yard touchdown strike. McFain's extra point tied the score at seven-all with 19 seconds left in the first quarter.
After an Alma punt, Greenwood's next possession ended with a fumble when Hayden Smith appeared to stumble and fall on his left shoulder, losing the football in the process. Alma recovered at the Bulldogs' 28, and Smith was shaken up on the play, giving Greenwood fans a sick feeling in the pits of their stomachs. However, Smith returned for the next series and showed no obvious signs of impairment. But the Airedales needed only two plays to score again and retake the lead. A well-executed flea flicker pass ended with a 26-yard completion by Bradley to receiver Dillon Work, reaching the 1-yard-line. Moments later, Whitson scored the go-ahead touchdown, but the PAT was blocked by Greenwood's Drew Morgan.
Following another Greenwood punt, the Airedales had excellent field position and threatened to add to their lead, moving from the Greenwood 45 to the 8-yard-line, where they faced a fourth down situation, needing five yards to move the chains. After calling their last timeout with 59 seconds remaining in the half, the Airedales missed a golden opportunity when quarterback Brady Bradley was sacked by the Greenwood defense, giving the football back to the Bulldogs, who ran out the clock and were happy to go to the locker room down just 13-7, having been outplayed by the Airedales in the first half.
The Bulldogs received the opening kick of the second half, but suffered a holding penalty on the return and started their first possession of the half at their own 12-yard-line. Two snaps later, Hayden Smith made a remarkable play. Scrambling for his life in the backfield, eluding tacklers, and buying at least 10 seconds to throw the ball, he finally connected with Cole McAlister near midfield. The junior receiver finished the play by running for an apparent touchdown, but the Bulldogs were flagged for an illegal receiver downfield, nullifying the score and moving the ball back to the 7-yard-line.
Despite the setback, the Bulldogs marched across midfield and into Alma territory in just three plays, the biggest of which was a 30-yard pass completion from Smith to Drew Morgan. After three consecutive carries by Justin Sunde moved the ball to the Alma 44, Smith passed for 12 yards to Jansen Stein, reaching the 32. After gaining the 25, the drive stalled after an incomplete pass on third down. Adam McFain then entered the game and atoned for his earlier miss by nailing a 41-yard field goal, getting the Bulldogs three points closer to the Airedales at 13-10 with 8:38 left in the quarter.
Moments later, Greenwood's Howie Cox sacked Alma QB Brady Bradley on third down, forcing a punt that gave the Bulldogs the football at their own 31. On first down, a short pass from Smith to Drew Morgan was turned into a big gain as Morgan broke three tackles and raced down the right sideline to the Alma 23. After picking up another first down at the 9, the Bulldogs were penalized again for having an illegal receiver downfield. They eventually made it to the 5-yard-line, but faced fourth-and-goal, causing Coach Rick Jones to send in his kicker once again to tie the game. McFain's short boot was good, and with 3:10 left in the third period, the game was knotted at 13-all.
Having scored on both of their second half possessions, the momentum had clearly swung to Greenwood's side, and the trend continued when Alma fumbled the football on the very first snap of their next possession. Greenwood senior Garrett Moore came up with the ball at the Airedales' 13-yard-line. The offense did the rest and in very quick fashion. Smith took the snap, faked the give to Drew Morgan, and kept the ball himself, finding open ground to the end zone. McFain's kick put the Bulldogs on top for the first time in the game at 20-13 with 2:52 left in the third period.
But the Airedales weren't about to give up without a fight, and responded with a fast score of their own. On third down from their own 27, Bradley connected on a quick pass over the middle to Ethan Brewer. With Greenwood's defense blitzing the QB, there was no one at home to stop the receiver, who streaked all the way to the end zone for the score. The kick was good and the game was tied at 20-20.
With just over a minute left in the third quarter, the Bulldogs started their next drive from their own 21, following a penalty on the kick return by Drew Morgan. The possession lasted 14 plays and took 3 ½ minutes off the clock, and it turned out to be the game winner. Pass completions to Zack Thornton and Jansen Stein were good for seven and six yards, respectively. After a penalty, Smith passed to Morgan three consecutive times for gains of 16 total yards. Justin Sunde then raced around right end and down the sideline for 55 yards and a touchdown, but was ruled out-of-bounds at the Alma 44-yard-line. Two snaps later, Smith passed to Thornton for 10 yards at the 39, and then scrambled again before finding Stein for a huge gain of 30 yards to the 9. Smith then ran to the 5 on first down, but misfired on two pass attempts on second and third downs. Adam McFain entered the game with 9:27 left in the fourth quarter and booted a 22-yard field goal, putting Greenwood on top for good at 23-20.
The Greenwood defense responded again, and Alma was forced to punt on its next possession. The GHS offense needed to manufacture a couple of first downs to eat up the clock. The first ten yards moved the chains to midfield, with Sunde and Smith running the football. But the fourth play of the possession was another run by Smith, who struggled for extra yardage, but coughed up the football. It was recovered by the Airedales at their own 30-yard-line with 5:43 left to play.
Greenwood fans held their collective breath as Alma moved to midfield. The visiting fans then went absolutely bonkers when a deflected pass was intercepted by Brandon Boerjan. But the play was nullified when Derek Morgan, who caused the deflection, was flagged for pass interference, giving the ball back to the Airedales at the Greenwood 36. Three plays later, Howie Cox and Cole Gassman sacked the Alma QB at the 27, bringing up third-and-13. Following a timeout, Cox and Cole McAlister combined for another sack, this one at the 34-yard-line. On fourth down, Greenwood's Saul Palmer picked off Bradley's pass attempt and returned it a short distance to the 28.
With only 1:10 remaining to play, it wasn't hard to run out the clock. Alma called its last timeout as Smith took a knee on three consecutive snaps. It wasn't the most elegant of wins, but when the final horn sounded, the Bulldogs had escaped with a 23-20 victory and earned their fourth consecutive outright 5A West Conference title. Alma fell to 7-3 overall and finished 5-2 in league play. Greenbrier, which finished 6-1 in league play, earned the two seed, with Alma getting the three seed in the first round of the state playoffs. Morrilton's win over Siloam Springs last Friday also put the Devil Dogs in the post-season mix as the fourth seed from the 5A West.
Against Alma, the Greenwood offense totaled 338 yards with 255 coming through the air. Hayden Smith completed 22 of his 33 pass attempts. "I was proud of the way our kids rallied," said Coach Jones in comments after the game. "It was a tough first half. [Alma] battered us pretty good. I was so proud of the way our guys fought back. They hung in there when things got a little bleak in the first half. Alma was well prepared. They had a great plan and they got after us really, really well. I just can't say enough about a great group of kids. We needed a game like this, because it will be like this for the next four weeks. We just have to get ready."
Asked about his team's offensive struggles in the first half, Jones said, "We tried to pick the pace up. We weren't playing as fast as we wanted to in the first half. One of the things we talked about at halftime was picking up the pace, and I think that helped us. But the main thing that helped us was that our guys decided to compete. It was a tough first half. Bad things were happening, and ultimately your kids have to decide if they are going to battle back."
The coach was also extremely complimentary of his senior kicker Adam McFain. "I wish we had scored touchdowns on those drives, but what can you say about our kicker?" asked the coach. "He was money tonight and I'm so proud of him. It's not necessarily a popular decision to take the three, but we won by three [points], and Adam was huge. But you don't do that if you don't have faith in your kicker. We just believed in Adam. Those were tough kicks from bad angles, but he did a super job."
Jones also praised the defense, especially the play of senior defensive lineman Howie Cox. "I was so proud of our guys. They hung in there and played hard. Howie played great and got some big sacks for us. I give Alma a lot of credit. It was a great, great battle and they played very, very well. Coach [Todd] Dilbeck and his staff did a super job. [Alma] is a great place to play in terms of atmosphere. [Their] fans are great. Our fans are great. We have the best fans in America, there's no doubt about it."
Finally, regarding the 10-0 record and a fourth straight conference championship, Jones agreed that it was a special achievement. "It's a great run," he said. "It's a great accomplishment, but we're not finished yet. We have to get ready for week eleven. We're going to take a day to enjoy [this] and watch Tyler [Wilson] beat South Carolina, and then go back to work on Sunday." And indeed, the former GHS quarterback did lead the Razorbacks to a big victory over ninth-ranked South Carolina last Saturday.
Now the Bulldogs turn their attention to the playoffs and a four-week sprint to defend their crown as reigning Class 5A state champions. They are the clear favorites to repeat, but nothing is a given in the post-season. They open at home this Friday with Central Arkansas Christian, the fourth seed from the 5A Southwest. A win would earn the Bulldogs another home game against the winner of the first round contest between the Wynne and Monticello. Should Greenwood win its first two games, the Bulldogs would likely have to travel to Camden on the Friday after Thanksgiving for a rematch with Camden Fairview. The two teams met in the state title game last December. However, to make that happen, the Cardinals must also defeat Morrilton in round one and the Beebe-Watson Chapel winner in week two.
Alma and Greenbrier are on the opposite side of the bracket from Greenwood, and could only earn a rematch with the Bulldogs in the state championship game on December 3rd in Little Rock at War Memorial Stadium. Alma opens on the road at Hot Springs Lakeside, while Greenbrier hosts Arkadelphia. But don't be surprised if the 5A West makes a big showing in the playoffs once again, just as in years past, and don't bet against an all 5A West title game with Greenwood facing either Greenbrier or Alma once again for all the marbles. However it turns out, it should be fun to watch.