Offense abounds in 5A West shootout; Dogs prevail, 59-35
By Richard White
Arguably the premier high school football game in the state last Friday, the Greenwood Bulldogs and Greenbrier Panthers did not disappoint, combining for over 1000 yards of total offense and 94 points between them. Both teams were unbeaten at 8-0 when the contest started, but 150 minutes later the visiting Bulldogs walked away with a hard-fought but convincing 59-35 victory, putting them in the driver's seat to win their fourth consecutive outright 5A West title.
Head coaches Rick Jones and Randy Tribble were once roommates at Harding University, and both men had senior quarterbacks running their respective high-powered offenses. Greenbrier's Neal Burcham has gotten more ink and greater notice because of his gaudy numbers, but it was Greenwood's Hayden Smith who had the last laugh, out dueling Burcham and putting up some pretty special numbers himself. Officially, Smith completed 29 of 36 passes for 406 yards, while also rushing for 103 yards on 14 carries. He accounted for three passing touchdowns and two more running. Burcham connected on 42 of 61 pass attempts for 456 yards and five touchdowns, but was also intercepted four times by Greenwood.
"I told Hayden that he was the best quarterback on the field tonight," said Coach Jones in his post-game comments. "There was no doubt about that. He played great, [and] that's no denigration to that other kid. [Burcham] is a great quarterback, but our guy was something special tonight." For his part, Smith gave a lot of the credit for his success to teammates. "Our offensive line did great and our receivers [caught] the ball," said Smith after the game. "We all executed. It was a great game."
The stands were packed for the 7 p.m. kickoff, especially on the visitor's side where several hundred GHS fans looked on, eager to see if the Bulldogs were ready for their biggest challenge so far of the 2011 season. Greenwood's Derek Morgan teed up the football and kicked off to start the contest, and once again booted it into the end zone for a touchback. From their own 20, the Panthers came out passing, but after two plays had failed to move the ball marker. Then on third down, receiver Reid Cone got behind the defensive secondary, and Burcham lofted a beautiful pass that Cone caught in stride on his way to the end zone. The extra point was good, and just like that Greenbrier led 7-0.
The Bulldogs threatened on their first possession, driving from their own 29-yard-line inside the Greenbrier 5 on 11 plays, the longest of which was a 27-yard pass from Smith to junior receiver Cole McAlister to the Panthers' 6-yard-line. After an incomplete pass, Justin Sunde carried inside the 5, and Smith ran once to the 1. But on fourth down, Smith was stopped short of the end zone as Greenbrier put up a nice defensive stand. Taking over on downs, the Panthers moved the football beyond the 10 for a first down, but Burcham was picked off on the next play at the 9-yard-line by Greenwood's Drew Morgan, who returned the interception for a touchdown. Senior kicker Adam McFain added the extra point to tie the game at 7-7 with 6:06 left in the opening quarter. But the offensive fun was just beginning for the fans.
The Panthers appeared to be on the move again following the kickoff, marching from their own 20 to near midfield. But Greenwood's defensive pressure forced Burcham to throw the ball into the waiting arms of Drew Morgan yet again. He made the pick near the Greenwood 30 and returned it about 25 yards to the Greenbrier 46. Smith passed to McAllister again on first down, reaching the 26-yard-line, and then Justin Sunde rumbled down to inside the 4, setting up Smith for the QB keeper and the touchdown on the next snap. The PAT made the score 14-7 in favor of the Bulldogs with 1:39 left in the first period.
The two squads then traded punts as the contest moved into the second period, and with 10:36 remaining in the first half, Greenbrier took possession of the football at their own 34-yard-line. Six plays later the Panthers had reached the end zone on the strength of Burcham's arm and the skills of his receivers. He completed passes of 12, 18, 8, and 27 yards, the last one a short pass to Seth Peters, who did the rest with his legs, cutting back and eluding the defense for the touchdown. The kick was good, tying the game at 14-14 with 8:52 left on the first half clock.
The Bulldogs then got a nice kick return of 37 yards from Justin Sunde to the Greenwood 42. Hayden Smith completed a first down pass to Cole McAlister that reached the 21, then followed up with a repeat performance to the 6-yard-line. But then the wheels came off as the Bulldogs suffered a holding penalty, an incomplete pass in the end zone, and a quarterback sack at the 19-yard-line. Facing fourth down, Coach Jones sent in kicker Adam McFain, but the field goal try from 36 yards out was wide to the left, keeping the score tied, but not for long.
After the Panthers marched deep into GHS territory, with the aid of a personal foul penalty on the Bulldogs, the Greenbrier offense bogged down at the 23. Burcham misfired on both third and fourth down, giving Greenwood the football with exactly five minutes left in the quarter. It would turn out to be the most important five minutes of the contest for the Bulldogs.
Smith passed to Sunde to the 30, then Sunde ran for three more to the 33. Junior Jansen Stein then caught his first pass of the game for 16 yards to the 49. Zack Thornton was Smith's next target, reaching the Greenbrier 34. After a holding penalty on the next play, Smith connected with Drew Morgan for a 37-yard touchdown. The junior receiver was hit near the 10-yard-line, but somehow stayed on his feet and reached the end zone. McFain's kick was good for a 21-14 Greenwood lead with precisely 4:00 showing on the clock.
But the 'Dogs weren't done, and got some help from the defense, which forced a Greenbrier fumble that was recovered by defensive lineman Howie Cox at the Panthers' 43-yard-line with 1:40 left in the half. On first down, Hayden Smith found Justin Sunde on a long pass over the middle to the 22-yard-line. Sunde then ran to the 17 and again to the 6. After an incompletion, Smith found Cole McAlister for the touchdown. The kick made the score 28-14 at the half, and the Panthers were forced to play catch up for the rest of the game.
Greenbrier scored on its first possession of the second half, after recovering a Bulldogs' fumble at the Greenwood 41-yard-line. Seven plays later, Burcham connected with receiver Scott Cavin for a 14-yard TD pass, trimming the Greenwood lead to 28-21 after the PAT.
But the 'Dogs answered back quickly, marching 65 yards in just five plays for the score, overcoming a penalty along the way. Smith completed a 25-yard pass to Zack Thornton on first down, and then later hooked up with Jansen Stein for 24 yards to the Greenbrier 10. The GHS quarterback then lofted a pass toward the back left corner of the end zone where Drew Morgan came down with the ball for the touchdown. McFain's kick pushed the lead back to 14 points at 35-21 with 7:04 left in the third quarter.
Greenbrier's offense stalled on its next possession. Starting from their 20, the Panthers went backwards due to a holding penalty and a QB sack by the Greenwood defense, forcing a punt from the 8-yard-line. The kick was returned to near the 20, but a holding penalty on the Bulldogs backed them up to the Greenbrier 47. But that didn't stop the hot hand of Hayden Smith and the GHS offense. On first down, Smith kept the ball himself and got positive yards to the 43. He then completed a pass to Zack Thornton for eight yards. After a penalty, runs by Smith and Sunde yielded 15 yards to the 25, before Smith found Cole McAlister for the touchdown. The PAT gave the Bulldogs a 21-point lead at 42-21 with 3:21 showing on the third quarter clock.
As the game entered the fourth period, the Panthers were driving for their next score. They marched 80 yards in 12 plays, scoring on a short fourth down pass from the 3-yard-line. But the Bulldogs responded with another lightening-quick drive of their own. After a failed onside kick attempt, recovered by Greenwood at the Panthers' 46, the Bulldogs needed just four plays to score. On first down, the Smith-to-McAlister connection worked again for 14 yards to the 32. Smith then ran for 17 yards to the 15, again to the 7, and again for the touchdown. McFain's extra point try was good, and with 9:13 left to play the Bulldogs were up 49-28.
Still clinging to hope, the Panthers scored on their next possession, again marching 80 yards in eight plays, with the help of a pass interference penalty against Greenwood. Burcham's 23-yard TD pass was caught by Seth Peters, and the extra point closed the scoring gap to 49-35 with 7:11 remaining to play.
Senior Derek Morgan fielded the ensuing kick and took a knee at the GHS 25, and the Bulldogs began the process of milking the clock. Justin Sunde ran on first down for eight yards, but the play drew a flag for a personal foul on Greenbrier that moved the line-of-scrimmage to the 49. Smith then completed a pass to McAlister at the Panthers' 33. Smith also ran twice for 22 yards to inside the 5-yard-line. But after a delay of game penalty and an incomplete pass, Adam McFain kicked a 25-yard field goal, increasing the GHS lead to 52-35 with 3:54 left to play.
The Bulldogs' final touchdown was set up by another interception, this one by sophomore defensive back Taylor Hasley, who returned it about 10 yards to the Greenwood 41. On the next snap, Hayden Smith gave the ball to Justin Sunde, who found plenty of running room around left end for a 59-yard touchdown scamper. The PAT made the final score 59-35. Greenwood's Saul Palmer made another interception around the three-minute mark, but the Bulldogs kept the ball on the ground to run out the clock, with Smith taking a knee as the final seconds ticked off.
"We got tested tonight, there's no doubt about it," said Coach Jones in the aftermath of Friday's win. "[Greenbrier's] a good football team. They play really smart football. [Burcham's] a great quarterback and he has some nice receivers. It was a good challenge for us. It went back-and-forth, and what can you say about our guys on offense. They were just unbelievable."
As for Hayden Smith, Coach Jones was extremely pleased with his senior QB's play. "He made things happen. He made great decisions. I'm so proud of him. He didn't force the issue when it wasn't there. He just pulled it down and scrambled, and that's what you hope for when you put Hayden out there, because he can do it with his feet [and] he can do it with his arm. I'm just so proud that he did it with his brain."
Jones admitted that his team's defensive strategy was to keep the football in front of them, and except for the first touchdown pass, the Bulldogs were successful in doing so. "We didn't get as much pressure [on Burcham] as I hoped we would get," said the coach. "Those kids do a great job protecting."
They know what they're doing. But we just hung in there. Any time they had any momentum at all, we just stormed back. We did it all night long in all three phases of the game. Our kicking game was great, and I was real proud of the way our special teams played. We're in that time of year when we're not holding anything back. We ran plays tonight that we haven't run all year," said the coach.
Up next for the Bulldogs are the Alma Airedales, who went on the road and defeated Siloam Springs last week by a score of 27-14. Still mathematically alive in the conference race, a win over Greenwood would give Alma a piece of the league title. "I think the guys remember who we play next week," said Jones with a smile. When asked if an undefeated season was part of his team's ambitions for this season, Jones said, "Our goal was to win the first game, win the conference, and win state."
As for the Airedales, Coach Jones is 6-1 against Alma in his time at Greenwood, and the Bulldogs have won the last six consecutive meetings. Greenwood now leads the all-time series 26-20 and has won 12 of the past 17 meetings between the two schools. It will also be the last time the two rivals will meet as members of the 5A West Conference, with the Bulldogs moving up in classification next season. "It's always Alma," said Coach Jones. "It's always a big game. We just need to enjoy this one for a couple of hours and get ready for Alma."
A Bulldogs' victory would give them a perfect 10-0 regular season mark, earn them an outright conference title for the fourth straight year, and give them a top seed and probably at least two home games in the upcoming playoffs. Game time Friday night at Alma is set for 7 p.m.
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Greenwood Bulldog Football TV Show
Greenwood vs Greenbrier 10-28-11
Hosted By: Darin Drennan
With Head Coach Rick Jones
Produced By: Troy Jarrell
Copyright: BFI. Inc 2011
Used With Permission
Bulldogs Prove They're Still The Titan's Of 5A-West
Greenwood 59, Greenbrier 35
10-28-11
Photos By: Brian Vaughn, Kim Singer, Charlie Caster & Trey Caster
Game Recap By: Richard White
Click Scoreboard For Official Greenwood Game Stats
Bulldog Radio & TV
Players Of The Game
Hayden Smith
QB 5' 11", 157
Senior
For a higher quality and larger show visit: www.gogwbulldogs.com
Cole McAlister
WR/DL 6' 2", 205
Junior
Photos Below By: Kim Singer
Photos Below By: Kim Singer
Photos Below By: Charlie Caster
Photos Below By: Charlie Caster
