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Greenwood Bulldog Football TV Show
Greenwood vs Lift for Life 9-9-11
Hosted By: Darin Drennan
With Head Coach Rick Jones
Produced By: Troy Jarrell
Copyright: BFI. Inc 2011
Used With Permission
Bulldog's No Match For Lift For Life
Greenwood 43, Lift for Life 8
9-9-11
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 blow away undermanned Hawks in home opener, 43-8
By Richard White
For the second straight season the Lift for Life Academy Hawks traveled all the way from St. Louis, Missouri to suffer a gridiron beat down at the hands of the Greenwood Bulldogs. The mismatch took place last Friday in Greenwood's home opener - the first of three consecutive games at Smith-Robinson Stadium - and also served as the curtain raiser for the school's new 20-foot video board. Thirty-six first quarter points meant a lot of early replay highlights for Bulldogs' fans and a quick end to the game, invoking the Sportsmanship (Mercy) Rule, as GHS head coach Rick Jones called off his 'Dogs and successfully tried not to score in the second half of the 43-8 victory.
Greenwood ran just five offensive plays and had possession of the football for little more than a minute, yet found themselves up 30-0 after the defense accounted for a safety and a touchdown on a pass interception return. Leading 36-0 after the first 12 minutes, the Bulldogs added a final score in the second quarter and were already substituting freely before halftime. Senior quarterback Hayden Smith and the other offensive starters did not play at all in the second half as Greenwood eventually used four different quarterbacks in the contest. Coach Jones and his staff used the game as an opportunity to reward many of the practice players who usually don't see action in the varsity games.
"Everybody got to play," said Jones, trying to put a positive spin on the lopsided win. "We got to play the seniors that don't get to play much, but put in just as many hours of preparation. It was a good payoff for those guys," said the coach. Regarding Lift for Life Academy, Jones said, "I don't know the best way to do it. They're on the schedule, so we have to play them. At the time we scheduled them, we had no clue how good they were. All we knew was we had no one else."
Lift for Life Academy is a charter school that's only played football for a few years and is still trying to get its program established. They agreed to come to Greenwood twice, and at the time helped the Bulldogs fill a vacancy on their non-conference schedule. But under the best of conditions, the Hawks only have about 35 players on their roster, and 13 seniors remained behind in St. Louis to take the ACT exam on Saturday morning. According to Hawks' head coach Rory Seals, those 13 players would normally fill 16 starting positions for his team, a possibly four of them will be college recruits.
But Coach Seals offered no excuses for his players, who made plenty of mistakes in the first half, including a pair of bad snaps on punt attempts and two pass interceptions. Referring to Greenwood as "an upper echelon of competition that we'll probably never see in Missouri for a Class 2A program," Seals said, "there are no excuses for any mistakes. I don't care who we play. We shouldn't be hiking the ball over the [punter's] head. We shouldn't be throwing first-half interceptions."
The scoring came early and often for the Bulldogs. After the GHS defense held the Hawks to a minus three yards on three snaps after the opening kick, the home team got the football for the first time at it's own 45-yard-line. QB Hayden Smith gave the ball to senior running back Justin Sunde, who started around left end before cutting back at the Hawks' 40-yard-line and picking up blockers for the run to the end zone. Senior kicker Adam McFain added the first of several extra points for the 7-0 GHS lead.
Derek Morgan, the other senior kicker, booted the kickoff into the opposing end zone, giving the Hawks the ball at their own 20 to begin their second drive, which wasn't any more successful than their first attempt. They did pick up positive yardage to the 28 before having to punt again. The ball rolled dead at the Greenwood 37-yard-line with 8:12 remaining in the first quarter.
On first down, Smith tossed a long pass downfield to junior receiver Jansen Stein, who made the catch and went down at the 17-yard-line. On the next snap, Smith rolled out and threw on the run to senior Zack Thornton, who made the catch in the far left corner of the end zone for the score. McFain's kick made it 14-0 at the 7:53 mark, and the rout was only just beginning.
With Greenwood back on defense, the Hawks lost nine yards before trying a pass on third down and long from their own 6-yard-line. But the errant toss was picked off by senior defensive back Blake Hasley at the 32-yard-line, and was returned all the way for another GHS touchdown. With 6:08 still to play in the opening quarter, the Bulldogs were up 21-0 over the hapless Hawks.
When the Hawks struggled again on offense, losing six yards back to their own 14, a fourth down punt attempt went awry due to a bad snap. Punter Robert Beason corralled the loose pigskin and tried to run out of the end zone, but was tackled by Greenwood's Brandon Boerjan for the two-point safety and a 23-0 lead. The ensuing free kick was covered by the 'Dogs at their own 49, setting up yet another quick score. Smith kept on first down for 18 yards to the Hawks' 33, then gave the ball to Sunde for another cutback special around the right side. The senior running back broke several arm tackles en route to the end zone. McFain's leg was true once again, making the score 30-0.
The last GHS score of the opening period came on yet another pass interception return, this one by senior Derek Morgan. Hawks' QB Dustin Ballard overthrew his target and Morgan returned the pick nearly unmolested for the 50-yard scoring play. Sophomore backup kicker Logan Flatte missed the extra point, leaving the score at 36-0. But the Hawks continued their generosity moments later by fumbling the ball, giving Greenwood possession at the visitor's 12-yard-line with 30 seconds left in the quarter.
Junior backup quarterback Houston Kennedy entered the game to lead Greenwood's final scoring effort of the game. After suffering a penalty to the 17, Kennedy gave the ball to senior David Nolan for a nice gain to the 8-yard-line. After switching ends of the field to begin the second quarter, Kennedy ran twice, scoring on the second effort near the right pylon. Sophomore kicker Jake Odell was good on the extra point attempt, and Greenwood held an overwhelming advantage at 43-0 less than a minute into the second quarter. Coach Jones and his staff spent the rest of the game clearing the bench to make sure that everyone healthy enough to play got into the contest.
Besides Smith and Kennedy, Greenwood played sophomores Jabe Burgess and Bret Murdock at quarterback. Reserve running backs Hoyt Smith, a sophomore, and senior Adam Shores had a couple of nice runs apiece, but the Bulldogs were content to sit on their lead and not try to embarrass the visiting Hawks. Greenwood attempted and completed only a couple of short passes in the second half.
The Hawks scored their lone touchdown after a quick strike 67-yard drive in the fourth quarter. They got 21 yards on first down to the GHS 46, and 11 more to the 35, before Ballard connected with receiver Aaron Bell for a short pass in the right flat, which Bell turned into a touchdown, streaking down the right sideline to the end zone. Receiver Al Nabors caught another pass for the two-point conversion, making the final score 43-8. On the last play of the game, Greenwood sophomore defensive back Hunter Norris had an interception in the end zone to prevent another Hawks' score. As it turned out, a Hawks' player broke his arm on the play, and after making it to the locker room, a pair of ambulances were called to the scene.
"We got to play a ton of backup guys," said Coach Rick Jones immediately after the game. "We got to play some different guys on the offensive line. We've got some film to go back and see them on Friday night. That's the thing that's going to be valuable to us. I'm very grateful to Coach Seals for bringing those guys down here two years in a row. He had some seniors who weren't able to come tonight, and that's a shame. I feel badly for those kids and Coach Seals. It is what it is."
The coach continued by saying, "I was proud of the way our kids played. I thought we executed well early. Hopefully we have 14 games, and we'll have plenty of tough games down the road. I'm not really worried about that aspect of it. We've got one next week that everybody's been looking forward to, and that will be a big game for us, and then the conference season starts." Smith was referring to this week's anticipated home rematch with Shiloh Christian, which soundly defeated the Bulldogs last year.
"When we set our minds to it, this is a really fast playing football team," said Jones. "That's the way we really like to play, and when we focus and concentrate, I think we have a chance to be a really, really good football team. The challenge is getting better in practice, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday."
Asked how he felt about the debut of the new video board, Coach Jones said, "I don't really know, but I do know that there are people who worked long and hard to do that, and I really appreciate them. I think it adds to the atmosphere, obviously, and I think our kids will really enjoy it a lot, and our fans as well." The video board was installed the day before the home opener and is located above the scoreboard on the south end of the field. It was a joint project sponsored and funded by the Bulldog Foundation and Farmers Bank. Greenwood is one of only a handful of schools in the state with a live video board in its stadium.
The Bulldogs will conclude their 2011 non-conference schedule this Friday night by hosting the Saints of Shiloh Christian. Both teams won state titles in their respective classifications last season, though the Saints did hand Greenwood one of its two losses. But the 4A private school graduated a lot of talented seniors, including highly recruited quarterback Kiehl Frazier, who signed with Auburn University. Frazier helped lead the Saints to the 48-27 victory over the 2010 Bulldogs. But without the NCAA Division IA signee at quarterback, the Saints were upset in their 2011 season opener at Razorback Stadium by Heber Springs, but rebounded last week to defeat Tulsa Webster, 35-12. Game time at Smith-Robinson Stadium is set for 7 p.m., and fans are urged to arrive early for a good seat.
By Richard White
For the second straight season the Lift for Life Academy Hawks traveled all the way from St. Louis, Missouri to suffer a gridiron beat down at the hands of the Greenwood Bulldogs. The mismatch took place last Friday in Greenwood's home opener - the first of three consecutive games at Smith-Robinson Stadium - and also served as the curtain raiser for the school's new 20-foot video board. Thirty-six first quarter points meant a lot of early replay highlights for Bulldogs' fans and a quick end to the game, invoking the Sportsmanship (Mercy) Rule, as GHS head coach Rick Jones called off his 'Dogs and successfully tried not to score in the second half of the 43-8 victory.
Greenwood ran just five offensive plays and had possession of the football for little more than a minute, yet found themselves up 30-0 after the defense accounted for a safety and a touchdown on a pass interception return. Leading 36-0 after the first 12 minutes, the Bulldogs added a final score in the second quarter and were already substituting freely before halftime. Senior quarterback Hayden Smith and the other offensive starters did not play at all in the second half as Greenwood eventually used four different quarterbacks in the contest. Coach Jones and his staff used the game as an opportunity to reward many of the practice players who usually don't see action in the varsity games.
"Everybody got to play," said Jones, trying to put a positive spin on the lopsided win. "We got to play the seniors that don't get to play much, but put in just as many hours of preparation. It was a good payoff for those guys," said the coach. Regarding Lift for Life Academy, Jones said, "I don't know the best way to do it. They're on the schedule, so we have to play them. At the time we scheduled them, we had no clue how good they were. All we knew was we had no one else."
Lift for Life Academy is a charter school that's only played football for a few years and is still trying to get its program established. They agreed to come to Greenwood twice, and at the time helped the Bulldogs fill a vacancy on their non-conference schedule. But under the best of conditions, the Hawks only have about 35 players on their roster, and 13 seniors remained behind in St. Louis to take the ACT exam on Saturday morning. According to Hawks' head coach Rory Seals, those 13 players would normally fill 16 starting positions for his team, a possibly four of them will be college recruits.
But Coach Seals offered no excuses for his players, who made plenty of mistakes in the first half, including a pair of bad snaps on punt attempts and two pass interceptions. Referring to Greenwood as "an upper echelon of competition that we'll probably never see in Missouri for a Class 2A program," Seals said, "there are no excuses for any mistakes. I don't care who we play. We shouldn't be hiking the ball over the [punter's] head. We shouldn't be throwing first-half interceptions."
The scoring came early and often for the Bulldogs. After the GHS defense held the Hawks to a minus three yards on three snaps after the opening kick, the home team got the football for the first time at it's own 45-yard-line. QB Hayden Smith gave the ball to senior running back Justin Sunde, who started around left end before cutting back at the Hawks' 40-yard-line and picking up blockers for the run to the end zone. Senior kicker Adam McFain added the first of several extra points for the 7-0 GHS lead.
Derek Morgan, the other senior kicker, booted the kickoff into the opposing end zone, giving the Hawks the ball at their own 20 to begin their second drive, which wasn't any more successful than their first attempt. They did pick up positive yardage to the 28 before having to punt again. The ball rolled dead at the Greenwood 37-yard-line with 8:12 remaining in the first quarter.
On first down, Smith tossed a long pass downfield to junior receiver Jansen Stein, who made the catch and went down at the 17-yard-line. On the next snap, Smith rolled out and threw on the run to senior Zack Thornton, who made the catch in the far left corner of the end zone for the score. McFain's kick made it 14-0 at the 7:53 mark, and the rout was only just beginning.
With Greenwood back on defense, the Hawks lost nine yards before trying a pass on third down and long from their own 6-yard-line. But the errant toss was picked off by senior defensive back Blake Hasley at the 32-yard-line, and was returned all the way for another GHS touchdown. With 6:08 still to play in the opening quarter, the Bulldogs were up 21-0 over the hapless Hawks.
When the Hawks struggled again on offense, losing six yards back to their own 14, a fourth down punt attempt went awry due to a bad snap. Punter Robert Beason corralled the loose pigskin and tried to run out of the end zone, but was tackled by Greenwood's Brandon Boerjan for the two-point safety and a 23-0 lead. The ensuing free kick was covered by the 'Dogs at their own 49, setting up yet another quick score. Smith kept on first down for 18 yards to the Hawks' 33, then gave the ball to Sunde for another cutback special around the right side. The senior running back broke several arm tackles en route to the end zone. McFain's leg was true once again, making the score 30-0.
The last GHS score of the opening period came on yet another pass interception return, this one by senior Derek Morgan. Hawks' QB Dustin Ballard overthrew his target and Morgan returned the pick nearly unmolested for the 50-yard scoring play. Sophomore backup kicker Logan Flatte missed the extra point, leaving the score at 36-0. But the Hawks continued their generosity moments later by fumbling the ball, giving Greenwood possession at the visitor's 12-yard-line with 30 seconds left in the quarter.
Junior backup quarterback Houston Kennedy entered the game to lead Greenwood's final scoring effort of the game. After suffering a penalty to the 17, Kennedy gave the ball to senior David Nolan for a nice gain to the 8-yard-line. After switching ends of the field to begin the second quarter, Kennedy ran twice, scoring on the second effort near the right pylon. Sophomore kicker Jake Odell was good on the extra point attempt, and Greenwood held an overwhelming advantage at 43-0 less than a minute into the second quarter. Coach Jones and his staff spent the rest of the game clearing the bench to make sure that everyone healthy enough to play got into the contest.
Besides Smith and Kennedy, Greenwood played sophomores Jabe Burgess and Bret Murdock at quarterback. Reserve running backs Hoyt Smith, a sophomore, and senior Adam Shores had a couple of nice runs apiece, but the Bulldogs were content to sit on their lead and not try to embarrass the visiting Hawks. Greenwood attempted and completed only a couple of short passes in the second half.
The Hawks scored their lone touchdown after a quick strike 67-yard drive in the fourth quarter. They got 21 yards on first down to the GHS 46, and 11 more to the 35, before Ballard connected with receiver Aaron Bell for a short pass in the right flat, which Bell turned into a touchdown, streaking down the right sideline to the end zone. Receiver Al Nabors caught another pass for the two-point conversion, making the final score 43-8. On the last play of the game, Greenwood sophomore defensive back Hunter Norris had an interception in the end zone to prevent another Hawks' score. As it turned out, a Hawks' player broke his arm on the play, and after making it to the locker room, a pair of ambulances were called to the scene.
"We got to play a ton of backup guys," said Coach Rick Jones immediately after the game. "We got to play some different guys on the offensive line. We've got some film to go back and see them on Friday night. That's the thing that's going to be valuable to us. I'm very grateful to Coach Seals for bringing those guys down here two years in a row. He had some seniors who weren't able to come tonight, and that's a shame. I feel badly for those kids and Coach Seals. It is what it is."
The coach continued by saying, "I was proud of the way our kids played. I thought we executed well early. Hopefully we have 14 games, and we'll have plenty of tough games down the road. I'm not really worried about that aspect of it. We've got one next week that everybody's been looking forward to, and that will be a big game for us, and then the conference season starts." Smith was referring to this week's anticipated home rematch with Shiloh Christian, which soundly defeated the Bulldogs last year.
"When we set our minds to it, this is a really fast playing football team," said Jones. "That's the way we really like to play, and when we focus and concentrate, I think we have a chance to be a really, really good football team. The challenge is getting better in practice, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday."
Asked how he felt about the debut of the new video board, Coach Jones said, "I don't really know, but I do know that there are people who worked long and hard to do that, and I really appreciate them. I think it adds to the atmosphere, obviously, and I think our kids will really enjoy it a lot, and our fans as well." The video board was installed the day before the home opener and is located above the scoreboard on the south end of the field. It was a joint project sponsored and funded by the Bulldog Foundation and Farmers Bank. Greenwood is one of only a handful of schools in the state with a live video board in its stadium.
The Bulldogs will conclude their 2011 non-conference schedule this Friday night by hosting the Saints of Shiloh Christian. Both teams won state titles in their respective classifications last season, though the Saints did hand Greenwood one of its two losses. But the 4A private school graduated a lot of talented seniors, including highly recruited quarterback Kiehl Frazier, who signed with Auburn University. Frazier helped lead the Saints to the 48-27 victory over the 2010 Bulldogs. But without the NCAA Division IA signee at quarterback, the Saints were upset in their 2011 season opener at Razorback Stadium by Heber Springs, but rebounded last week to defeat Tulsa Webster, 35-12. Game time at Smith-Robinson Stadium is set for 7 p.m., and fans are urged to arrive early for a good seat.
