Leading up to last Friday’s conference opener for the Greenwood Bulldogs (3-1, 1-0), the weather was the major concern, much more than the opponent, the Warriors of Little Rock Hall (1-3). But as it turned out, neither the weather or the Warriors provided much of a challenge for the Bulldogs on Homecoming night at Smith-Robinson Stadium.
Despite a steady light rain that began during the afternoon, the on-field Homecoming festivities proceded as scheduled with umbrellas used to keep the queen and her court dry. Then without the feared lightning delays, the game began as planned and was essentially over by halftime, with Greenwood leading 35-0. The ‘Dogs won 41-6.
Both teams punted on their first offensive possession, and Hall was forced to kick again on its second series, but that punt was blocked by Greenwood senior Max Vickery. The ball remained loose for a time as players for both teams scrambled to cover it, but Hall finally did, giving the ‘Dogs the football at the Warriors’ 1-yard-line.
Sophomore running back Hunter Wilkinson then scored the first of three rushing touchdowns for him in the game. Senior kicker Grant Ennis added the extra point for a 7-0 GHS lead with 7:44 showing on the clock.
After another Hall punt was downed at the Greenwood 49, the Bulldogs needed just four plays to score again. Wilkinson burst through the line for 17 yards to the 32, then after a penalty on Hall to the 27, he ran for 15 more to the 12-yard-line for another first down. On the next snap senior tailback Marc Jones scored around right end. The kick by Ennis was good for a 14-0 lead (5:16).
The Warriors finally made a first down on their next series, but soon punted again, giving Greenwood the ball at its own 41. On first down, quarterback Peyton Holt threw to fellow senior Luke Leonard, reaching the Hall 44, then passed to sophomore receiver Lozaro Angel at the 36.
Holt kept the ball for a nice gain to the 18, before passing to Angel again at the 10. Wilkinson then found running room around the left side for the touchdown. The point after was good for a 21-0 GHS lead (1:15).
Still in the first quarter, Hall began its fifth offensive series at its own 20 after another deep kickoff by Ennis reached the end zone. But they didn’t maintain possession for long. On second down, Greenwood senior defensive back Aaron Ohl picked off an underthrown pass near the Warriors’ sideline, returning it to the Hall 17.
Back on offense, the Bulldogs wasted little time, giving the ball to Wilkinson twice, once for 16 yards, then again for the 1-yard TD plunge on the final play of the quarter. The kick by Ennis was good for a 28-0 advantage.
A well-covered kickoff return by Greenwood left the Warriors starting their next possession at their own 9-yard-line, and they went backwards from there. Three plays later, Hall punted from its own end zone, a kick fielded near the 40 and returned by Luke Leonard to the 25. But despite the great field position, the GHS offense stalled after making just one first down. Hall took over at its own 9-yard-line.
But the GHS defense continued its dominance, giving up just two yards, and forcing another Warriors’ punt, this time to the Hall 36 with 5:20 left in the opening half. It took just 13 seconds and two plays for Greenwood to score again.
Holt passed to sophomore Treyton Dawson for seven yards to the 29, then tossed a short, quick pass to Luke Leonard near the GHS sideline. The team’s top receiver did the rest, breaking a tackle and streaking for the touchdown. The extra point was good, pushing the score to 35-0, ensuring the second half would be played under the mercy rule.
The light rain of the first half increased to a steady downfall just before the break, and persisted throughout the second half, which lasted less than half-an-hour with a continuously running clock. Each team scored once over the final 24 minutes, but most of Greenwood’s starters remained on the sideline.
The Bulldogs received the opening kick of the third quarter, and junior quarterback Jace Presley took charge of the offense. A penalty erased another good kick return by Leonard, giving Greenwood the ball at its own 43. On first down Marc Jones ran for a yard before Presley passed to Leonard, reaching the Warriors' 30.
Sophomore running back Caden Franks then bolted to the 15. Jones carried twice to the five, before senior quarterback Timothy Earnhart, who entered for Presley, ran once to the 1-yard-line. Presley then returned to carry in for the score. But the PAT failed, completing Greenwood’s scoring, 41-0, with about seven minutes left in the period.
With just under eight minutes remaining in the game, the Warriors finally got on the scoreboard after a 63-yard touchdown run by Quinn Dotson down the GHS sideline. Hall attempted a two-point conversion, but the pass fell incomplete, making the final, 41-6.
After speaking to his team on the field following the game, Head Coach Rick Jones talked with the media about his team’s third consecutive win after its season-opening loss at Fort Smith Northside.
“We played pretty clean, except for some penalties in the first half,” said Jones, while also acknowledging something of a letdown in the second half. “We were more sloppy than we should have been,” he said of his team’s play after the intermission. “But like I told our kids, we had a great week of practice. It was tough weather and they battled and had three really good days of practice. So I think we made some strides. It’s hard to tell on a night like this.”
Jones was also generous in his comments about the Warriors. “I give a lot of credit [to Hall],” he said. “We went down there four years ago and they are a much better football team than they were [then]. Their kids fought and had a lot of class. They played hard and never gave up, and I give a lot of credit to the coaching staff over there.”
The coach also talked about the opportunity to play everyone in uniform on his sideline. “I think we got everyone in,” said Jones. “[Hall] ran it fast on us, and I’m not sure. But I hope we got everyone in for a snap or two.”
Jones also agreed that the weather, poor as it was, could have been much worse. “We’re not doing this tomorrow or on Monday,” he said. “That was the thing I was so afraid of [a postponement]. We have a big game next week and I want to make sure we’re on schedule.
“We’ve got a big game [at El Dorado],” he continued. “Everybody knows that. We’ve got a fun bus ride down there to play a really good football team. We just have to keep getting better. They’re a good team. We got to [face] them in team camp at OBU this summer, so we know what we’re up against. It’s going to be a challenge for us.”
The Wildcats (2-2, 1-0) have wins over Camden Fairview and Lake Hamilton and losses to Class 7A schools Conway (in overtime) and Cabot. They’ve scored 119 points in four games, giving up 101 defensively. In the pre-season, El Dorado was ranked third in the 6A West and fifth overall in Class 6A by Hooten’s Arkansas Football magazine.
Also asked if running back Hunter Wilkinson was making strides after scoring three times against Hall, Jones agreed without hesitation. “There’s no doubt,” he said. “Last week I thought he played really well against Sand Springs. He shows a little burst of speed from time to time and he’s doing [well]. I also think Caden [Franks] has a chance to help us on the varsity level before it’s all said and done.”
“We made some plays [defensively], said Jones. “[Hall] has some good athletes. They hurt a little bit up front. They had a hard time blocking our guys.”
The GHS first unit defense has allowed just 43 points so far this season. The second half points (19) allowed to Sand Springs and Little Rock Hall were against the GHS reserves after the outcome of the game was already determined.