(Due to an electrical issue during the game, there are gaps in the live stream video recording. Specifically, the third quarter is missing. As a result, we lack the information required to provide the kind of detailed accounting of all that happened on the field. We apologize for this in advance and hope such a thing doesn’t happen again.)
With the season-opening blowout loss to Bryant now a distant memory, the Greenwood Junior Bulldogs have now won five consecutive games after Thursday’s 41-13 home victory over the Harrison Jr. Goblins. The GHS freshmen now own wins over Alma, Pea Ridge, Van Buren, Farmington, and Harrison, all of them conference victories, putting Greenwood at the top of the heap in the league standings. Greenwood travels to Dardanelle next Thursday.
After Greenwood won both the seventh and eighth grade games, the freshmen contest kicked off a little late but caught a break when the weather changed and the light rain that fell earlier went away. A beautiful rainbow formed to the east of Greenwood for those with a clear view of it and a lovely blue and red sunset could be seen low on the western horizon.
The Bulldogs received the opening kick and scored very quickly before Harrison responded with a long, time-consuming drive that ate up over six minutes of the first quarter and carried over into the second stanza, tying the game at 7-7. That remained the score with less than 90 seconds left in the half before the home team scored twice in the final minute to lead 20-7 at the break. The two teams traded scores early in the third quarter before two more Greenwood second half touchdowns put the game away.
The Bulldogs returned the opening kick to the 35 and had little trouble reaching the end zone in the first two minutes. Two carries by Parker Spencer and Bently Renick reached the 45. Moments later, from the Harrison 42, Spencer rumbled for 10 yards to the 32. Two snaps later, quarterback Bentley Renick used his legs to scamper for the game’s first score. Leo Anaya added the extra point for a 7-0 Greenwood lead. It was the only time the Bulldogs had possession in the opening eight minutes.
After Greenwood’s first score required just over a minute of gametime, the Jr. Goblins used their flexbone offense to eat up the rest of the period before scoring early in the second quarter with 5:15 left before halftime. The Bulldogs turned the ball over on downs on their second possession before the visitors punted it right back to them with 1:08 left before halftime.
On second down from their own 36, the Bulldogs scored their second touchdown on a deep pass from Bentley Renick to receiver Chase Bercher, who caught the ball just inside the Harrison 40 behind the defense before streaking for the end zone. The extra point kick by Leo Anaya was good, making the score 14-7 with 37 seconds remaining before the break.
The Goblins returned the kickoff to their own 15, but instead of taking a knee to run out the clock they continued to run their offense, and it cost them. On second down they lost a fumble caused by Greenwood lineman Braydon Hunt and recovered by Coltyn Mourton at the visitors’ 28-yard-line with nine seconds left.
An incomplete pass on first down stopped the clock with three ticks remaining, setting up a Hail Mary situation. Quarterback Bentley Renick then passed down the Greenwood sideline into the end zone toward a receiver who was double covered. The ball fell incomplete as time expired, but the Goblins were flagged for defensive holding, giving Greenwood an untimed down with all zeros showing on the scoreboard clock.
Head Coach Cory Chambers decided to send kicker Leo Anaya out to attempt a 35-yard field goal. Regular field goal kicker Josh Fitzgerald was sidelined due to a minor injury, but Anaya never got the chance to kick after Harrison jumped offsides, moving the ball to the 13. Chambers sent his offense back onto the field for one final play, and Bentley Renick found Chase Bercher open over the middle near the goal line for the touchdown. But the extra point failed after a penalty.
Presumably to help Harrison get home sooner after the game, halftime was abbreviated to no more than five minutes with Greenwood leading 20-7 when play resumed. The Bulldogs scored first in the third quarter before Harrison responded with its second and final touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter, making the score 26-13. But the home team wasn’t done offensively, adding two more fourth quarter scores to account for the 41-13 final score. Greenwood’s third quarter score also came on another strong run by QB Bentley Renick, who accounted for five touchdowns in the contest, three rushing and two passing.
Trailing 26-7, Harrison’s last touchdown came on a well-executed pass over the middle behind the Greenwood linebackers to a wide-open receiver, who ran unmolested for the touchdown, a 53-yard play, but the extra point failed. Less than four minutes later the Bulldogs had scored their fifth and sixth touchdowns to make the final tally, 41-13.
Taking possession of the ball after a failed fourth down try by the Goblins, Greenwood needed just three snaps to score touchdown #5 on a 19-yard gallop by Bentley Renick. The Bulldogs’ QB also ran it in for the two-point conversion, making the score 34-13 with 5:24 left to play.
Greenwood’s final score came just over a minute later after the Bulldogs’ J.P. Beasley recovered a loose football at the home 41-yard-line. Parker Spencer then found running room around the end for a 59-yard touchdown sprint, leaving the defense in his wake. Leo Anaya’s extra point kick was good, making the final score, 41-13.
Afterward, Coach Chambers talked about the win before leaving the field. “That was a big game,” he said. “That was two undefeated conference teams playing for the driver’s seat in the league [race], and we played really well. Offensively, we played great. And defensively, after that first drive, we were unbelievable.
“Harrison is obviously good,” Chambers continued. They’re a ball-control team, and on that first drive they did exactly what they wanted. They essentially held the ball for the entire first quarter. But we knew if we could get them into first or second and long situations, we’d be in good shape, and that’s what we ended up doing.”
The coach then talked about some top individual performers, including quarterback Bentley Renick. “The birthday boy,” said Chambers. “He had a couple of touchdowns.” Actually, the coach later acknowledged that Renick threw for two scores and ran for three more, and he’s done that all season thus far. His teammates serenaded him on the field after the game.
“Chase Bercher again showed that he is a downfield threat and caught the touchdown pass right before halftime,” recalled the coach. “Parker Spencer had another big run, and then Coltyn Mourton got the [turnover] on defense. That essentially sealed it. All around, we had a lot of great performances.”
Asked about the play of his offensive line this season, Chambers said, “They’ve been really good. We’ve controlled the line of scrimmage and we’ve been able to run the ball pretty much at will against everybody. Part of that is because we have great running backs and a great quarterback, but they can’t do anything without those five guys up front. They’ve done a great job. We’ve had six guys that rotate through there and play.”
As for his defense, the coach has been equally impressed. “Except for the Bryant game, it seems like we are always one drive or one play away, and then we settle in. It was the same thing tonight. We gave up one drive, then settled in and played great.” This year’s defense is under the direction of new assistant coach Parker Gill, the son of varsity head coach Jason Gill, himself known as something of a defensive genius before getting promoted last spring.
Chambers was then asked to preview the next few weeks as the season zooms past the halfway point. “We’ve got Dardanelle next week. Then after our open date, we finish with Clarksville, Siloam Springs and Lake Hamilton. Those are our final three games, and we’ve got three more conference games.” Lake Hamilton will be a non-conference affair and the season finale.