It’s difficult to find the right words to describe what the GHS football program has achieved over the past quarter century since winning its first state championship in 2000 in Ronnie Peacock’s final season as head coach. After treading water for three seasons under his replacement, Harv Welch, the program returned to prominence with the arrival (2004) of legendary head coach Rick Jones from Oklahoma. He took his first four teams to the 5A state title game, winning three consecutive rings from 2005-07, then repeated the feat from 2010-12, overseeing the school’s move to the higher 6A classification.
After his teams lost the title game in both 2015 and 2016, Jones and his Bulldogs added two more championships with back-to-back crowns in 2017-18. Jones left after the 2019 season, departing for the college ranks as a consultant to the Missouri Tigers. The unenviable task of following the legend then fell to longtime assistant coach and offensive coordinator Chris Young, whose first season coincided with the Covid-19 outbreak and the pandemic that shut down much of American life in 2020.
How did Young and his staff and team respond? Despite the constraints placed on schools and other public gatherings by the pandemic, like masking and social distancing, the Bulldogs went 14-0 and won the program’s tenth state championship. They have since returned to Little Rock’s War Memorial Stadium every December, winning two more 6A titles the past two years, giving Greenwood 12 state crowns in the past 25 years, with a chance to win five others in 2004, 2015-16, and 2021-22.
It’s an understatement to say that Young and his exemplary staff have followed the roadmap left for them by Coach Jones, who laid the foundation for what has become one of the state’s top gridiron programs across all classifications. But even Jones’ Bulldogs did not reach the title game in five straight seasons as Young’s teams have done, with the expectation they will do so again in 2025. The Bulldogs are truly on a remarkable run in the 2020s. Greenwood has won more state football titles than any other school in Arkansas during the modern playoff era covering 50+ years.
Young’s tenure as head coach has also drawn the attention of players at other schools, with several recent move-ins that have or will impact the program significantly, including one current star receiver from out-of-state. Now another high-profile player has made the move to Greenwood this spring and is expected to be the #2 quarterback this fall behind Kane Archer, succeeding him as the starter for the 2026 season. More on him shortly, but most fans over 40 will recognize his last name.
With the opportunity for another state title three-peat before them this fall, the Bulldogs concluded their May spring practice sessions with the annual Blue-White game this past Thursday at Smith-Robinson Stadium. The weather was perfect, and a nice gathering of fans and family members came out to watch their Bulldogs perform in a scripted 48-minute preview of the upcoming season. On Friday morning, Coach Young talked with the Dog Pound about the scrimmage, also providing a brief look at the team roster after the departure of about 20 seniors from last season.
Early predictions are usually shunned by most head coaches, and for good reason. Many of them prove to be wrong. But there’s no doubt Greenwood will once again be the odds-on favorite to repeat as both 5A West conference and Class 6A state champions this fall. The Bulldogs return eight players with significant starting experience on offense, led by stud quarterback Kane Archer, who recently committed to play college football at the University of Central Florida, much to the chagrin of many Arkansas Razorback fans. Playing significant minutes as a freshman backup, Archer has since led the Bulldogs to 26 consecutive wins over the past two seasons and is considered by many pundits to be the top prep signal-caller in the state. He was the Gatorade Player of the Year in Arkansas last season and was named the Most Valuable Player in the past two title games.
Also returning is speedy senior receiver Champ Davis, who moved from Nebraska to Greenwood to play with Archer last season, making quite a splash as a junior pass catcher and kick returner. Davis may be the top college prospect among receivers in the state next season, giving the 2025 Bulldogs two of the top five or ten players in the state. Several other experienced receivers, running backs, and offensive linemen return as well, potentially making the GHS offense as good or better than last fall when it averaged nearly 55 points per game, often “calling off the dogs” in the second half of their many mercy rule victories.
However, for the second straight season, Coach Young and highly respected defensive coordinator Jason Gill and his staff are tasked with rebuilding a defense hit hard by graduation. Only three starters return from the 2024 squad that allowed just 14 points per game, with many of those points given up after the first team unit had retired to the sideline late in games. But unlike last season, when there were several seniors to fill those open defensive positions, this year’s squad may include several inexperienced but talented sophomores, according to Young.
As for spring practice and last Thursday’s scrimmage, the coach was pleased but also realistic about the challenges ahead for his team. “We’ve got a lot of guys back on offense and we lost a lot of guys on defense. Offensively, we feel like we can go to the next level because of our experience. But defensively we’ve got to start from the ground and work our way up.
“For the most part we are healthy, [though] we lost a young man, Caleb Cox, with a torn ACL (knee). He’s a senior-to-be) and it just makes me sick. He has worked his tail off and was probably going to start for us at linebacker. He’s done everything right, but a non-contact injury has put him out for his senior year. We hate it for him, but he’ll find a way to still impact our team. He’s a great leader, a great young man, and we’ll find him a role where he can help us be successful,” said Young.
“Offensively, I’m really excited about where we’re at,” he continued. “We’ve got a lot of pieces back and we’ve got some young guys [too]. We’ve got two sophomores, Braxton Canada and Jaxon Cepeda, that would start or play a lot if we were to play right now. The biggest thing about [last night’s scrimmage] was that we wanted to get out healthy, and we did. We didn’t have anybody get banged up, because we don’t go live very often in practice.
“There were a lot of positives and a lot of negatives,” mused the coach. “Champ Davis made some big plays offensively. We know he’s going to be a special player. [Braxton] Canada made some really good plays [at receiver]. Cooper Bland and Ben Hossley at wide receiver are two good ones who are returning. Cooper Webb is a receiver who is going to be good for us, and Brayden Brewer moved from quarterback to wide receiver, and he really caught our eye in the spring. He’s a big, athletic kid, and he’s going to provide some depth at receiver. He’s a kid that will play a lot.
“We have eight starters who return on offense, or at least they played a lot,” the coach explained. “We have three returnees on defense. But that’s normal for us,” referring to the defense. “Coach Gill does a great job developing those guys through junior high and junior varsity. Last year we played just one sophomore all year [on defense]. But at times, we had seven sophomores on the field last night. It’s a talented group, but this is a tough league to play sophomores early, but we’re going to have to this year.”
Asked about new players that could impact the program, the Head Dawg began with a name familiar to many longtime GHS fans. “Cruz Coatney has moved here, obviously the son of Brooks Coatney, an all-time Greenwood great, and we’re really excited to have him.” The elder Coatney started at QB for Greenwood for three seasons (1996-98) and passed for over 10,000 yards in his career, taking the Bulldogs to their first state title game in 1996 as a sophomore under Coach Peacock. Brooks then became a coach himself with stops at Bryant as an assistant and at Ozark and Van Buren as head coach. He is currently the director of the new Goddard School opening in Fayetteville, offering local parents an alternative for quality childcare.
“He’s going to be a tremendous player for us,” said Young of Coatney’s son Cruz. “He’s very intelligent. He’s only been here a short time and he’s already picking up on our offense. He’s got a great arm, he moves well, and we’re confident that we can win with him. Right now, he’s in a backup role, but it allows us to do some more things with Kane because we have a really good backup quarterback. It also allowed us to move Brayden Brewer to wide receiver and Cooper Goodwin to safety.
“He’s a kid we’ll use on both sides of the ball,” said Young, referring to Goodwin, who had significant time at both receiver and quarterback last season. “He’s gained some weight and looks great. He’s physical and runs well and is very intelligent, so we think he can be a key part of our defense.” Goodwin was instrumental in Greenwood’s opening conference win over Shiloh Christian last season when Kane Archer was injured late in the first half. The junior backup led two second half scoring drives in the 28-17 victory. The Bulldogs and Saints met again in the state championship game in with Greenwood prevailing, 61-35.
“We also had a young man named Malakai Willis that moved in from Fort Smith [Northside], and he’s fighting for a corner position right now. He will be a junior and has done some good things in spring ball. He’s competing with William Rye, a sophomore, and we also have [senior] D.J. Dobbins, so we feel good about those three guys at the corner position.”
Asked about the benefit of having a pair of top ten or even top five players in the state on the same team this year in Kane Archer and Champ Davis, Young said, “Those are two dynamic players when they have the ball in their hands. They are really special, and they make other players around them better as well. We are excited to have those two guys back.”
The Bulldogs also return running backs Wesley Raggio and Mario Dunbar. Despite his small size, Raggio was Greenwood’s primary running back last season. But he is shifty and fast and should get more touches this coming season as a senior. Dunbar has potential and was a backup last season as a sophomore but should see more duty in 2025 as a junior. Also expect QB Kane Archer to carry the football a lot, both on designed plays and in scrambling situations. He may be Greenwood’s top rusher next fall in addition to his amazing exploits as a passer. He set a national record last season with an 82% completion rate.
Turning his attention to the offensive line, the coach said, “We have three starters back. Akira Fujibayashi at center and Cody Taylor at left tackle. Hal Davis started half the season for us, and he’s back. Landon Billy started last year, but tore his ACL in the state championship game, so he’s out right now but we expect to have him back in August. Alex Vanderwatt is a junior at left guard and is doing well. Jaxen Cepeda is a sophomore at right tackle, and we think he’s going to be good. So, we feel really good about those six guys. They will be [one of] the strengths of our team.”
Asked to talk more about the effort to reconstitute the defense, Young said, “Our returners are Lawyer Thornsberry at safety, D.J. Dobbins at corner, and Cody Johnson at defensive end. We feel good about those three, but there’s a lot of competition at the other positions. Jayden Foster is another new kid who moved in from Pocola (OK) and will be a senior. He’s at middle linebacker right now and learning our system. He’s a physical, athletic kid and has a chance to start for us. Bryer Hackler will be a sophomore. He’s an athletic kid with a bright future, but he’s got to learn our defense. His dad was a college player.
“Jin Sayadeth (a junior) probably had our best spring game at linebacker [according to] Coach Gill. He’s a returner at linebacker. Rodney Wirth had a good spring and showed some physicality for us. There’s just competition in a lot of those spots, and competition makes everybody better, so we’re excited about that. We’ve got some pieces, we’ve just got to put the puzzle together. We’re going to have some inexperienced guys who will make some mistakes. But we’re hoping that team camps this summer is where they make those mistakes, so they are ready to go when the season starts.”
Asked to predict the strength of his team’s defense for the upcoming season, Young said, “We’ve got some athletic, big kids up front with Cody Johnson, Brock Shepard, Deandre Stephens, and Charlie Hudnall. They are big, athletic guys who can move, but they just haven’t played and proven they can do it. We’ve got some pieces, we’ve just got to figure out who to put where, and I think that’s what Coach Gill does so well, changing his defense to fit the talent that we have. He’s not hard-headed to where he’s going to run the same defense every year. But it’s a process and we’ll make some mistakes along the way, but the team camps and seven-on-sevens give us a chance to try some different things to figure out what we are the best at,” he concluded. Greenwood’s first team camp will be this coming Friday, May 30th.
As for his biggest concerns this summer heading into August practice, the coach said, “Finding the [right] guys on defense and building some depth. Offensively, I don’t think we’re as deep as we’ve been the last couple years. Some of our twos and threes will be sophomores compared to juniors in the past. We’re going to have to rely on some young guys to provide some depth, and that’s scary.”
Wrapping up the interview, Athletic Director Young was asked about any coaching changes across all GHS sports for the coming school year. “Football-wise there are no staff changes, which is great,” he said. “It allows us to be familiar with what we do and the way we do things, so that’s a big plus. Basketball-wise, Coach [Ryan] Casalman is going to remain as the [varsity] girls head coach, and we’re excited about that. Lunden Lensing has gotten out of coaching and will teach fulltime, so we hired Cynthia English from South Arkansas to be with Head Coach [Amy] Hardy as a junior girls assistant basketball coach.” English is also the niece of Coach Gill.
“We also hired Brayden Ross as an assistant baseball coach. He just wrapped up his career at UAFS as a baseball player. He will be Head Coach [Brandon] Brewer’s assistant baseball coach and do some junior high basketball for us as well.” Brayden is the son of current GHS varsity boys basketball Head Coach B.J. Ross.
“We hired coach Jill Clark for both cheer and dance,” said Young. “She was already [leading] our dance team and did a fantastic job with that.” Mike Possage was also promoted to head coach of the ninth-grade boys basketball program, and Tyler Woods will become the new head coach for boys and girls golf, in addition to his duties as head coach for boys soccer. Woods is giving up his position as assistant athletic director.
Regarding recent or planned facility upgrades for the campus, Young said, “We added LED lighting for the baseball and softball fields, and we’re excited about that. I think it will also help this summer. We got internet to the baseball field to help with the live streaming and we [built] a bullpen area for softball. We put in concrete and turf for that. We’re looking at some things [regarding] our bleachers [at Smith-Robinson Stadium], which are kind of old, and we are redoing the visitor’s side concession stand, just the inside of it.”
About two years into his tenure as both head football coach and athletic director, Young appears comfortable and confident in his dual role. He’s a very busy man, but wearing two hats and shepherding one of the state’s top prep athletic programs seems to suit him. His 2025 Bulldogs also seem poised for another serious run at a 13th state title in the past 26 years, a remarkable achievement should it happen. It seems that another exhilarating season lies ahead for GHS football fans.