High school football practice is nearing the end of its second week and Greenwood’s pre-season home scrimmage with Fayetteville is next Tuesday, with the season opener also slated for Smith-Robinson Stadium on August 25th against Stillwater, Oklahoma. As the Bulldogs embark on their fourth season under Head Coach Chris Young, it’s time to look at the 2023 schedule and Greenwood’s pathway to an 11th state title. It won’t be easy to say the least.
Fayetteville
The Class 7A Purple Dogs are always tough and for the last several years they have partnered with the Bulldogs for a pre-season scrimmage. This year’s contest is set for August 15th at Greenwood’s Smith-Robinson Stadium. Both the freshman ‘Dogs and the varsity will scrimmage starting with the ninth graders at 5:30 p.m. with the upperclassmen to follow at approximately 7 p.m. The visiting Bulldogs are led by Head Coach Casey Dick.
After finishing 7-4 last season, Fayetteville has a ton of starters coming back with seven returnees on both sides of the ball, including senior all-conference quarterback Drake Lindsey, who threw for over 3,700 yards and 37 touchdowns last season. Greenwood’s experienced secondary will get plenty of work during the scrimmage. Of Fayetteville’s four losses in 2022, three of them were by a combined five points.
Hooten’s Arkansas Football picks the Purple Dogs to finish second in the tough 7A West this season and lists overall experience as one of their strengths, along with a strong defensive line. Of course, it will be a controlled scrimmage and the final score won’t really matter for either team. Coming out of the contest healthy with a better idea of what his team needs to work on will be of greater interest to both head coaches.
Stillwater, OK
The Pioneers hosted the Bulldogs last season and used their 41-27 victory to propel themselves to a 14-0 record and the 6A state championship in the Sooner State. But 2023 is a new year and there have been some significant changes in Stillwater, though the Pioneers remains a formidable foe under new head coach Chad Cawood, the team’s offensive coordinator since 2016.
Last year’s head coach, Tucker Barnard, departed for Springdale’s Shiloh Christian in June, and talented quarterback Gage Gundy, son of Oklahoma State Head Coach Mike Gundy, has graduated. The Pioneers lost four starting offensive linemen to graduation and two of their three best running backs. They also lost talent and experience on the defensive side, so going unbeaten again and defending their 2022 state title will be a tall order.
On the other hand, the Bulldogs return a host of starters on both sides of the ball and should present a tougher challenge for Stillwater than last season, especially with the game being played at Greenwood. If the Bulldogs can protect the ball and eliminate the turnovers that plagued them last year, I look for Greenwood to avenge that loss in a competitive game to get the 2023 regular season off to a good start.
Fort Smith Northside
Greenwood and Northside have developed into quite a rivalry over the past few years, and who can forget last season’s classic GHS victory on a last-second Hail Mary touchdown pass from Kane Archer to Grant Karnes. It was a real heartbreaker for the Grizzlies who led throughout the contest by as much as 20 points. The always talented Bears will be looking for revenge with this year’s contest being played at Northside’s Mayo-Thompson Stadium.
Hooten’s Arkansas Football magazine is high on the Bulldogs, putting them at or near the top of the 6A rankings. That same esteemed publication has the Grizzlies picked fourth in the incredibly tough 7A Central that features teams like Bryant, Conway, Cabot, and North Little Rock. Northside returns eight starters, but just three on defense while quarterback McClane Moody is back for his senior season. Head Coach Felix Curry describes Moody as something of a freakish athlete with great speed and a big arm that throws a 92-mph fastball, good enough to accept an offer to play baseball for the Razorbacks after high school. The Grizzlies’ QB will have plenty of weapons surrounding him with some solid receivers returning this season. It should be a close game with Greenwood getting the win.
Mountain Home
The Bombers had a crazy season in 2022, starting 0-7 before a three-game winning streak got them into the playoffs where they won their opening round contest against Marion. They finished 4-8 overall and return 11 starters from that squad. Once again, they are picked to finish near the bottom of the 6A West and shouldn’t present too much of a challenge for the Bulldogs, other than the long drive to Mountain Home.
They do return all-conference quarterback Cade Yates and veteran running back Jacob Chenoweth, both of whom will be working behind a reshuffled offensive line. Hooten’s likes the Bombers’ skill players and their front seven on defense. Mountain Home has made three straight playoff appearances under Head Coach Steve Ary, who hopes to extend that streak in 2023.
Siloam Springs
The Panthers have battled the Bulldogs hard in the past, but not recently, losing 61-7 at home in 2022, a season that saw Siloam Springs go winless at 0-10. They return 10 starters evenly split between offense and defense, but Hooten’s has them picked last (9th) in the 6A West with an unproven quarterback and a small senior class. It’s Greenwood’s second home game of the season and should be an easy win for the loaded Bulldogs.
Van Buren
One of the largest schools in Class 6A, Van Buren is only a couple years removed from Class 7A, but that enrollment advantage has not translated into gridiron success, and 2023 won’t change that according to Hooten’s. The magazine has picked the Pointers to finish eighth in the conference, despite returning 12 starters split evenly between offense and defense. Van Buren went 2-8 last season.
All-conference QB Bryce Perkins returns this season after throwing for nearly 1,700 yards last fall and 18 touchdowns. He also rushed for over 300 yards and four TDs. But the Pointers must find replacements for a couple offensive linemen and are unproven at running back and receiver. Defensively, they are strong at linebacker, in the secondary, and at nose guard. Chalk this one up as another GHS victory on the road.
Greenbrier
Greenwood’s sixth game of the season will be its fourth conference contest at home against Greenbrier. It will also be their fifth game in September and their last game before the Bulldogs’ open date on October 6th. The Panthers went just 2-8 last season but have 13 starters returning for what Hooten’s believes will be a much better team. The Arkansas football bible picks Greenbrier to finish fifth in the 6A West.
Senior QB Kane Griffin returns after an injury shortened season in 2022. His replacement, Kane Richardson, also returns to give the Panthers a solid 1-2 combo behind center. Senior tailback Eli Weaver returns after missing all of 2022 due to injury and senior receiver Lawson Worthy also returns as the team’s top pass catcher. With seven returning starters on defense, the Panthers have plenty of experience overall, but lack depth. The Bulldogs should win the game handily and be 4-0 in league play going into their open date.
Lake Hamilton
Finishing just ahead of Greenbrier in the conference race, according to Hooten’s, will be the Lake Hamilton Wolves, who went 9-3 last season after starting 7-0 before a 24-0 shutout loss at Greenwood. The run-heavy Wolves notched a notable win over league foe Little Rock Christian, 34-19, and lost a close one to eventual state champion Pulaski Academy, 41-39. They also beat Jonesboro in non-conference play and defeated Searcy in the playoffs before bowing out against Benton. Head Coach Tommy Gilleran has a good program going at Lake Hamilton.
But the Wolves’ style of offense hasn’t played well against the Bulldogs lately. Lake Hamilton hasn’t scored on the GHS defense since 2020, when Greenwood won 38-28 to claim the conference title. They lost 35-0 in 2021 and 24-0 last year. Don’t expect another shutout this year, but Greenwood should be the clear favorite, even on the road.
The Wolves return just four starters, and only one on defense, so they will be young and inexperienced, especially among their linemen. Senior left-handed QB Easton Hurley returns after an all-conference season in 2022 and is a three-sport athlete. He will be flanked by a couple of talented but largely unproven running backs, including junior Hayden Barton who torched Searcy for 183 yards and three TDs in the playoffs.
Josh Brooks is the only returning defender for the Wolves and has a 500-pound deadlift, but he will be surrounded by teammates lacking experience in the 6A West. The Bulldogs should be able to exploit that inexperience and rack up a fair number of points on the Wolves, whose running game will find it hard to compete. Another GHS win.
Russellville
Week eight of the regular season will be homecoming for the Bulldogs, hosting the Russellville Cyclones on October 20th. Posting a 5-6 overall record last season, including a pair of losses to the Bulldogs, the Cyclones went two games deep into the playoffs, giving them something positive to build on during the off-season. With 10 returning starters, Hooten’s has them picked sixth in the 6A West in 2023, potentially putting them back in the post-season.
Russellville’s two biggest assets are a strong senior class and overall team size. Entering his third season as the team’s head coach, Dave Wheeler has had enough time to fully implement his system and style of play. But the Cyclones still haven’t produced a winning season since 2018 and have won just 13 games over the past four years. Coach Wheeler and his staff and players certainly hope to change that dynamic in 2023.
But Russellville isn’t likely to turn things around against the Bulldogs, who beat them twice last season, 42-21 in the regular season and 42-7 in the playoffs. Senior QB D.A. Reed returns to lead the Russellville offense along with all-conference fullback Tracy Daniels, who rushed for almost 1,300 yards last fall. Two senior receivers also return along with some experienced linemen. Only four returnees are on the defensive side, so there is work to be done there.
Bulldogs’ fans should celebrate another conference win over the Cyclones and enjoy their annual homecoming festivities before the real meat of the schedule arrives with games remaining against Pulaski Academy and Little Rock Christian, two of the best teams in Class 6A, along with Greenwood.
Pulaski Academy
Over the past decade or so the Bulldogs and Bruins have developed a solid rivalry, made more intense by conference realignment and the Arkansas Activities Association’s efforts to equalize the competition with regards to private schools like Pulaski Academy, Little Rock Christian, and Shiloh Christian. But the Bruins just keep on churning out championships, winning eight state titles in the last nine years. They split two games with Greenwood last season, losing in week nine, 33-23, before beating the Bulldogs for the state championship five weeks later, 42-35. This season appears to be another battle for the state title between the two titans of the 6A West, with Little Rock Christian thrown in for good measure.
Never mind that P.A. lost all-conference QB Kel Busby to an injury this spring. He’s been replaced by junior Brandon Cobb, who will be throwing to the league’s top returning receiver, John Mark Charette, who caught 60 passes for 1,330 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. All-state running back Kenny Jordan also returns. However, P.A. lost its entire starting offensive line to graduation, so they are rebuilding up front. They return three offensive starters.
On defense, nearly half of the unit returns from last season with five starters coming back, but their strongest asset will be their secondary, not unlike Greenwood. But personnel aside, these two teams know each other well and respect one another, making every game they play against each other a special event. Their October 27th contest in Little Rock will draw the attention of football fans and pundits across the state. This one is a toss-up.
Little Rock Christian
The final game of the regular season will be senior night for the Bulldogs at Smith-Robinson Stadium, and the opponent will be another powerhouse private school squad from Little Rock. The Warriors defeated Greenwood in the regular season finale last fall, 49-35, largely due to the remarkable play of QB Walker White, who returns for his senior season in 2023, having already committed to play college football at Auburn University. White is one of the finest quarterbacks in the country, according to Greenwood Head Coach Chris Young.
He passed for over 2,100 yards and 28 touchdowns last season while also rushing for nearly 900 yards and 16 TDs. Tailback Ronnie Anoyke returns as well, having rushed for nearly 1,400 yards last season. Fullback/tight end Cooper Jones also returns and is a punishing blocker. White will have a pair of experienced senior receivers to throw to as well. However, the offensive line has been restructured and will have to prove itself in the early going.
Defensively, the Warriors have six returning starters, but they are also unproven up front, though they are strong at linebacker and in the secondary. This game should also be one to watch across the state with the outcome uncertain. But the game will be played in Greenwood, so perhaps that will give the Bulldogs added incentive to win, sending a large senior class out in style before heading into the postseason.
Summary
So, looking at the 2023 regular season slate, the Bulldogs should be 8-0 before facing Pulaski Academy in week nine, or at least 7-1 but still a perfect 6-0 in conference play. As was the case last season, the league title and seeding for the playoffs will be decided based on the outcome of the final two games of the regular season. The league’s coaches selected Greenwood to win the conference title, according to Hooten’s Arkansas Football, which believes it possible that three teams from the 6A West could reach the semifinals this season. I wouldn’t bet against it.
On paper the Bulldogs have the weapons to win it all with plenty of returning starters, including their top three receivers, and an exciting and talented young quarterback (Kane Archer) to run the offense, plus eight or nine returning starters on defense. That’s a solid foundation to build on and the ‘Dogs are hungry for another title after coming up short the last two years. But injuries and turnovers must be factored into the equation as well for every team, and those intangibles are impossible to predict in the preseason. But all things being equal, 2023 looks to be a very promising season for the boys in blue and white. Go Bulldogs!