The Greenwood Bulldogs opened their 2025 season last Friday night at home against the Wolverines of Bentonville-West, hanging on for a tough 35-31 victory. In 2024 the game ended with a 70-35 win for the Dogs, but several factors led to last Friday’s nailbiter that threatened two GHS winning streaks.
Of course, the Greenwood coaching staff doesn’t want their players focusing on the streaks, and that’s understandable, but they are a source of pride and fodder for the fans, so they aren’t unimportant. The Bulldogs entered last Friday’s affair with a 26-game winning streak after back-to-back 13-0 championship seasons. They also had a 70-game home winning streak. Both streaks have now been extended.
As for the reasons this year’s contest was so close, let’s start with the improvement in the Wolverines since last year, ranked fourth in the 7A West coaches’ poll and seventh overall in the state by Hooten’s Arkansas Football magazine. They also have 13 starters returning from last year, including all-state quality quarterback Tre’ Thompson, so the visitors were no pushovers.
But perhaps more importantly, the Bulldogs were hampered by physical limitations on their two best offensive players, senior star quarterback Kane Archer and his favorite receiver, fellow senior Champ Davis, both college-bound players. After starting and making a handful of catches, Davis was pulled from the game for precautionary reasons. Archer played the first half, leading his teammates to four touchdowns, keeping pace with the Wolverines. But he was slowed in the second half by leg cramps, causing him to leave the game for a short time before returning, though obviously not the same player.
But those factors only highlight the grit and determination of the 2025 Bulldogs, ranked #1 in Class 6A and #2 overall in most preseason polls. They also return 11 starters from last season, eight on the offensive side of the ball, while trying to rebuild the defense around three returnees. That same defense gave up 28 points in the first half before turning things around in the second half, allowing just a lone field goal. And perhaps that is the biggest reason the Bulldogs won their season opener.
Uncharacteristically, the Bulldogs stumbled out of the starting gate, going three-and-out before punting the ball away after receiving the opening kick. Last season, Greenwood didn’t punt the ball until their third game of the season. Bentonville-West then marched down the field in just six plays, covering 58 yards, with QB Tre’ Thompson scoring on a 30-yard gallop. The PAT made it 7-0 in favor of the visitors, the first of four leads the Wolverines had over the Bulldogs.
So, Greenwood had to play catchup most of the night, beginning with their second possession starting from their own 22-yard-line after a Champ Davis kick return. Eleven plays later the Dogs dented the end zone for the first time in 2025 on a pass from Kane Archer to senior Cooper Bland, a slant pass play that covered 15 yards. Two snaps earlier Archer and Bland combined for the biggest play of the drive, a 26-yard completion that reached the 17-yard-line. Kicker Landon Franklin added the extra point to tie the score with 6:23 left in the first quarter.
But the Wolverines responded with another TD drive, this one covering 78 yards and requiring a dozen plays with the aid of a GHS penalty. The score came on a 5-yard run followed by the extra point to retake the lead, 14-7, with 1:23 left in the opening stanza. But the Bulldogs scored again six minutes later.
A short kick return left the Dogs starting at their own 16, requiring 17 snaps to reach the end zone about 4½ minutes into the second quarter. None of the first 14 plays covered more than eight yards, until Greenwood reached the red zone. Archer then threw to Bland for 15 yards, reaching the 10-yard-line, before the Bulldogs’ QB ran to the one. Senior running back Wesley Raggio then carried in for the score and Franklin’s kick tied the score again at 14-all (7:34).
However, the offensive back-and-forth continued with the Wolverines scoring on their third consecutive possession, but not before a moment of controversy after an onside kick attempt by the Bulldogs. Landon Franklin recovered his own kick at midfield, but the officiating crew ruled that the ball didn’t travel the mandatory 10 yards before Franklin touched it, giving the ball to the Wolverines. GHS Head Coach Chris Young passionately argued the call with the officials, but to no avail. It was one of several calls that went against the Bulldogs, especially early in the game.
Starting at the 50, the Wolverines needed just five plays to score on a 20-yard run up the middle for the touchdown. The extra point put the visitors back on top again, 21-14, with 5:58 left in the first half. But the home team needed less than a minute to retaliate, then 37 seconds more to take their first lead of the game after another onside kick, this one successful.
Super sophomore Braxton Canada returned the Bentonville kickoff 20 yards to the GHS 30, showcasing just a bit of the talent he possesses and was about to unleash on the Wolverines. Kane Archer started the drive by completing three passes to Benton Hossley, Cooper Bland, and Hossley again, reaching the Greenwood 48. But his fourth pass went to Canada on the right side of the field. The Bulldogs’ exciting new receiver then slipped past a couple defenders and streaked all the way to the end zone. Franklin’s kick tied the score at 21 (4:47).
But the fun wasn’t over for Greenwood fans, who watched the GHS kicker execute another nearly perfect onside kick, this one recovered by Benton Hossley at the Wolverines’ 47-yard-line. Two plays later, after a one-yard loss, Archer found Canada open once again, this time over the middle for another 48-yard scoring play, all within 45 seconds, putting Greenwood on top for the first time in the game. Franklin’s extra point try was good, making it 28-21 in favor of the Bulldogs.
But a good kick return set up the Bentonville-West response moments later. Starting from their own 40, the Wolverines needed just five snaps to score on a 39-yard pass play. The extra point knotted the score once again at 28-all with 1:37 remaining in the first half.
Greenwood’s hopes of scoring again were soon dashed when Kane Archer threw an interception at midfield with about 30 seconds remaining. The visitors then failed to move the ball, and a punt attempt was foiled by a bad snap recovered by the Bulldogs near the enemy 10-yard-line as time expired.
Speaking with sideline reporter Richie Cagle at halftime, Coach Young lamented the lack of time after recovering the bad punt snap, then said, “The onside [kick] was big. We should have gotten the other onside I thought. There’s been about five 50/50 calls, and they’ve all five gone against us. But [the Wolverines] are good on offense. We knew that coming in, so we’ve got to get some stops on defense, and our offense has got to play better in the second half.”
Young’s predictions came true as play resumed. The Greenwood defense not only got some stops against Bentonville-West but practically shut down the Wolverines in the second half, giving the GHS offense a chance to take the lead with a fourth quarter touchdown. A penalty then wiped out the visitors’ last scoring opportunity in the final minutes to preserve the Bulldogs’ 35-31 victory.
The Wolverines’ first possession of the third quarter ended with fourth-and-17 punt to the GHS 13-yard-line. But three plays into Greenwood’s first series of the half, quarterback Kane Archer came up lame after a short run to the 30. He was temporarily replaced by junior backup Cruz Coatney, whose first pass attempt bounced off a Greenwood receiver and was intercepted by Bentonville-West.
But after starting at the home 35-yard-line, the visitors could only reach the 20 before a 36-yard field goal try was good, putting them back on top for the last time, 31-28, with 3:10 left in the third quarter. The Wolverines would not score again against Greenwood’s defense, growing more confident with every snap. A hobbled Archer then returned to action, and the two teams traded punts as the game moved into the fourth period.
The Bulldogs first series of the final stanza started at the Bentonville-West 36-yard-line after a short punt from deep in Wolverines’ territory. Running back Mario Dunbar ran for four yards on first down and Archer got three more to the 29. Dunbar then ran twice more to the 22 before Archer found Cooper Bland at the 20 for a reception, drawing a flag on the visitors, moving the ball to the 12-yard line. Dunbar and Archer got two yards each to the eight before Archer connected with junior Brayden Renick on a slant pattern for the touchdown. Franklin’s kick put the Bulldogs back on top to stay, 35-31.
But with 8:40 remaining to play, the game was far from over, and another good kickoff return put the visitors in solid field position at their own 40 to start their final possession of the game. The GHS defense held them short of a first down after two rushing plays and an incomplete pass, but the Wolverines converted on fourth down at midfield to keep their hopes alive.
They continued advancing down the field, aided by a long scramble by quarterback Tre’ Thompson, reaching the Greenwood 30 on third down and long, picking up another critical first down. Thompson continued to do the heavy lifting for the Wolverines, scrambling to the 20 and then for an apparent touchdown that was called back due to an obvious holding penalty, pushing the ball back to the GHS 18. Facing fourth down and eight and after a Greenwood defensive timeout, Thompson’s pass sailed out-of-bounds near the left pylon at the front of the end zone, ending the scoring threat. Kane Archer took a knee twice to run out the remaining time on the Greenwood win.
After the game, Coach Young said, “It was just a gritty win. Good football teams find a way to win when they don’t play great. And we’ve got to give [Bentonville-West] credit. They are a good football team with some really good players. They played a bunch of young guys last year and they are a year older with a bunch of experience.
“So that was a great win for our football team, especially for our defense to come back and play like they did the second half. They didn’t play very well the first half, but we challenged them, and the coaches made some good adjustments. I was disappointed in how we performed on offense in the second half. Obviously, we had some guys out, but that’s an excuse. The next guy up has to make plays. So, we’ve got to play better offensively next week and hopefully continue to improve on defense,” said Young.
Unofficially, Kane Archer completed 19 of 28 pass attempts for four touchdowns and one interception. He also ran 12 times for 64 yards – a solid performance by most standards but not what we’ve come to expect from #8 when not hampered by cramps. Mario Dunbar carried 14 times for 56 yards and Wesley Raggio ran 10 times for 38 yards and a touchdown. Braxton Canada caught three passes for 104 yards and two touchdowns while Cooper Bland hauled in six catches for 75 yards and a score. Brayden Renick also had a short catch for a touchdown.
The Bulldogs will now regroup and reassess their season-opening performance in preparation for their next opponents, the Fort Smith Northside Grizzlies. The Bears lost their opener to crosstown rival Fort Smith Southside, 27-7. Greenwood will travel to Mayo-Thompson Stadium for a 7 p.m. kickoff on Friday night. The Grizzlies will be the second of three Class 7A foes the Bulldogs will face in non-conference play this season. Greenwood will also play at Springdale Har-Ber in week three before getting a week off prior to hosting Shiloh Christian on September 26th in their 6A West conference opener.