The Greenwood Bulldogs continue their march toward a conference championship and their quest to defend their status as reigning Class 6A state champions. The Russellville Cyclones were the latest victims, losing 51-7 last Friday night at Smith-Robinson Stadium.
It was a homecoming for Russellville’s Jeff Weaver, a Greenwood native and former Bulldogs’ assistant, now in his second season as the Cyclones’ head coach. Weaver has been successful in his earlier stints as a head coach at Mena and Little Rock Christian, and led Russellville to a playoff berth last season.
Before the contest, GHS Head Coach Rick Jones, who won his 300th game last week, walked to midfield to catch the ceremonial game ball dropped from a drone hovering over the 50-yard-line. The coach did not disappoint, making the grab to the delight of the large hometown crowd.
Greenwood’s Max Vickery returned the game’s opening kick 38 yards to the 42, giving the offense good field position, which quickly resulted in a touchdown. After an incompletion, quarterback Peyton Holt threw to fellow senior Luke Leonard for a short gain, then Holt kept the ball to the Russellville 43 for a first down.
On the next snap, running back Hunter Wilkinson got behind the Russellville defense down the GHS sideline to haul in a nicely thrown ball from Holt for the score. The kick by Grant Ennis was good for a 7-0 Greenwood lead less than a minute into the game.
The GHS defense did its job on Russellville’s first offensive possession, forcing a punt after defensive lineman Morgan Hanna sacked the Cyclones’ quarterback on third down. The kick was fair caught at the GHS 27 at the 9:44 mark. Thirteen plays later the ‘Dogs scored again.
On second down Holt threw to Leonard for 11 yards and a first down, before Wilkinson ran for eight yards to the 47. A short pass to Treyton Dawson reached the visitors’ 48 and moved the sticks again. A penalty on the Cyclones then advanced the ball to the 43.
Three plays later, Holt completed a pass to Dawson for 24 yards to the Cyclones’ 18-yard-line. Holt then ran to the 15 before passing to Dawson again at the 10. Senior tailback Marc Jones completed the drive, running once for nine yards and again for the 1-yard touchdown. The kick by Ennis was good (5:18).
Leading 14-0, the home defense gave up a first down, but another QB sack by Morgan Hanna forced a punt, giving the GHS offense the ball at the Bulldogs’ 29. It took only four plays to score this time.
On second down, Holt scrambled for nine yards and a first down at the 39. He then passed to Trey Woods for a gain to the Russellville 35. On the fourth snap, Holt connected with Dawson in the end zone for the score. Ennis added the extra point for a 21-0 GHS advantage (2:23).
The Cyclones responded with their most successful offensive possession of the game, driving 80 yards in 17 plays, consuming the remainder of the first quarter and nearly 2½ minutes of the second. Russellville was aided by a defensive holding penalty and a personal foul, and the touchdown came on a 9-yard pass. The extra point was good (9:39).
But that was it for the Cyclones’ scoring, as the GHS defense reasserted its dominance and the offense stepped on the gas with three more scores before the half, invoking the mercy rule. Russellville also helped too by gifting the Bulldogs with a safety.
An onside kick by Russellville went awry, failing to go the required 10 yards, made worse by a subsequent penalty on the Cyclones, moving the ball to the GHS 44. Hunter Wilkinson then barreled ahead to the visitors’ 47. Yet the drive appeared to be stalled after a big loss after a sack of Holt by the defense.
But the GHS quarterback got it all back and more on the next snap, scrambling out of the backfield for a huge gain of 32 yards to the Russellville 24. Two plays later he passed to Luke Leonard to the 15, before Holt kept the ball on a designed run for the touchdown. Ennis made it 28-7 (7:43).
After another Russellville punt, the Bulldogs were back in business at their own 33 less than a minute later. But a bad snap resulted in a loss back to the 20 before Holt passed to Isaiah Belue to the 39. Holt then ran to the Cyclones’ 44 for a first down.
Four plays later, Wilkinson picked up a first down on fourth-and-short at the visitors’ 32. Holt then passed to Treyton Dawson, who made a juggling catch at the 6-yard-line before going out-of-bounds. Wilkinson then ran twice, the second time for the 3-yard touchdown. The extra point made it 35-7 (3:30).
With time running out, the Bulldogs hoped to pad their lead to 35 points to invoke the mercy rule for the second half, and they did, but it didn’t unfold exactly as expected. The first wrinkle happened when a tipped pass was picked off by GHS linebacker Leighton Johnson at the Russellville 12.
However, the home offense stumbled after a penalty and trio of incomplete passes that gave the ball back to the Cyclones. But the defense came to the rescue, stuffing the visitors for a loss at the 10, then getting another sack by Hanna at the 8-yard-line. A fourth-down punt snap then sailed over the head of the kicker and out of the end zone for a safety, making the score 37-7.
The subsequent free kick gave Greenwood the ball at the Russellville 44-yard-line after a short return with 1:15 left in the half. On second down, Holt threw to Dawson at the 32 before a big loss to the 42 and an intentional spike of the ball to stop the clock (:23).
Holt then ran for 22 yards to the 20 before spiking the pigskin again to stop the clock with 12 seconds remaining. On the next play, Holt fired a deep pass to a wide-open Treyton Dawson in the right corner of the end zone for six points with five seconds left. Grant Ennis added the extra point.
Ahead 44-7 at the half, the Bulldogs and Cyclones played the final two quarters with an almost continuously running clock, and both teams substituted generously. Another Russellville mistake in the punting game resulted in the only score of the second half, less than three minutes into the third quarter.
After receiving the opening kick of the half, the Cyclones failed to pick up a first down and lined up for a punt from the Russellville 22. But the kick hit a lineman in the back, careening sideways and out-of-bounds, giving Greenwood the ball inside the 2-yard-line after a personal foul penalty on the visitors. Two plays later Marc Jones scored the game’s final touchdown and Grant Ennis made it 51-7.
The remainder of the game was played in the middle of the field between the reserves of both teams. With the clock running almost non-stop, the second half took little more than half-an-hour.
Following the contest, Coach Jones was the subject of a cupcake and video tribute. He was presented with a large size #300 made from cupcakes, commemorating his milestone victory last week. The stadium jumbotron also played a montage of state politicians, friends, family members, and former players honoring the coach for his momentous achievement.
Some of the featured luminaries included Governor Asa Hutchinson, Senator John Boozman, Congressman Steve Womack, Pulaski Academy Head Coach Kevin Kelley, former GHS Head Coach Ronnie Peacock, and many former players including current Arkansas Razorback Connor Noland, former quarterbacks Tyler Wilson and Stephen Hogan, former Bulldogs’ defensive backs and receivers Travis Sandifer and Nathan Staton, both current GHS assistant coaches, and many more.
Afterward, Jones posed for numerous photos from adoring friends and fans, including several youngsters anxious to have their picture taken with the celebrated coach. Jones also talked to members of the media amid the post-game activities.
“That was a well-played football game,” he said of his Bulldogs. “I was really proud of the way they played. But the reason is that they prepared well. Our defensive coaches did such a good job. They had those guys ready to go,” said the coach. “They were very aggressive.
“Offensively, we executed well,” Jones added. “[And] when we didn’t call something well, Peyton made up for it,” referring to his senior QB. “He has that uncanny ability to make bad things into good things, and he showed that half-a-dozen times tonight.
“The way [Peyton] played, our receivers caught the ball well, and our kicking game was solid. I was pleased with the way the guys played all over. It was a really well-executed game play. But we’re still a work in progress, but we are making progress, and that’s what’s important,” he said.
Responding to a question about his team’s turnaround since the season-opening loss to Fort Smith Northside. “We’ve just executed better,” he said. “We’ve thrown it and caught it better. I still don’t think we’re running the ball the way we need to. We’ve got to get better running the ball and being more consistent.
Asked about being honored for his 300th win, Jones was characteristically humble and reflective. “I thought about this driving back from Siloam Springs last week. It connects to the guys from the other schools to here,” said Jones.
“It’s not a “me” trophy, it’s a “we” trophy. We won that at Edmund and at Union and Broken Arrow and now here at Greenwood, and it’s awesome to connect those [Oklahoma] kids with the Greenwood kids. That’s what’s great about it. We couldn’t win a game without the kids and the coaches.
Regarding the post-game tribute in his honor, especially the fact that several former players have followed him into the coaching profession, including two on the current staff, Jones said, “Coach Sandifer and Coach Staton do a fantastic job. We’re tickled to death to have them, and we have a few more guys out there too. It’s really good to get those guys hooked up and going in the coaching business.
Finally, Jones talked about the approaching showdown with conference rival Benton (6-1, 4-0), who beat El Dorado 62-35 last Friday. The Panthers come to Greenwood next week.
“Benton has a real good football team,” said Jones. “We watched them on film against Russellville. They are really physical with a big offensive line. They have some big guys on defense as well, and a big running back. He’s a grown man. He’s really good, and they’ve got a couple of guys to throw it to as well.
“So we’ll have our hands full,” added Jones. “This was a good win for us. We’re going to enjoy this for 24 hours and then get ready for Benton.
The coach also talked about facing the Panthers on familiar turf. “It’s a big advantage being at home,” he said. “We love playing at home. We know we’ll have a big crowd and it will be [great],” said the coach.