It’s been a good season for the Greenwood freshmen Bulldogs and first-year head coach Luke Hales. Before traveling to Springdale last week to take on the Shiloh Christian Jr. Saints, the team had posted a 7-1 overall record and were still in the running for a piece of the conference title. A win over the unbeaten Saints would likely have secured at least a tie for the league crown and given Greenwood a chance to win out at Alma next week in the season finale. But it wasn’t meant to be.
The Springdale private school simply overwhelmed Greenwood offensively, scoring eight touchdowns, driving the ball up and down the field at will against the visiting defense. A couple of the Saints’ skill players looked like seasoned high school seniors in both size and ability, and it showed in the results. Shiloh Christian scored five times on long plays of 74, 41, 38, 82, and 34 yards. The game was a mismatch from the opening kick.
But the Jr. ‘Dog’s never gave up, and scored four touchdowns of their own, moving the ball well against the home defense. But a failed fourth down play on their first possession and a lost fumble on their second offensive series cost them dearly. By the time they had their third possession the Saints already led 24-0 early in the second quarter.
Shiloh received the opening kick and scored three plays later on a 74-yard run by their big, fast, and talented running back. A two-point conversion pass was also good for an 8-0 lead. Then after Greenwood turned the ball over on downs, the Saints drove more than 60 yards in nine plays, the last of which was a 41-yard gallop by the same tailback for another touchdown. The two-point play was also good for a 16-0 Shiloh lead (2:15).
Moving the pigskin into Shiloh territory for the second time, the Bulldogs were stopped cold by a fumbled snap recovered by the Saints at their own 38. Three plays later a 33-yard pass put the ball at the Greenwood 11-yard-line, from where Shiloh scored two plays later as the game moved into the second period. The 2-point play made it a 24-0 Saints’ lead.
Greenwood finally broke through with its first touchdown of the game on its third possession, which began at the visitors’ 34-yard-line. Quarterback Cooper Goodwin got things rolling with a nice 15-yard gain on a keeper to the 49. He then passed for nine yards to the Shiloh 42. After a couple plays for minimal gain, Goodwin connected with receiver Cooper Bland on a deep sideline reception for the score. Bland outjumped a defender for the ball near the 5-yard-line before carrying it in for the touchdown. Unfortunately, the extra point kick was blocked, keeping the score at 24-6 (6:08).
But the Saints’ offense was on fire, scoring on their fourth consecutive series, driving 82 yards in 11 plays. The scoring play was a run from six yards out with 2:49 left in the first half. The two-point pass play was also completed for a 32-6 Shiloh lead. The home defense then forced the Jr. ‘Dogs into a punting situation with the ball rolling dead at the Shiloh 19.
Yet moments later, Greenwood defensive back Lawyer Thornsberry intercepted a Saints’ pass to put the visiting offense back on the field with time slipping away in the first half. His 14-yard return put the ball near the midfield stripe at the Bulldogs’ 48. But after a penalty pushed the ball back to the 46, Cooper Goodwin launched a deep pass down the right sideline for running back Wesley Raggio, who made a leaping catch at the Shiloh 21 for a much-needed first down.
Three snaps later Goodwin ran a keeper for another first down to the 8-yard-line, setting up the score. A penalty on the Saints helped out, moving the ball to the three before Goodwin scored on another keeper from two yards out. The two-point attempt failed, making the score 32-12 at the half with Greenwood set to receive the opening kick when play resumed.
Still hoping for a comeback, the Jr. ‘Dogs needed to score on their opening possession of the third quarter to pull within two touchdowns of the lead, and they started out well, driving from their own 35 to the Saints’ 15-yard-line. But a fumble ended the possession with Shiloh recovering the loose ball at its own 16 before driving 84 yards in eight plays, aided by a facemask penalty on Greenwood. The touchdown came on a 38-yard shovel pass and the two-point play made the score 40-12.
Greenwood’s next possession ended on a failed fourth down play at the Shiloh 18-yard-line, followed by an 82-yard scoring play on a screen pass. The two-point conversion made it 48-12 with a minute left in the third quarter. The two teams then exchanged turnovers on a pair of pass interceptions. The Saints picked off Goodwin at the Greenwood 33, but moments later Bulldogs’ defensive back D.J. Dobbins intercepted a Shiloh pass at the visitors' 28, returning it to the home 44-yard-line.
From there, Cooper Goodwin completed two passes, the first for 21 yards to the 23 and the second to Cooper Bland for the touchdown on the left side of the field. Again, the two-point conversion attempt failed, putting the score at 48-18 with just 12 seconds left in the third period.
Shiloh scored twice more in the final stanza, the first set up by the return of an onside kick attempt by Greenwood. Starting at the visitors’ 36, the Saints needed just three plays to reach pay dirt on a 34-yard scoring run. This time they chose to kick the extra point, which was good, making the score 53-18 (7:46).
A pair of turnovers led to Greenwood’s fourth and final touchdown of the game. A Shiloh interception of a deep pass gave the ball to the Saints at their own 8-yard-line. But the visitors countered with a big defensive play of their own, nearly sacking the Shiloh quarterback in the end zone, forcing a fumble that was scooped up and returned for a Greenwood touchdown. Cooper Bland pressured the quarterback and forced the fumble, which was picked up by eighth-grader Thomas Newcity for the touchdown. The point after failed again, making the score 53-24 with 3:47 left to play.
The Saints’ final touchdown came just before the game ended on a 12-yard pass play. The extra point kick was good, making the final score, 60-24. A failed onside kick attempt by Greenwood put Shiloh in excellent field position on the visitors' side of the 50-yard-line. A 31-yard run then put the Saints within striking distance of the end zone at the 8-yard-line. They scored three plays later.
“They are the real deal,” said Coach Hales when asked about the talent displayed by the Saints. “Give them credit, they’re a really good team. They have some talented kids. But we never stopped battling, never stopped fighting. I think our team last year would have competed with them, if not mercy-ruled them. [But] we didn’t tackle very well. We didn’t execute on offense. We didn’t take care of the ball. We didn’t have our kids prepared, and that’s on us as coaches.
“It’s on me and our staff,” he continued. “We practiced really hard and put in extra practices because we were on fall break. But we just came out kind of flat. We didn’t start fast. I called a terrible first drive and we didn’t execute. We just didn’t put our kids in a position to win and make plays. Our kids never gave up though. They kept playing hard.”
Asked about the prospect of finishing the season with an 8-2 record with a win at Alma next week, Hales said, “That’s a good season. We obviously want to compete for the conference championship [every year]. But it’s a unique opportunity for these kids. It’s probably the last time they’ll ever get to play against Alma, because they don’t play us in high school any more. We’re not in the same conference [or classification] and they’re not interested in playing a non-conference game. So it’s a big deal for [our players]. We need to go over there and play great and finish the season on a high note.”
Hales also confirmed the return of running back Deacon Cameron, who was injured earlier this season. “He probably had three or four carries for eight or nine yards. We’re glad to have him back,” said his coach. Hales also declined to speculate on whether some of his players might be moved up to the varsity level for the playoffs.
“That will be [Coach Chris Young’s] decision after the season,” said Hales of his boss. “We haven’t really talked about that. We need to get these kids in the weight room and get them strong for next season,” referring to his ninth graders.” The season finale at Alma is next Thursday at 7 p.m.