The Greenwood Bulldogs are now 2-0 after Friday’s convincing 61-14 win at Fort Smith Northside. Still handicapped by early season injuries, the Dogs defeated the Grizzlies for the fourth consecutive season, and each time GHS quarterback Kane Archer has been a key player, starting with his freshman year when he came off the bench to lead an incredible fourth-quarter rally, winning the game (56-53) on a desperation Hail Mary pass in the final seconds.
The Northside Bears were shut out by the Bulldogs the past two years, 49-0 and 58-0, helping lead to a change in head coach at the Class 7A Fort Smith school, long known for producing athletic talent across several sports. The new guy, former college coach Dom Mirocke, will have access to that same talent, but will need time to implement his system, change the program’s culture, and build a winner in one of the state’s toughest leagues, the 7A West. But at least this year the Grizzlies weren’t shut out, so it was a step in the right direction for Northside.
What didn’t change was the impact of Kane Archer, now a four-year letterman and three-year starter behind center for the Bulldogs. Friday night the state’s best quarterback used his legs as well as his strong right arm to lead his teammates to their 28th consecutive win. Archer scored five rushing touchdowns and threw for two others in just over two quarters of play. He finished with about 350 yards of total offense on a night when the Bulldogs were without star receiver Champ Davis for a second straight game. Also missing was senior defensive back Cooper Goodwin. Both injured starters appeared in shorts and jerseys during the pre-game coin toss. It’s believed Davis will return soon while the extent of Goodwin’s injury is yet to be determined.
After narrowly escaping with a four-point win over Bentonville-West in the season opener, the Bulldogs performed better against a lesser team in Northside, but it’s clear they aren’t yet playing up to their potential, especially on offense, not even Archer, whose early passing accuracy has not measured up to last year’s standard. But maybe that’s asking too much, since he set a national high school record last season, completing over 80% of his passes. In fairness, he’s been without his favorite receiver (Champ Davis) for much of the first two games, and there were a couple of dropped passes against Northside.
But as the team preps for the start of conference play later this month, you can bet the coaches and players will continue to improve on both sides of the ball. The offense will move closer to its enormous potential with eight returning starters, while the defense will get better as the new sophomore and junior starters gain experience and confidence. Already the favorites to return to the 6A state championship game for a sixth consecutive year, by the end of the season the Bulldogs will be primed and ready to win a third straight state title, their 13th overall since the year 2000.
Friday’s game began with the Grizzlies receiving the opening kick, only to turn the ball over on second down when an overthrown pass was picked off by Greenwood senior linebacker Travir Shelton. He returned the ball from the 22 all the way to the 1-yard-line, setting up the game’s first touchdown. It came two snaps later when Kane Archer faked a handoff and tiptoed into the end zone untouched. Kicker Landon Franklin added the extra point for a 7-0 GHS lead (10:52).
But the Grizzlies responded with an 81-yard scoring drive on eight plays. During the possession the Bears were snapping the ball about as rapidly as the Bulldogs. Along the way they got a 36-yard run to set up the score, then completed a 24-yard touchdown pass against double coverage. The extra point knotted the score at 7-7 with 8:29 left in the period.
Rising sophomore star Braxton Canada returned the ensuing kickoff 65 yards down the right sideline to the Northside 30, giving the GHS offense excellent field position once again. Kane Archer then passed to junior Cooper Webb to the 19-yard-line for a first down. Archer then connected with senior Cooper Bland, reaching the 3-yard-line before junior tailback Mario Dunbar ran for one yard on second down. Archer then scored again from the two on the same play as his first touchdown. But Franklin’s PAT bounced off the goal post, leaving the score at 13-7.
The next three possessions ended with punts, one by Greenwood and two by the Grizzlies. After a poor kick, the Bulldogs took over at the Northside 42 before scoring their third touchdown. On first down, Archer rolled right and threw to Braxton Canada for 10 yards to the 30. On the next snap, the GHS quarterback eluded a would-be tackler in the backfield then found running room around the right side all the way to the end zone. This time Franklin’s kick was good for a 20-7 Greenwood lead with 3:20 still left in the first quarter.
Another Northside punt soon followed with the Bulldogs taking over at midfield after a short return. On first down, Archer ran for 10 yards to the home 40. Two snaps later he completed a pass to Braxton Canada to the 25 then another to Benton Hossley, reaching the 13-yard-line. Archer then rolled to the right and connected with Canada once again, this time for a touchdown. Franklin’s kick made the score 27-7 with 10 seconds left in the period.
After the start of the second quarter, both teams traded punts before the hometown Grizzlies engineered their second and last scoring drive. After a penalty pushed the ball back to the 19, the Bears marched 81 yards in 17 plays that included a pair of GHS penalties, both pass interference calls that helped sustain the drive. The touchdown came on a 1-yard quarterback keeper. The extra point made the score 27-14 with 4:05 left in the half. Both teams then turned the ball over on downs before time expired and they retired for halftime.
The second half, and particularly the third quarter, was all Greenwood. The Bulldogs scored 27 points in the first 12 minutes of the second half before adding a final touchdown in the fourth quarter. The first score came after a long drive following the opening kick of the half. Starting at their own 35, the Bulldogs needed eight plays to reach the Northside 10-yard-line before Kane Archer scored on an incredible QB scramble, eluding two defenders in the backfield before reversing direction twice, sidestepping tacklers while picking up blocks on his way to the right pylon and the end zone. The extra point extended the visitors’ lead to 34-14.
After the Bears were forced to punt to end their first possession of the half, Greenwood took over at its own 27. A pair of passes to Braxton Canada and Cooper Bland reached the Northside 46. Two snaps later a wide receiver screen to Canada advanced the ball to the 25 before a short flip pass to running back Wesley Raggio was good for nine yards to the 16. The touchdown then came on a short pass to Mario Dunbar, who went in motion and caught the ball near the right pylon as a defender streaked past him. Franklin’s extra point was good again, making it 41-14 at the 6:12 mark.
Another quick punt by the Bears left the football at the GHS 33, but it took only one play to put the Bulldogs in scoring range. A Kane Archer pass to Cooper Bland resulted in a long gain. Bland caught the ball at the Greenwood 45 before sprinting downfield to the Northside 21. Wesley Raggio then found a crease up the middle, reaching the 4-yard-line. Three snaps later from the five, Archer scored on a keeper up the middle – his fifth rushing touchdown. A two-point conversion attempt failed, leaving the Bulldogs short of the necessary 35-point margin to invoke the mercy rule at 47-14.
But the Grizzlies accommodated by fumbling the ensuing kickoff, recovered at the Northside 12-yard-line by senior Lawyer Thornsberry. With junior Cruz Coatney at quarterback, Wesley Raggio carried to the eight, also drawing a penalty flag on Northside, moving the ball to the 4-yard-line. Coatney then passed to Braxton Canada for the score. The extra point made it 54-14, invoking the mercy rule and shortening the game with a constantly moving clock.
Greenwood’s final score came on its next possession as the game moved into the fourth quarter. Starting at their own 37, sophomore running back Drake Little rambled to the 50 before Coatney kept the ball to the 44. He then passed to Lawson Leath, another sophomore, reaching the 31. Senior reserve RB Toumeng Tung carried to the 17 before Coatney passed to junior receiver Brayden Brewer to the 3-yard-line. Little carried again for a yard to the two before junior RB Malakai Willis broke the plane, spinning his way into the end zone. The extra point by backup kicker and senior Laydn Casanova was good for a 61-14 GHS lead that would hold up for the next couple of minutes as the remaining time quickly expired.
Unofficially, Kane Archer completed 21 of 31 pass attempts for 281 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed seven times for 68 yards and five scores. He averaged nearly 10 yards per carry. His favorite target was Braxton Canada, who had 10 receptions for 110 yards and two scores. Cooper Bland had three catches for 71 yards while Benton Hossley also had three grabs for 55 yards. Mario Dunbar had one catch for 16 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing four times for 26 yards. Cruz Coatney was three of four passing for 31 yards and a touchdown.
After the win, Head Coach Chris Young talked about his team’s performance with Dog Pound sideline reporter Richie Cagle. He offered both praise and constructive criticism. “We played a lot better in the second half,” the coach began. “I think we scored on [almost] every possession, and our defense shut them down.”
The coach also had some kind words for the Grizzlies under their new head coach. “You’ve got to give them credit. They’ve got a new coach over there who is doing a good job. His kids were disciplined. They played hard, and I’m a fan of what he’s done over there already. But we’ve got to get better. We’ve got to play better in the first half and not let [the opposition] hang around with us. We’ve also got guys banged up, so we’ve got to get healthy and just keep improving and get ready for Springdale Har-Ber.” Greenwood will travel to Northwest Arkansas next Friday for a 7 p.m. kickoff.