The Greenwood Bulldogs continue to own their opponents three weeks into the 2023 gridiron season, scoring over 50 points per game while holding their foes to less than 10 points per contest, including a shutout. But Friday’s 55-7 victory at Mountain Home came at a cost, the loss of starting quarterback Kane Archer to injury midway through the second quarter.
The highly acclaimed signal caller was tackled on a QB run and left the field with an apparent injury to his left hand or wrist – on his non-throwing arm. But fellow sophomore Cooper Goodwin took Archer’s place and led his GHS teammates to four additional touchdowns. The extent of Archer’s injury will be assessed over the next few days to determine if he will miss any more playing time.
Friday’s victory was also their first in 6A West conference play after a pair of non-league wins over Stillwater (OK) and Fort Smith Northside. The ‘Dogs are expected to have their way with the league schedule through the first six weeks of conference play, at least until facing Pulaski Academy and Little Rock Christian the last two weeks of the regular season. Many observers think those may be the top three teams in all of Class 6A this season. Next Friday Greenwood hosts Siloam Springs (0-3).
For the third consecutive week the Bulldogs won the opening coin toss and deferred possession of the ball to the second half, kicking off to the Bombers. But Mountain Home’s initial possession quickly ended with a punt after picking up a single first down. Greenwood took over at its own 43 after a short punt return with Archer and company taking the field for the first time, needing just six plays to reach the end zone.
A pass interference penalty on second down moved the ball into Bombers’ territory at the 38 before L.J. Robins carried the rock to the 24. Archer then kept the ball and found room around the right side all the way to the 6-yard-line. Robins ran to the two on the next snap before running back Brayedan Davis carried in for the score. Bodey Stienfeldt’s extra point kick was good for a 7-0 GHS lead (8:32).
Another defensive stop and Mountain Home punt soon followed, giving Greenwood the ball at the Bulldogs’ 36-yard-line. After a penalty backed them up to the 31, Archer completed a pass to Davis reaching the 46, then connected with receiver Isaiah Arrington at the Bombers’ 45. Archer ran to the 41 for the first down before completing three consecutive short passes to Davis, Robins, and Arrington, reaching the Mountain Home 20.
An apparent touchdown pass to Davis on the next play was nullified by a holding penalty, pushing the ball back to the 30. But Archer then found L.J. Robins near the 20 and the star receiver made the grab and sprinted in for the score. The extra point kick was good again for a 14-0 Greenwood lead at the 4:49 mark of the opening period.
A quarterback sack by GHS defensive end Cash Archer held to expedite another Bombers’ punt that rolled dead at the visitors’ 40-yard-line. Four plays later the Bulldogs were back in the end zone for their third score. A short flip pass to receiver Grant Karnes was good for four yards, followed by another short toss to Arrington to the 49. Brayedan Davis then rumbled for 32 yards to the home 17 before Archer dumped the ball off to Robins on the left side around the 10-yard-line before the senior broke a tackle and dashed into the end zone. Steinfeldt’s kick was good for a 21-0 GHS lead (2:45).
The Bulldogs got the football back after another Mountain Home punt on the first play of the second quarter. Starting at Greenwood’s own 25, Archer passed to Karnes to the 42 before Davis ran to the 46. A deep pass attempt to Arrington then drew a flag for pass interference, moving the ball to the Bombers’ 31. Karnes caught another pass reaching the 16 then another to the 8-yard-line. Brayedan Davis then weaved his way around the right side for the touchdown. The point after was good, and the Bulldogs led 28-0 early in the second quarter (10:26).
The GHS defense continued to stifle the Mountain Home offense, forcing yet another three-and-out and a punt out-of-bounds at the Greenwood 40. But on the fourth play of the possession, Archer ran a QB keeper and was tackled at the Mountain Home 36. He immediately got up and headed for the GHS sideline, seeming to hold his left hand or wrist as Cooper Goodwin came in to replace him.
A series of penalties on the Bulldogs slowed the pace of the game and pushed the visitors back on their side of the 50, erasing a long run by Brayedan Davis in the process. But Goodwin and company righted the ship and reached the Bombers’ 7-yard-line before an ill-advised pass was picked off near the goal line and returned to the home 30-yard-line, ending the threat.
The home crowd was then given a reason to stand and cheer as the Bombers reached the end zone for their only touchdown of the contest. It came on a trick play – a flee flicker in which the quarterback gave the ball to the running back, who then tossed it back to the QB for a deep pass near the GHS 30-yard-line. The receiver caught the ball with a step on the defense and raced in for the score. The extra point made it 28-7 with 5:13 left in the first half.
The Bulldogs had two more offensive possessions before the half ended and a pair of interceptions, plus one additional touchdown with another negated by a penalty. A TD pass from Goodwin to L.J. Robins was erased by an unsportsmanlike call against the Bulldogs, and the possession ended with a punt by Landon Nelms.
But an interception moments later by GHS senior defensive back Caden Nelms put the ball back into the hands of the visiting offense. A 15-yard penalty on the Bombers tacked on additional yardage to the home 49, then another flag moved the ball to the Mountain Home 34-yard-line. After a GHS penalty to the 39, Robins carried twice to the 24 before Davis ran twice to the 18. Robins then caught a wide receiver screen pass and raced in for the score with 57 seconds left in the half. The PAT was good for a 35-7 GHS lead.
On the last play of the half, senior defensive back Brady Mackey snagged an interception around the GHS 10-yard-line and returned it to near midfield as time expired. As the teams headed off the field, Greenwood Head Coach Chris Young spoke briefly with the Dog Pound’s sideline reporter, expressing his disappointment with several GHS penalties and the Bulldogs’ sloppy play in the second period after a solid first quarter, promising better play in the second half.
When the Bulldogs returned to action in the third quarter, they scored on their first three possessions, quickly invoking the mercy rule to speed up the end of the game with a running clock. Receiving the opening kick, Greenwood got a nice return of 23 yards from Grant Karnes, reaching the Mountain Home 42. Brayedan Davis then found running room around the left side for a long touchdown run, completing a one-play scoring drive. Bodey Steinfeldt added the PAT.
After another Bombers’ punt to the GHS 33, the Bulldogs engineered a seven-play drive for their seventh touchdown, mostly on the ground with sophomore running back Wesley Raggio doing the bulk of the work, including a 38-yard scamper on the first play of the series. After reaching the Bombers’ 24-yard-line, Cooper Goodwin lobbed a pass to Isaiah Arrington in the end zone for a leaping touchdown catch. The extra point kick made it 48-7 (5:52).
Greenwood’s final score came moments later after another Bombers’ punt. From the GHS 25, Raggio took the handoff and burst through the middle of the defense almost untouched before turning on the jets for a 75-yard gallop to the end zone. The extra point try failed after a bobbled snap and the Bulldogs led 55-7 as time expired in the third quarter. Neither team scored over the final 12 minutes with most of the starters for both teams on the sidelines.
In his post-game comments, Coach Young expressed his pleasure with the Bulldogs’ play in the second half. “I’m proud of our kids. They responded better,” he said. “We played football the right way. We made some mistakes in the first half and let our emotions get the best of us and didn’t play Bulldog football in the second quarter. But take the second quarter away and we played well. I thought Cooper [Goodwin] came in and did a great job leading our offense, and we’ll get Kane back soon, but it’s good to know that Cooper can do that. We’ve got two good quarterbacks back there.
“Our running game was awesome,” Young continued. “I thought our offensive line was really good and created some holes. Brayedan Davis had a great game.” Davis rushed for 155 yards on 14 carries with three touchdowns. Wesley Raggio had 127 yards on just six carries. “Raggio is going to be a future back for us and really help us on Friday nights, but he’s still young,” said his head coach. “He goes all week on the scout team and just works like crazy. It [was] good to see those kids get out [on the field tonight].”
Young also continued to praise the work of his defense that has allowed just four touchdowns in 12 quarters of play this season. “Other than that one double move they got us on, the trick play – and that was a good call by their coaching staff – the defense played great all night,” he said. Of the Bombers’ first 10 possessions through three quarters, seven ended with punts, two with interceptions, and one with a touchdown on the trick play. Mountain Home had about 120 yards in total offense, and 70 of that came on their one scoring play. Nice work by the veteran GHS defense.
Statistically, the rushing game set the tone for the offense with Davis and Raggio combining for 282 yards, unofficially, and over 300 yards total on the ground for the offense. Before leaving the game midway through the second period, Kane Archer was 14 of 18 passing for 155 yards and two scores while rushing three times for 30 yards. Cooper Goodwin completed five of 11 passing attempts for 78 yards and also had a pair of touchdowns.
The GHS receivers were led by the reliable L.J. Robins with six catches for 114 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed four times for 31 yards. Isaiah Arrington had five catches for 56 yards and a touchdown and Grant Karnes had four receptions for 44 yards. Senior Evan Reid also had a catch and Brayedan Davis had a couple as well out of the backfield, all for short yardage.
The Siloam Springs Panthers come to Smith-Robinson Stadium next Friday night as the Bulldogs play their second home game of the season. They go back on the road to Van Buren the following week before closing out the month at home against Greenbrier on the 29th just ahead of their open date the first Friday in October.