The streak lives on! On the day America observed the 25th anniversary of the 9-11 terror attacks, the Greenwood Bulldogs continued their long stretch of wins at Smith-Robinson Stadium last Friday night with a much-needed 28-14 victory over the visiting Rogers Mounties. After dropping their first two games, both on the road, by a total of six points, the Bulldogs got back into the win column, relying on their ground game more than usual and reducing their mistakes. Greenwood opened their 2026 campaign against three Class 7A schools.
Friday’s win was their 78th straight triumph at home dating back more than a decade. Now 1-2 on the season, Greenwood will be off next Friday before starting 5A West conference play at Morrilton on September 25th. The Bulldogs are heavily favored to win the league championship in their first season back in Class 5A football after 14 seasons playing in Class 6A.
Both teams emphasize running game
The two squads, both 0-2 coming into the contest, opened with a conservative game plan, keeping the ball mostly on the ground in the first half, resulting in a shorter game and the relatively low final score. Neither team scored on their first possession. The Mounties went three-and-out with a punt while the Bulldogs drove 40 yards to the Rogers’ 28 before the drive ended with a failed fourth down pass into the end zone.
But the second time around the Mounties were able to draw first blood, scoring at the end of an 11-play 62-yard drive, nine of those running plays, including the 8-yard touchdown scamper by Jagger Blockburger. The junior quarterback with the funny name was also Rogers’ top running threat. The extra point put the visitors on top, 7-0, with 2:28 left in the opening quarter.
As the game moved into the second quarter, the Bulldogs answered with a long drive of their own to knot the score. Starting at their own 28 after the kickoff, GHS offensive coordinator Stephen Hogan called 11 consecutive rushing plays for Mario Dunbar and Rhett Holloway before quarterback Cruz Coatney scored from two yards out. The longest run of the drive was 19 yards by Holloway. The extra point kick was good by Landon Franklin, tying the score at 7-7 at the 10:50 mark of the second period.
The GHS defense held firm on Rogers’ next possession, stopping the Mounties on fourth down at the home 14-yard-line. Back on offense, the Bulldogs advanced to midfield but had to punt. When it came time for Rogers to return the favor moments later, Greenwood’s Drew Dickinson partially blocked the kick, giving the Bulldogs the football at the Rogers’ 41-yard-line, setting up Greenwood’s next score.
After a penalty moved the ball back to the 46, Coatney completed a short pass to Mario Dunbar to the 44. But after another incompletion, the GHS quarterback connected with receiver Brayden Renick down the home sideline to the 6-yard-line. Coatney then called his own number on the next snap and found ample running room around left end for the touchdown. Franklin’s kick put the Dogs on top, 14-7, with 2:06 left in the half. Neither team threatened to score over the final two minutes.
Bulldogs go up by two touchdowns
The home team received the opening kick of the second half, but Greenwood’s hopes of building on its halftime lead would have to wait when a Rogers’ defensive back made a good play to knock away a third down pass by Coatney. Braxton Canada’s punt was fair caught at the Rogers 29-yard-line.
The Mounties picked up three first downs, crossing midfield into GHS territory, reaching the 43 before the defense stiffened and forced an incomplete pass on fourth down. Taking over at their own 43, the home offense needed seven snaps to take a two-touchdown lead, overcoming a holding penalty along the way. Key plays included 16-yard pass completion from Coatney to Renick and an 18-yard toss to Braxton Canada, who also had an 8-yard reception. In at running back, Brayden Renick scored the touchdown on a 20-yard scamper. The extra point was good by Franklin with 3:18 left in the third quarter.
Leading 21-7, the Bulldogs forced another quick Mounties’ punt that rolled to the GHS 6-yard-line. But after moving the ball to the 19, Coatney’s pass attempt was tipped and intercepted at the line-of-scrimmage and returned for a touchdown by Rogers’ linebacker A.J. Francisco. The extra point trimmed the GHS lead back to a single touchdown at 21-14 with 11:21 left in the contest.
But the Mounties would get no closer as Greenwood responded with its fourth and final scoring drive. Starting from their own 20 after the kickoff, Mario Dunbar ran to the 23 before Rhett Holloway broke a long run to the Rogers’ 39. He then carried twice more to the 34 before Coatney completed a pass to Renick to the 28. Dunbar ran to the 22 before Holloway got the call four straight times, the last one for 11 yards and six points. With 7:03 remaining, Landon Franklin’s kick was good, making the score 28-14.
The Mounties got the football once more on offense and crossed into Greenwood territory with the aid of a personal foul penalty on the Bulldogs. They reached the 28-yard-line before a pair of incomplete passes and a quarterback sack by Greenwood defensive end Terry McGinister brought up fourth down. A valiant QB scramble by Blockburger then fell just short of a first down, giving Greenwood the football at their own 29 with 4:33 left to play.
With the help of a facemask penalty on Rogers, the Bulldogs crossed midfield and into the red zone at the visitors’ 19-yard-line before taking a knee twice to exhaust the remaining time. After two frustrating weeks on the road and two razor thin losses, the Bulldogs turned things around before their open week and the start of conference play in two weeks, winning 28-14. It was also Coach Jason Gill’s first win as the Bulldogs’ head coach. There will be many more to come.
Statistically, the Bulldogs had about 400 yards of combined offense, with most of that coming on the ground. Cruz Coatney did complete 11 of 17 pass attempts for 135 yards but no passing touchdowns. His top targets on the night were Brayden Renick with three grabs for 38 yards and Braxton Canada with two catches for 28 yards. Brayden Brewer, Lawson Leath, Rhett Holloway, and Mario Dunbar also caught passes in the game for Greenwood.
But the real damage was done on the ground behind a solid performance by Greenwood’s offensive line. Rhett Holloway had a career night with 170 yards rushing on 25 carries for almost seven yards per touch. He also scored a touchdown. Mario Dunbar added 56 yards on 17 carries and Brayden Renick got 18 yards on two carries and a touchdown. Besides his passing stats, Cruz Coatney rushed for 20 yards on seven attempts with two touchdowns. All stats are unofficial.
After the game, Coach Gill held his first post-game session with the media on his home turf since taking over as head coach from his predecessor, Chris Young. The new top Dog was much more upbeat and pleased than he was after two season-opening losses on the road. He praised the atmosphere in the stadium and the support of local fans.
“Smith Robinson Stadium is a great place,” said Gill. “We had a great crowd. Our kids had their backs against the wall, and we challenged them all week. We knew that [winning streak] was lingering out there, that 78th win, and we didn't want to be the team that let it go. This game could have been just like the last two weeks, but our kids made plays. They figured out a way to win, and that's what we’ve got to keep doing – getting better – and these three games are going to make us a good football team. We found out who we are and we're ready to go.”
Still the team’s defensive coordinator as well as head coach, Gill gave props to his defense also. “We bent a little bit, but we didn’t break,” he said. “I challenged them all week and they stepped up. I told them [Rogers] was going to try and run over us. But I couldn’t be more proud of them. [Rogers] was bigger than we are, and we took the body shots all night.”
Asked about the emphasis on the run game, Coach Gill said, “Coach Hogan [and staff] had a great game plan. There were just a couple of miscues, and they are going to clean those up.” As for Rhett Holloway’s performance, the coach agreed that he ran hard. “He did. The littlest guy on the field. Pound for pound though, we’ll take him.” Regarding QB Cruz Coatney, Coach Gill remains bullish. “He was solid. Two touchdowns in the first half. He’s our leader over there [on offense]. He’s our general and he’s moving us down the field.”
Asked what he hoped to accomplish over the next two weeks with the open date next Friday before conference play begins at Morrilton on the 25th, Gill said, “We’re going to try and get healthy. We’ve got a couple guys banged up [right now],” perhaps referring to receivers Cooper Webb and Ty Holt. Webb was seen limping more than once during Friday’s game and Holt has yet to play this season. Both seniors figured heavily in Greenwood’s pre-season offensive plans.