The Greenwood Bulldogs have been on the practice field for over two weeks and are ready for some live competition. In keeping with recent tradition, they will host the Purple Dogs of Fayetteville High School this Thursday evening in a pre-season scrimmage at Smith-Robinson Stadium. The event kicks off at 6 p.m.
For those fans unable to attend in person, the event will be live streamed on the Greenwood Dog Pound website at greenwooddogpound.com. Just click on the “Watch Live” option at the top of the homepage. The site also contains numerous archived games including football, basketball, softball, and baseball from previous years.
There is no charge to view either live broadcasts or archived events. All regular season varsity football games will be live streamed, both at home and away, including all playoff games except for the state championship, should Greenwood advance to the 6A title game for the fifth straight season.
Media broadcast rights for the championship contest in December are controlled by the Arkansas Activities Association. In past seasons whenever the Bulldogs have reached the title game, one of the local Fort Smith television stations has carried the game live.
The ‘Dogs are currently ranked #1 in the pre-season polls and could be headed for their third consecutive state title. Hooten’s Arkansas Football magazine ranks Fayetteville #2 in its pre-season coaches’ poll among 7A West conference teams. The Purple Dogs are adjusting to a recent coaching change, but still have plenty of talent.
Former Head Coach Billy Dawson unexpectedly resigned in April and was replaced by Casey Dick, who starred at quarterback for the Arkansas Razorbacks over a decade ago. Dick had just completed one season as head coach for the Van Buren Pointers.
The Greenwood Dog Pound and Bulldog Foundation have also confirmed that this season’s varsity football games will be carried exclusively on the Dog Pound website through its live streaming service. In the past, games have been available live on local Fort Smith Radio, but that option was both costly and redundant.
In the future those funds will be better used to directly support the football program, make improvements to existing facilities, and finance new projects. For example, this summer the Bulldog Foundation paid for the installation of a new sound system at Smith-Robinson Stadium.
This fall GHS fans can listen to or watch Bulldogs’ games at home on their televisions or computers, or on their mobile devices if traveling. All that’s required is an internet connection or access to a wi-fi signal. For fans who attend the games live and listen to the play-by-play broadcast on headphones, that option will still be available via a local radio transmitter at the stadium.
Easing the transition from radio to live streaming, longtime Bulldogs’ play-by-play announcer Tim Terry and his broadcast colleagues (Kevin Jones & Richie Taylor) have been retained. They will continue to provide expert description and commentary on every single exciting play of the 2019 season. Terry and his crew will also be working this week’s scrimmage.
Thursday’s pre-season contest is a perfect opportunity for fans to test their access to the live stream option before the start of the regular season on September 6th. Go Bulldogs!