The Greenwood Junior High Bulldogs ended their 2025 gridiron campaign last Thursday at home against visiting Clarksville, rolling over the Jr. Panthers in a rout, winning 54-7 at Smith-Robinson Stadium. The GHS freshmen concluded their season with a stellar 8-1 record, losing only to Shiloh Christian, a heartbreaking setback that cost them the conference crown.
Still, in four seasons as junior high head coach, Luke Hales has a record of 34-5, continuing Greenwood’s history of winning football on the ninth-grade level. That tradition of excellence has made it harder to schedule non-conference games as demonstrated by this season’s nine-game slate as opposed to the normal 10 games. Even worse, Greenwood’s only non-conference foe was Shiloh Christian in the season opener, a game won by the freshmen Dogs. The two teams met later in league play, a game won by the Saints, earning them the conference championship.
But last Thursday’s season finale put a forceful period on the 2025 season and featured a variety of big plays and a somewhat odd second half during which the Jr. Dogs ran only five offensive plays yet scored 27 points. On the day before Halloween, the freshmen Bulldogs got a “spooktacular” scoop-and-score on a Clarksville fumble, two “frightening” kickoff returns for a touchdown, and a “ghastly” pick-six in a 47-point mercy rule win.
Clarksville received the opening kickoff but could do nothing against a tough Greenwood defense that pushed them back from the 35 to the 25 and forced a quick three-and-out punt. The kick was fielded by Joey Young at midfield and returned to the Panthers’ 38, giving the home offense excellent field position for its first possession, which didn’t last long. Quarterback Bentley Renick threw to Aysen Dawson for 20 yards on first down reaching the 29. Renick then connected with his namesake, Bentley Neece, near the Clarksville sideline before the receiver bolted straight ahead for the touchdown. Grayson Cobbler’s extra point kick was good, and the home team led 7-0 (4:46).
But the fun was just getting started for the freshmen Dogs. Moments later, on second down from their own 23, the Panthers coughed up the football and Greenwood’s Brooks Aishman scooped it up in stride and sprinted untouched for the score. The extra point kick was blocked, however, leaving the score at 13-0 (3:40).
A good kick return and a Greenwood penalty helped the Jr. Panthers cross into home territory on their third possession, but once again the staunch Bulldogs’ defense did its job, turning the ball over on downs at the 36. Back on the field, the home offense benefited from a Clarksville penalty, taking their first snap at the 45, a pass to Sebastian Snipes to the visitors’ 46. Wyatt Elliott then carried to the 43 as the first quarter ended.
After the teams switched sides of the 50, Aysen Dawson ran for two more yards before Elliott carried again for a big gain to the 19. The two Bentleys – Renick and Neece – then hooked up as before for a sideline completion and touchdown run early in the second stanza (7:12). Cobbler’s extra point try was good, making the score 20-0.
The Jr. Panthers came close to scoring on their next series, driving inside the home 20-yard-line before settling for a 36-yard field goal try. But the kick was blocked by Greenwood’s Brandon Jarrels, keeping the shutout intact, at least for the moment. With time winding down in the first half, the Bulldogs had one more scoring drive left in them.
From their own 19 they needed just two plays to reach pay dirt. Renick threw a deep pass to Neece who made the catch and went down at the Clarksville 30. The Greenwood quarterback then tossed a short swing pass to Aysen Dawson down the left side before the shifty receiver cut back to the middle, eluding defenders for the score (:45). Grayson Cobbler’s kick made the score 27-0 at the half.
The second half started with a bang, at least for GHS fans. The Panthers tried an onside kick, but the ball bounced high and into the waiting hands of Bentley Neece at the 50. The Greenwood playmaker then sprinted down the left sideline all the way to the end zone. The point after increased the home lead to 34-0, one point shy of the 35 needed for the mercy rule. But things were about to get even stranger in what turned out to be a very weird second half.
Grayson Cobbler’s kickoff came with 7:57 showing on the clock, and the visitors kept the football for the remainder of the third quarter, driving 82 yards for their lone score, which happened at the 6:57 mark of the fourth quarter. Their possession consumed almost nine minutes with the touchdown coming on a six-yard run. The extra point made it 34-7.
But the home offense was about to return to the field, or was it? Instead, Clarksville’s kickoff was fielded by Greenwood’s Wyatt Elliott at the 10-yard-line who returned it 90 yards for a touchdown. However, the extra point kick failed, leaving the score at 40-7 (6:42). But a little over two minutes later the Dogs were celebrating another touchdown after a Clarksville turnover. Defensive back Ty Kennedy intercepted a Panthers’ pass at the visitors’ 26, returning it to the 4-yard-line. Bentley Renick then carried in for the score and Grayson Cobbler’s kick was good.
With Greenwood leading 47-7, the mercy rule was in play for the final 4:03 of the contest, but the home team had one more big play left in them, and it came on defense literally seconds later. After Greenwood’s kickoff, the Jr. Panthers had the football at their own 14-yard-line and attempted a pass on first down. But defensive back Chase Bercher intercepted the ball at the 36 before being tackled at the 35. Bercher is an eighth grader who moved up after his older brother Ty, a starting cornerback, was injured earlier in the season.
The Greenwood offense then returned to the field for only the second time in the half, needing four plays to score one last time. Running back Kim Rodgers carried twice to the 19 before Bentley Renick completed a short pass to the 14. He then lofted a slightly longer offering to the left side of the end zone to a wide-open Aiden Wilcox for six points. Cobbler’s last kick was good as time expired, making the final score, 54-7.
The postgame scene featured the usual meeting between the two teams at midfield showing good sportsmanship. But some of Greenwood’s defensive players went a step further, raiding the manager’s table to retrieve water bottles to douse defensive coordinator Brandon Godfrey in a playful gesture meant to convey their love and respect for the second-year Greenwood coach. From the outset, the defense has been the strength of the junior high squad this season.
Following Thursday’s win, Coach Hales was generous with his praise and affection when addressing his players on the field before talking with the Dog Pound about the victory and the 2025 season. Asked about his team’s accomplishments for the season, despite not winning the conference championship, Hales said, “We had a great year. We competed and got better week to week. If you look at our Fayetteville scrimmage and our [season opener] against Shiloh [Christian] and our last two or three games, we were a completely different team, which is a credit to our great young men and our coaching staff.
“It was a great night to celebrate with all of our players,” he continued. “We got everybody on the field, and [many] had moments when they had special plays. Bentley Neece stepped up tonight and made several big-time plays. He’s someone we should have been getting the ball to throughout the whole season. It’s funny how you find guys later in the year that could have been helping you out earlier. Our quarterback [Bentley Renick] has been huge and played really well, and [Wyatt] Elliott had some big runs. Aysen Dawson caught a couple balls and got some movement for us. Special teams was huge too.”
The coach then spoke of his defense, the backbone of this year’s team. “Just as we said at the beginning of the [season], our defense was our [strength]. Coach Godfrey, Coach [Easton] Barrett, and Coach Erwin have done a fantastic job getting our guys better and better, and Clarksville came out in an offense they haven’t run all [season] long. It was not what we had lined up [against] all week, so our kids did a good job figuring it out on the fly.
“I also want to talk about Grayson Cobbler, our kicker” the coach continued. “He’s been our ninth-grade kicker for two years now and he’s been sending [the opposition] deep and did a great job for us. We’re going to miss him in junior high, but I know the high school [coaches are] excited about getting him for the next [few] years.”
Asked about his own won-loss record as Greenwood’s youngest head coach, Hales said, “In junior high we want to win every game, but it’s not really about the numbers. It’s about building a team and getting [players] ready for the high school level. So, we’re proud of our kids’ execution and our coaching staff has gotten better since I first started. Coach Godfrey has taken us to another level, and the kids got him with the water after [the game]. He’s done an awesome job.”
As for next season, Coach Hales is already looking ahead to a new crop of freshmen coming off an unbeaten season as eighth graders. He expects Bentley Renick to return at quarterback bigger, stronger, and better than this season when he played a grade up for the second half of the schedule. “[Renick] will be fine. He’ll get another year of good reps, and his group is really talented. The eighth graders went undefeated and had a great season, so we expect to compete for a conference championship [again] next season.”