After a disappointing season-opening loss to the Bryant Junior Hornets, the Greenwood freshmen Bulldogs returned to their winning ways this past Thursday at Smith-Robinson Stadium, rolling over traditional rival Alma, 50-14. Every facet of Greenwood’s play was improved when compared to their performance against Bryant, according to first-year Head Coach Cory Chambers. The win over Alma was also the conference opener for the Jr. Bulldogs. League play continues next Thursday at Pea Ridge in Northwest Arkansas, a contest that will test the freshmen Dogs even further.
Greenwood trails early, but not for long
The Bulldogs kicked off to start the game, giving the Airedales the football at their own 22. But on the first snap, Alma got a 78-yard touchdown run around the left side, taking advantage of a defensive mistake by Greenwood. The Airedales tried a two-point conversion, but the home defense stuffed the runner short of the goal line, keeping the score at 6-0.
After falling behind so quickly and unexpectedly, the Greenwood offense responded almost as quickly, scoring the first of their seven touchdowns in less than a minute. The Junior Bulldogs scored 13 points in the opening quarter and added two more scores before halftime to lead 27-6 at the break. Alma scored its last touchdown in the second half and added a two-point conversion, accounting for all the Airedales’ 14 points. The home team added three more touchdowns with two extra points and a long field goal by new kicker Josh Fitzgerald. When time expired, the Bulldogs had a dominant 36-point victory.
Defense rules; balanced offense
While the Greenwood defense quickly found its footing after an early mental lapse, the home offense began scoring at will against the nearly helpless Airedales. After recovering an onside kick attempt at the Alma 49, the freshmen Dogs needed just five plays to tie the score. Running back Parker Spencer rumbled for 21 yards on first down, reaching the 28. Two plays later, quarterback Bentley Renick kept the ball around the right side to the Alma 4-yard-line. It took two more carries by Spencer, but his second effort breeched the goal line from one yard out. The extra point kick failed.
With the game tied at 6-6, the Greenwood defense put up a stone wall with two plays for losses before forcing a punt to the home 42-yard-line. On second down, Renick threw to teammate Leo Anaya to the Alma 46. The Greenwood QB followed with another completion to Myles Meeker to the 32. Renick then kept the ball around the right side, slipping tackles before sprinting for the touchdown. Anaya added the extra point kick to make the score 13-6 at the 2:35 mark of the first quarter.
As the game moved into the second period, the Airedales took advantage of a long kick return to drive to the Greenwood 34 before the possession stalled after a penalty on Alma, two snaps for no gain, and a failed fourth down pass, giving the ball back to the Bulldogs. Two plays later Greenwood scored again.
Bentley Renick tossed a short pass to receiver Coltyn Mourton, who turned it into a long run after catch, reaching the Alma 7-yard-line. Renick then carried the ball up the middle for the touchdown, but the point after kick was no good, making the score 19-6 with 6:42 remaining in the first half, time enough for one more Greenwood score.
Josh Fitzgerald, listed on the team roster as both a running back and linebacker, teed up the Greenwood kickoff and put the ball in the end zone, a rare thing in junior high football. But despite starting at their own 20, the Airedales managed to cross midfield, mostly with the help of a pass interference penalty on the Jr. Dogs. But two tackles behind the line-of-scrimmage stopped the drive cold and forced a punt out-of-bounds at the Greenwood 27.
With time running out in the opening half, the Bulldogs completed a second down pass over the middle to Coltyn Mourton, turning the short reception into a long gainer to the Alma 21. Renick then ran to the 17 before passing to Chase Bercher at the 11. After a pair of misfires, Bercher was on the receiving end of Renick’s next offering, a wide receiver screen that reached the end zone for six points. Renick then passed to Hudson Ray for the two-point conversion, making the halftime score 27-6.
Second half, same result; long field goal
When play resumed in the third quarter, Greenwood received the opening kick, covering the short offering at the Bulldogs’ 45-yard-line. Starting with excellent field position, Renick and company didn’t take long to cash in the opportunity for another six points. A swing pass from Renick to running back Truett Embree reached the Alma 42 before Embree got the ball again, this time on a handoff, rumbling down to the Airedales’ 15. Renick passed to Hudson Ray at the 6-yard-line before Embree carried in for the score. The extra point was good by Anaya, putting Greenwood firmly in charge, 34-6, just over a minute into the second half.
The Airedales responded with their only real scoring drive of the game, covering 78 yards, including a 55-yard run that set up the touchdown. A two-point conversion followed, making the score 34-14 with 5:23 left in the third quarter. Another onside kick attempt followed, giving Greenwood the football at its own 41.
Bentley Renick immediately turned that good field position into an instant scoring threat with a long run to the Alma 21. Parker Spencer then brought home the bacon with a great run up the middle, breaking tackles before diving for the goal line and the touchdown. The point after failed, but the Greenwood lead expanded to 26 points at 40-14. But two more scores followed in the fourth quarter.
Greenwood’s final touchdown came on a long run by Renick, covering more than 60 yards, followed by Leo Anaya’s extra point kick, making the score 47-14. But the last points by the home team came on a 44-yard-field goal by Josh Fitzgerald, his first ever field goal attempt, according to Coach Chambers. The kick made the final score, 50-14.
Coach Chambers' comments
“It was his first career attempt at a field goal,” said Coach Chambers of Fitzgerald’s long kick. The coach acknowledged that Leo Anaya handled the extra points and may continue to do so, but Fitzgerald will be doing kickoffs and field goals in the future. “Leo did the extra points and then we ended up putting Josh in on kickoffs, and his first kick was a touchback. Then every kick from then on was inside the five on the kickoffs. So, he's found himself a job kicking.”
The head coach was effusive in praising the rest of the team as well, starting with the defense. “They (Alma) had one drive at the beginning of the second half they ended up scoring on, but other than that, it was a lot of negative plays. The defense played really well, other than one or maybe two plays.” Asked to pick a top performer on defense, Chambers was quick to mention the name of defensive back Coltyn Mourton, who plays both ways, including at receiver on offense.
“He was on the field probably 99% of the game, offense and defense, and he was all over the [place],” said his coach. “And funny enough, he was the one that jumped inside on that first play and sprung [the Alma runner] for the touchdown. But after that he was a tackling machine. He was everywhere on the field. He played well offensively too. I know he caught a couple of passes, and he's really great in the blocking game. We put him in as our H-back and he blocks his tail off. Our whole defensive front played really well.”
Turning to the offense, Chambers praised the play of quarterback Bentley Renick and everyone around him. “He played pretty dang good,” said the coach of his QB. “We had one interception that was a little bit of a bad decision. Other than that, he was breaking big run after big run. I think he ran for three touchdowns and threw for a touchdown. Other than the one interception, I'm not sure he had many incompletions, and he probably ran for 100-plus yards. He played really well.”
The first-year Greenwood coach also liked the play of his offensive linemen, running backs, and receivers. “Up front, our offensive and defensive linemen handled the line-of-scrimmage, and that gave us opportunities to have some big runs with whoever ran it.” Parker Spencer had a first half touchdown run and Truett Embree performed well in the second half, with a couple of long runs, also scoring a touchdown.
As for Greenwood’s receivers not named Coltyn Mourton, Coach Chambers said, “Chase Bercher had a 50-plus yard reception and scored a touchdown on a short pass to the left side. And then we – let me think. Hudson Ray caught a pass. Leo Anaya caught a pass. Myles Meeker caught a pass. We were spreading it around,” said the coach.
Chambers agreed that his team responded well after its week one loss to Bryant. “They responded very well. We had a great week of practice, and they went out and executed the game plan that we practiced as well as we could do it,” he said. The Junior Bulldogs will need to play just as well next Thursday on the road at Pea Ridge.
“They are big and physical,” said Chambers of the Junior Blackhawks. “Last season they played a lot of eighth graders up on the 9th grade team, so all those kids have had a full year of ninth grade football. I mean, they're pretty good. They're definitely going to be one of the better teams in our conference.” Greenwood next plays at home on September 17th against Van Buren.