Head Coach Tyler Woods and his Greenwood Bulldogs’ soccer team are embarking on a new season this week after playing a benefit match at Maumelle, AR, last Tuesday, a contest that ended in a scoreless tie. The GHS girls and boys will host Cassatot River High School on Monday night at Smith-Robinson Stadium. The girls will play first at 5 p.m. with the boys to follow around 7 p.m. Both squads will then travel to Mena on Tuesday before hosting Huntsville on Friday night.
The 2025 Bulldogs (4-8-2) finished seventh in the 5A West, but were still in the hunt for a playoff spot with a couple weeks left, all while playing in the state’s toughest league by far, regardless of classification. Russellville, also a 5A West conference member, won yet another state championship last spring, its tenth title in the last 14 years. The Cyclones have dominated high school boys’ soccer on the 5A level for over a decade, with Van Buren and Siloam Springs, also 5A West teams, often nipping at their heels. The other league schools – Greenwood, Harrison, Mountain Home, Alma, and Farmington – are usually left battling each other for the last remaining playoff berth.
Last week this Dog Pound writer talked with Coach Woods about his team and their prospects for the upcoming season. The bottom line? The 2026 Bulldogs are a very young team, with only two seniors on the roster, but still have hopes of winning that fourth elusive playoff spot. The foundation of the team will be a strong junior class supported by some talented younger players, mostly sophomores but even a couple of promising freshmen.
The two GHS seniors include junior varsity player Sean Jackson, currently injured, and senior starter Davin Cheek, a defensemen and team captain. The team’s 11 juniors include Landon Franklin, John Eckart, Bailey Thibodeau, Fox Cotton, Charlie Hernandez, Reid Pittman, A.J. Saengsatheuane, Riley Griffin, Luke Eckart, Muhammah Abdullaha, and Lucas Ribeiro. Their seven sophomores are Grant Fiala, Dex Coston, Felipe Anaya, Bentley Harvey, Tucker Clardy, Cass Moquett, and Noah Benoit. But the team’s largest group are its 12 freshmen. They are Tanner Greer, Noah Boylston, Alec Hayward, Hayden Billy, Grady Garner, Brandon Jarrels, Reed Jones, Noah Keeter, Skye Johnson, Grayson Cobbler, Logan Wead, and Luke Balasko.
Coach Woods, ably assisted by Ryan Lensing and volunteer assistant and former GHS player Lane Gassman, is under no illusion about what it takes to do battle in the tough 5A West. But if the Bulldogs do compete for a postseason spot, they’re going to need solid leadership on and off the field. Normally that kind of leadership comes from its senior class, but Greenwood’s senior class is unusually small this year, just two players, and only one of them – Davin Cheek – is a varsity contributor. Woods described Cheek as the anchor of the defense and one of the most important players on the roster.
“Davin’s strength is his speed and his experience,” Woods said. “He knows how we teach defense, pressure-cover-balance, and the rule of thumb for defending. He’s heard me preach it a million times.” A four-year program member and now a two-year starter, Cheek brings more than just technical understanding. He’s also one of the program’s three captains. “He’s a quiet guy, but he does things right,” added the coach. “He’s extremely fast, a team player, and he makes us a whole lot better.”
The other senior, Sean Jackson, is sidelined with a collarbone injury suffered during basketball season. Even though he’s primarily a junior varsity player, Woods praised his attitude. “Everybody loves Sean. He’s always got a smile on his face. He’s always at every [event] for soccer and ready to be a team player.”
If the Bulldogs have a strength, it’s the depth and maturity of their junior class. Woods didn’t hesitate to call the juniors the foundation of the program. “In my experience, the junior class is typically your best class,” he said. “They’re hungry, they’re motivated, and they don’t have that ‘senioritis’ yet.”
Landon Franklin and John Eckart headline the group, both having logged significant varsity minutes last season. “John had a phenomenal game at Maumelle,” said Woods. Franklin, the starting kicker for the football team, was among the first players in Greenwood’s youth system and has grown into a reliable attacking threat. The head coach also wanted to recognize his youth coaches who help teach and prepare players for the varsity level – Giovanni Veloso, Austin Harvey, and Elijah Hayden.
Next up is Bailey Thibodeau, a dynamic wide player with speed and physicality. “He’s just an athlete – fast, physical, and coachable,” observed his coach. “It's just his second year to play. Sadly, I wish he would have played as a freshman. But he picked it up pretty quick. So, he's been a good piece, and he's going to continue to get better.” Also a football player, Thibodeau will be competing for a spot on the starting defense on the gridiron this coming fall as a senior.
Junior defender Reid Pittman is one of the team’s three captains, and his path back to the varsity squad has been unique. After starting half of his freshman year, he didn’t play at all as a sophomore but returns this spring ready to lead. “Reid is an awesome kid. He’s a hard worker and servant-minded,” said Woods. “He picked right back up where he left off.” The third captain, junior Riley Griffin, is another defensive mainstay. “Riley is more vocal than the other two,” offered Woods. “He’ll talk to kids, tell them what we should be doing. And he knows the defensive fundamentals as well as anybody.”
Junior A.J. Saengsatheuane was described as one of the most improved players from last year, able to plug in either as a defensive midfielder or on the back line. “He did an awesome job,” said the coach. “He’s physical, he knows how to play, and he’s still learning. Along with Riley, A.J. kind of won our most improved player award last year. He’ll be at a defensive mid spot or somewhere in the midfield.” Two other juniors, midfielder Charlie Hernandez and utility man Luke Eckart, are expected to play significant roles off the bench for the Bulldogs.
The sophomore group, while smaller, includes several players who Woods believes will contribute immediately. At the top of the list is Greenwood’s starting goalkeeper, Bentley Harvey, who earned varsity minutes last season when an injury thrust him into action. “Bentley is going to be a mainstay back there in the goal,” said Woods. “He’s grown physically and in confidence, and he’s going to help us big time.”
Two midfielders, Grant Fiala and Dex Coston, may be the most intriguing of the class. Woods singled out Coston in particular. “If I had to choose, Dex is the most improved player since last year,” he said. “Last year he looked lost as a JV player. This year he looks very determined, very purposeful. You can tell he's worked on his game a lot.
He and Grant are best buds. They're always coming up to the fields, shooting on their own, passing, working on touch. They watch it on Sunday and Saturday morning. They love soccer, so we need more players like that. Grant is a kid we’re really going to lean on. He’s going to play some midfielder and basically outside mid for us, probably on the left side more than the right.”
Sophomore defender Felipe Anaya, a left footer, will rotate at outside back and defensive mid, and Woods believes he has significant upside. “He didn't play as a freshman, but he's a soccer kid. I wish he'd played last year because he's pretty good. He likes to play defense. He's going to play some outside back and some holding mid for us. Unfortunately, fellow sophomore Tucker Clardy injured his knee in practice last week and may miss the entire season following surgery.
If the Bulldogs are going to surprise teams this year, it might be because of their unusually strong and physically mature freshman class. Twelve ninth graders made the roster, and several have already logged varsity minutes. “In our benefit game the other night, we played four freshmen, and one of them started,” Woods said. The marquee freshman already getting attention is attacking midfielder Noah Boylston, who wears the coveted #10 jersey, often worn by a team’s best player.
“Noah’s got a long, lanky frame and a great shot,” Woods said. “He loves soccer. He’s even got his own YouTube channel. He just eats it up. Even though he's just a freshman, he's a good leader [too]. He leads his freshman class well. He’s going to be a big edition.” Up top, freshmen forwards Skye Johnson and Grady Garner also earned varsity minutes at Maumelle.
“Skye got about ten minutes, and Grady got around four or five,” Woods said. “They are physically there. They just have to learn our system.” Freshman midfielder Alec Hayward and defender Hayden Billy were both products of Greenwood’s youth pipeline and will anchor the JV squad while pushing for varsity opportunities.
One of the most promising freshmen is Brandon Jarrels, whom Woods described as relentless. One of the freshmen Bulldogs’ top gridiron players, Jarrels brings that same mentality and physicality to soccer. “He will literally run through a brick wall,” Woods said. “And he’ll smile right after doing it. I love that about him.”
Other freshmen to watch include Reed Jones, a physical left-footer; Grayson Cobbler, a big-bodied kicker for junior high football; and Luke Balasko, whom Woods called a “quiet leader” and a “dark horse” in the class. “I wish I had eleven Luke Balaskos,” Woods said. “He’s a hard worker, never complains, and he’s a yes-sir-no-sir kid. He’s going to turn into a player.” Freshman goalkeeper Tanner Greer provides depth behind Bentley Harvey and will start for the JV squad.
When asked about team identity, Woods pointed to physicality as a potential strength. “We’re going to have to be physical to be competitive in our conference,” he said. “The better the soccer, the more physical guys are, and the more technical guys are.” But beyond raw size and strength, Woods emphasized something deeper – trusting the process.
“Our motto this year is TTP – trust the process,” he said. “We may take bumps and bruises, but almost our entire team comes back next year, so every day is a learning experience. Let’s just keep getting better and let the chips fall where they may,” added the coach, who praised the team culture, noting how much the boys enjoy being around each other. “They’re hard workers, and they love coming to practice. They have a chance this year.”
The Bulldogs host Cassatot River Monday night in their opener, a rematch of last season’s 3–2 nonconference loss – a game Woods said left “a bad taste” in the team’s mouth. Greenwood will then travel to Mena on Tuesday before hosting Huntsville on Friday. Then comes the league gauntlet – Van Buren and Harrison, both on the road in the same week. With Alma and Farmington the next week followed by Russellville and Siloam Springs as March turns into April.
Woods calls the 5A West “the death conference,” and with good reason. Russellville continues to dominate. Van Buren’s roster is packed with talent. Siloam Springs and Mountain Home remain strong. Alma and Farmington are improving rapidly. “If we could get to spring break at 3–1 in conference, I’d be tickled to death,” Woods said. That’s a high mark for such a young team to achieve, but hope springs eternal.
So, despite playing in a killer conference with a challenging schedule, the Bulldogs head into the 2026 season with aspirations of outperforming expectations and surprising some of their unwitting opponents. They are young, hungry, and untested, but not unprepared. With a veteran defensive captain, a deep junior class, a rapidly developing sophomore group, and a physically imposing wave of freshmen, Greenwood has the talent to compete for that coveted fourth playoff spot. The question now is whether they can grow up fast enough. According to their head coach, the answer comes down to three simple words:
Trust the process!