The top-ranked Greenwood Bulldogs continue to stack up wins this season despite a rash of injuries that continued last Friday night at Russellville. Arkansas’ #1 Class 6A team improved its record to 2-0 in the 6A West and 5-0 overall with a 50-13 victory over the Cyclones, reaching the halfway point in their regular season schedule. But the victory came with a cost as several more players left the field with apparent injuries and did not return to action.
The exact nature and severity of those injuries is unknown, but the “next man up” philosophy continues for a team that’s played much of its season without its two best offensive players being at 100%. Senior quarterback Kane Archer was clearly hobbled but still led his teammates to a 35-24 win over Shiloh Christian last week, returning last Friday to do the same at Russellville, though his injury was noticeably better.
But Greenwood has also missed the services of top receiver, senior Champ Davis, who has hardly played this season due to a series of minor injuries. He could also miss the upcoming game against Siloam Springs in hopes of getting him healthy for the stretch run of the regular season and the playoffs. Among those helped off the field at Russellville included junior defensive lineman Jacob Berry, senior receiver Cooper Bland, and senior defensive back D. J. Dobbins.
Head Coach Chris Young doesn’t like to talk about injuries to specific players, and that’s understandable, but there’s little doubt that losing numerous starters makes his job and his staff’s jobs more difficult. At the same time, it opens opportunities for other players, younger players, to show what they can do, gaining valuable varsity experience that will pay off in the long run. Of course, everyone wishes the best for those injured players and hopes they return to action quickly.
Before Friday’s contest, Young talked about the rugged 2025 schedule and how it will help his team down the road in conference play and in preparation for the playoffs. “I think we have really benefited, especially from playing Springdale Har-Ber and Bentonville-West,” he said of the two Class 7A schools. “We had some adversity in the fourth quarter of both of those games, and to be able to come back and have our kids tested a little bit and have to play a full game, I think it prepared us to play Shiloh [Christian] last week.
“You change a couple plays in three different games and we could be 1-3 right now, and we’d be having a different conversation,” he admitted before facing Russellville. “But I think it’s really going to pay off down the road. I think those experiences – having to dig a little bit deeper and having guys make plays to find a way to win – it helps.”
While Greenwood’s powerful offense often gets much of the press, it has struggled at times against a strong early schedule. But it was the GHS defense that set the tone Friday night at Russellville with a safety just seconds into the game. After a poor decision by Russellville’s kick returner left the Cyclones at their own 2-yard-line, a loose football in the end zone on first down was nearly recovered by the Bulldogs. While not coming up with the fumble, Greenwood’s Cody Johnson was credited with the safety and a 2-0 Greenwood lead.
Russellville then kicked off from its own 20, giving the visitors excellent field position after Braxton Canada returned the kick 36 yards to the Cyclones’ 38. But the Bulldogs turned the ball over several plays later with a lost fumble at the home 6-yard-line. Russellville managed to pick up a pair of first downs, reaching their 45-yard-line before punting the ball away to the GHS 10. But in the process, Greenwood defensive lineman Jacob Berry was injured and left the field.
Back on offense, Kane Archer and his teammates needed nine plays to add to their lead. First, Archer passed to Braxton Canada for 13 yards to the 23 before Mario Dunbar carried to the 28. Archer ran to the 38 for another first down, then passed to Canada again at the 47. After a short gain to the 49 and a big penalty on the Cyclones to their 36, Archer found receiver Ben Hossley for 12 yards to the 24 then again to the 15. Dunbar then ran twice, once for eight yards then for the 7-yard touchdown. Kicker Landon Franklin added the extra point for a 9-0 GHS lead (3:40).
A breakdown in Greenwood’s kick defense allowed a long run by Russellville’s return man, reaching the GHS 22, setting up the Cyclones’ first touchdown. A 20-yard quarterback keeper was stopped just short of the goal line, but Russellville scored on the next snap. The extra point was good, temporarily cutting the GHS advantage to 9-7 (1:37).
The Bulldogs took over at their own 34 after a short kick return and held the football into the early portion of the second quarter before scoring again at the 10:20 mark. Mario Dunbar carried from the 34 to the 38 before Kane Archer scrambled to the Russellville 47. He then passed to Dunbar to the 41. Dunbar got two more yards before his replacement, senior Wesley Raggio, ran four times to the Cyclones’ 21. Archer then passed to Braxton Canada to the 3-yard-line, Raggio ran for a yard, and Archer finished off the drive with a two-yard TD plunge, following Raggio into the end zone. The extra point was good.
Leading 16-7, the Bulldogs’ defense foiled a fake punt pass attempt by the Cyclones, giving the GHS offense the football at the home 31-yard-line. Archer then passed twice to Brayden Renick at the 16 and the 10-yard-line before Mario Dunbar carried for a yard to the nine. Kane Archer then sprinted to the front left side pylon for the touchdown. Franklin’s kick was good again, making the score 23-7 with 8:10 left in the first half.
Russellville’s next offensive series ended with a punt after a penalty and a near turnover derailed their possession. Greenwood’s Blaze McDaniel made a beautiful diving interception that was nullified by offsetting penalties. The Cyclones’ punt was downed at the Greenwood 40. But the GHS offense coughed up the football moments later with another lost fumble, costing them another scoring chance.
Russellville then scored its second and final touchdown of the game, getting help from a pass interference penalty on the Bulldogs, advancing the ball from the home 28 to the 47. Seven rushing plays later the Cyclones scored from eight yards out as the Greenwood defense missed several tackles with seven seconds left in the half. Their two-point conversion attempt failed, leaving the score at 23-13 at the break.
Leaving the field at halftime, Coach Young talked with sideline reporter Richie Cagle and expressed his displeasure with how his team performed over the first two quarters. “I’m disappointed,” he said. “We’re moving the ball offensively, but we’ve turned it over twice. Defensively, we can’t get lined up and when we do, we’re not making tackles. We’re not used to [Russellville’s] speed. In the kicking game we give up a long return, so we’re not playing well in all three phases of the game.”
The Bulldogs received the opening kick of the second half, with Braxton Canada bringing the ball back to the GHS 39, a 31-yard return. Kane Archer then rumbled for 38 yards on a QB keeper all the way to the Russellville 23. A penalty on the Cyclones then moved the ball to the 18 and Mario Dunbar carried twice to the 12-yard-line. Another Russellville flag put the ball at the 7-yard-line before Archer kept to the three. The Greenwood QB scored two snaps later, but a penalty on the Bulldogs nullified the play and moved the ball back to the 12. Archer then found Cooper Bland open near the five and in for the touchdown. Landon Franklin’s extra point kick increased the GHS lead to 29-13 (9:30).
After the ensuing kick return to the home 31, the Cyclones got a long run from scrimmage to the Greenwood 13. The ball carrier was finally run down and caught from behind by a streaking Blaze McDaniel, saving a touchdown. After reaching the GHS 4-yard-line, the Cyclones were flagged for 15 yards, pushing the ball back to the 19, forcing a 37-yard field goal attempt that sailed wide of the goal posts. Greenwood then took possession of the ball at the 20-yard-line.
What followed was a lightning quick scoring drive aided by a Russellville penalty and a bit of good fortune along the way. Kane Archer threw to Brayden Renick for 16 yards on first down before Wesley Raggio carried to the 49. The penalty flag advanced the ball into Russellville territory at the Cyclones’ 46 before luck smiled on the Bulldogs, setting up the touchdown. Archer’s deep pass down the left sideline was slightly underthrown, giving the Russellville defensive back an opportunity to get his hands on the ball, tipping it forward and into the arms of Brayden Renick just ahead of him. The GHS receiver nabbed the ball just inside the 20-yard-line before going down at the 11. Archer scored on the next snap and Franklin added the extra point for a 36-13 Greenwood lead (7:59).
Russellville reached Greenwood territory on its next possession, but ultimately punted the ball to the Bulldogs’ 17-yard-line. Dunbar carried to the 20 on first down and Archer threw to Braxton Canada, reaching the 30 and moving the chains. Archer then ran to the Russellville 37 for a 33-yard gain before passing to Brayden Renick at the 31. After a holding penalty nullified a pass completion and moved the ball back to the 36, Archer was forced to scramble, reaching the 29.
Wesley Raggio then ran twice to the 18 before Cooper Bland was injured and had to be helped off the field by the training staff. A series of offsetting penalties followed, the second one nullifying a Kane Archer touchdown run, moving the ball back to the Russellville 22. A pass interference call on the Cyclones then put the ball at the 11 before another flag on the home team moved the ball to the 6-yard-line. Archer then reached the 2-yard-line before the penalty bug struck again, eventually putting the ball at the home 16, again wiping out an Archer TD run. But he would score two snaps later, scrambling to the right side and diving over the goal line near the front side pylon. The extra point made the score, 43-13 (:11).
There was only one score in the fourth quarter as many of the GHS starters were rested and remained on the sideline. The two squads swapped possessions early in the quarter, with Russellville taking over on downs at midfield. The Cyclones then threatened to score, reaching the Greenwood 23 before the Cyclones’ quarterback found himself in trouble and fumbled the football, knocked loose by pursuing sophomore linebacker Drew Dickinson. The loose pigskin was scooped up by senior linebacker Jim Sayadeth and returned 29 yards to the Russellville 36.
Backup quarterback Cruz Coatney then passed to Brayden Renick at the 26 then threw to Braxton Canada at the 22 and again to the 15. Wesley Raggio carried to the 9-yard-line before Coatney ran a keeper around the right side for the score. The extra point followed, making the final score 50-13 and imposing the 35-point mercy rule with about 6:40 remaining to play.
Statistically, Kane Archer completed just over 80% of his passes (21 of 25) for 235 yards and one score, unofficially. But he did even more damage with his legs, rushing 13 times for 160 yards and four touchdowns. That rushing total was a single game career mark for the heralded GHS quarterback who has never lost a game in which he started. With senior Champ Davis on the injured list, junior replacement Brayden Renick had 10 catches for 122 yards to lead all receivers. Braxton Canada had eight grabs for 80 yards while Ben Hossley had three receptions for 36 yards. Wesley Raggio rushed 12 times for 63 yards while Mario Dunbar had 12 carries for 40 yards.
After the game, Head Coach Chris Young spoke to his players, then to the media about his team’s performance, and he saw plenty of room for improvement. “We’re really disappointed,” repeating his halftime remarks. “We have high expectations, and we didn’t meet those expectations tonight. From a coaching standpoint or from a players’ standpoint. We turned the ball over twice early on offense, and we don’t do that. Those were big mistakes. We struggled getting lined up and tackling, and Russellville’s got some good athletes, but we’ve got to get lined up and make tackles. Our kicking game was bad, and we take great pride in our kicking game, and we prepare like crazy for it. But we didn’t do our job tonight. We gave up two big returns and missed an extra point. All three phases [of our team] have plenty to work on next week. We have to get better and we know we have a long way to go to be a great football team, but we’re going to take [another] step next week.”
The Bulldogs will continue their remarkable trek toward a third consecutive state championship next Friday at home against Siloam Springs on homecoming night for Greenwood. The Dogs have now won 31 straight games overall and will be looking for their 73rd consecutive home victory this week against the Panthers. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. with homecoming festivities scheduled before the game.