While the last three weeks of the regular season haven’t gone exactly as hoped, the Greenwood Bulldogs are still in good position to retain their hold on the 6A state title after last Friday’s 42-14 win at Lake Hamilton. With the victory, the two-time defending state champs earned a first-round bye and a second-round home game in the playoffs.
Greenwood will enjoy an open date this week, a privilege also afforded to Benton, Searcy, and West Memphis, all of which finished first or second in their conference standings. The Bulldogs will then host Marion (E3) or Siloam Springs (W6) on November 22nd in the quarterfinals.
Benton’s 45-38 win over Greenwood in week eight cost the Bulldogs the #1 seed and the right to host a second playoff game on Thanksgiving weekend. The Panthers are the top seed on the other side of the bracket from the ‘Dogs and both teams could reach the finals for a rematch of last year’s title game, won by Greenwood. The Bulldogs are hoping to return to the championship game for the fifth consecutive year.
Going into last Friday’s contest at Lake Hamilton, Greenwood had the possibility of finishing anywhere between first and third place in the league standings. A Benton loss to Sheridan, though unlikely, could have opened the door for a three-way tie for first place. A loss to the Wolves would have left Greenwood in third place.
“What happened last week [at Benton] sort of set the course,” said GHS Head Coach Rick Jones before his team hosted Sheridan in week nine. “We don’t have a whole lot of control. But it doesn’t really matter if we don’t take care of tonight and next week. We’ve just got to make sure we are prepared to play great football. We need to take care of our business.”
As for playing on the road in the semi-finals, Jones said, “It’s going to be a harder road. Its nice when you get a bye and play two home games then go to Little Rock. That’s the way to go if you’ve got a choice.”
Still, a 9-1 regular season is commendable and positions the Bulldogs to achieve their ultimate goal of preserving their status as reigning state champions for a third straight season. The road to the 6A state title runs through Greenwood.
The Bulldogs were firing on all cylinders last Friday at Lake Hamilton. The offense was both electric and efficient, scoring on its first six possessions of the game, while the defense stifled Lake Hamilton’s complicated running game. The Wolves were also hampered by the loss of their starting quarterback two weeks earlier, making them mostly one-dimensional.
While the GHS defense forced the Wolves to punt on their first three possessions, quarterback Jace Presley and the rest of the Greenwood offense rolled up 144 yards and three touchdowns less than 16 minutes into the game. Junior Jayden Jasna also helped out with a nice punt return of 41 yards to set up the second score.
The Bulldogs’ first scoring drive began at their own 28. Presley passed to Peyton Carter for eight yards on first down, then to Treyton Dawson at the Wolves’ 47, moving the sticks. Three snaps later Presley found Carter again for 13 yards to the Lake Hamilton 32.
Three plays after that Dawson hauled in another catch at the 13, setting up the touchdown on the next snap, a pass from Presley to Carter in the left side of the end zone. Jackson Stewart added the extra point for a 7-0 GHS lead (6:34).
Just over four minutes later the visitors scored again after a short 11-yard possession set up by Jasna’s long punt return. After a penalty moved them back to the 16, Presley threw to Dawson for 14 yards to the two, setting up what should have been an easy score. But that’s when things got complicated.
Running back Hunter Wilkinson lined up behind center and twice took a direct snap but couldn’t get in the end zone. There was also an incomplete pass and two Lake Hamilton penalties that literally moved the ball only a few inches. The score finally came on a 1-yard toss to Dawson. The PAT by Stewart was good for a 14-0 lead (2:17).
As the game moved into the second quarter, the Wolves punted for the third time, giving Greenwood the ball at its own 39. After a penalty to the 34, Presley was forced to scramble on second down, reaching the 45. The sticks moved after a short pass to Caden Brown at the 49, giving Greenwood a fresh set of downs.
Two short tosses to Dawson moved the ‘Dogs into Lake Hamilton territory at the 36, followed by pass to Brown at the 32, which drew a flag for unsportsmanlike conduct on the home sideline, moving the ball to the 17. A pass interference penalty then made things worse for the Wolves, putting the ball at the nine.
Wilkinson rumbled for eight yards to the one, then took a direct snap and scored on the next play. Stewart’s kick was true for a 21-0 GHS lead with 8:05 remaining in the first half. But two more scores followed before halftime.
The Wolves’ offense finally woke up on their fourth possession, marching 67 yards in 12 plays, all on the ground, converting a fourth down try along the way. The touchdown came from five yards out and the extra point was good.
Leading 21-7 with 1:28 left before the break, the ‘Dogs wasted little time responding to Lake Hamilton’s score. Needing just half-a-dozen plays, the GHS offense traversed the 60 yards to the end zone on the strong accurate arm of Jace Presley and his bevy of competent receivers.
Presley passed to Lazaro Angel, Peyton Carter, Treyton Dawson, and Caden Brown, while also pitching the ball to Wilkinson for a five-yard gain. Dawson’s catch was the biggest of the drive, a 31-yard reception at the Wolves’ 2-yard-line. Brown then caught the short touchdown pass (:16) and Stewart made it 28-7 at the intermission.
Greenwood received the opening kick of the third quarter and proceeded immediately to build on its lead, ultimately invoking the mercy rule late in the period. Starting from their own 37, the Bulldogs needed 14 plays, mostly through the air, to go up 35-7 at the 8:06 mark.
The two biggest plays included a 13-yard completion to Brown across mid-field for a first down and the 29-yard scoring strike to Lazaro Angel on third down after a 15-yard penalty threatened to stall the drive. Stewart added the PAT.
The Wolves tried to respond on their first possession of the half, marching from their own 34 to the Greenwood 26. But a quarterback sack on fourth down by defensive lineman Jordan Hanna killed the drive, plus drew a flag on the Wolves for a late hit, giving Greenwood the ball near mid-field at their own 47.
From there the Bulldogs scored in short order – six plays – all on the ground. The drive was jumpstarted by a long run from Wilkinson to the Lake Hamilton 23. The junior carried on every successive play, finally scoring from one yard out. The extra point was true with 1:14 left in the third quarter, pushing the GHS lead to 35 points.
Leading 42-7 with just over 13 minutes to play, the Bulldogs took advantage of the score by bringing in their reserves to finish out the game. A long run of 51 yards against the GHS second unit defense allowed the Wolves to set up their last score late in the fourth quarter, a 24-yard sprint to the end zone. The kick was good, making the final 42-14.
Unofficially, Jace Presley completed 25 of 32 passes for 223 yards and four touchdowns. The senior is rapidly approaching 3,000 in passing on the season and could surpass that mark in his next game.
Treyton Dawson was the team’s leading receiver with nine catches for 95 yards. Caden Brown had six receptions for 36 yards, while Lazaro Angel had four catches for 49 yards and Peyton Carter caught five balls for 52 yards.
Running back Hunter Wilkinson added 76 yards on 16 carries and two touchdowns. Presley also ran for 35 yards on three carries. Aaron Ligon and Caden Franks also saw limited time in the backfield late in the game, as did L.D. Richman at quarterback in relief of Presley.
After meeting with his team on the field following the win, Coach Jones talked about the game and his team’s superlative performance, especially on offense.
“We had a good half offensively,” Jones said of the first two quarters. “We played really well. When you [score] six out of six for your offensive possessions, that’s what you need to do against a team [like Lake Hamilton].
“We had a great night offensively and defensively. The kicking game was solid. That was a well-played game for us. We had fire and intensity. We played smart. I was proud of the way our kids played in all three phases [of the game].
“The defense did a good job against the Wing-T. That [offense] is tough. It’s unfortunate [the Wolves] lost their quarterback, because that gave them a lot more balance offensively. But I was proud of the way [we] played,” said Jones.
Asked about the bye week and open date, Jones said he would give his players the weekend off before returning to practice on Monday. The coaches will be scouting potential opponents and watching video in preparation for their quarterfinal contest against either Marion or Siloam Springs.
“Fortunately, we’ve had some experience with the [bye week],” said Jones. “We’ll get four days of practice this week and we’ll get better, because that’s what we need to do.”
Marion did Greenwood a huge favor by knocking off Jonesboro last Thursday, reordering the playoff bracket. Potentially, the Bulldogs will now only have to travel to Searcy on the Friday after Thanksgiving rather than Jonesboro. But that’s putting the cart before the horse, so to speak. First the bye week, then hopefully a quarterfinal victory.
Marion is 6-4 overall and the #2 seed from the East with credible wins over Jonesboro and Pine Bluff and a close loss (28-21) to Searcy. Siloam Springs is 4-6 overall and the sixth seed from the West, 43-13 losers to Greenwood earlier this fall. The odds clearly favor the Marion Patriots at home.