The last six months have been challenging for all Americans in virtually every realm of life, dealing with the coronavirus outbreak. Everyone has been impacted to some degree, regardless of station in life, age, or gender. But life in general and athletics in particular are all about overcoming obstacles and challenges. Looking ahead to the 2020 gridiron season, the Greenwood Bulldogs will have their hands full right from the start.
The GHS schedule includes non-conference games at Fort Smith Southside and at home against Fort Smith Northside and Choctaw, Oklahoma, followed by an unusually daunting 6A West conference slate, according to Head Coach Chris Young, who shared some of his thoughts about the upcoming season in a recent interview.
Hooten’s Arkansas Football magazine picked the Bulldogs #1 in their conference, but also picked conference rival Benton to win the 6A state title. Why the seeming contradiction? Coach Young agreed, then offered an explanation. “That is confusing, but the coaches picked us [first] in the conference. The media guys vote for the state [rankings].
“[But] Benton is a great football team. They’ve been in the state finals the last two years. They have a great group [of players] coming back and are very well coached. But our conference is really good from top to bottom,” added Young.
The Panthers beat the Bulldogs last season to win the league championship, then lost in the state title game to Searcy, which also beat Greenwood in the state semi-finals. The Bulldogs will host Benton this season on October 23rd.
As for the non-conference schedule, that’s no picnic either. Both Southside and Northside are Class 7A schools, and while Greenwood currently owns an eight-game winning streak over the Mavericks, Southside can never be taken lightly. The Mavs have a new coach and 12 returning starters, and are picked fifth in their conference, which would put them in the state playoffs. The Northside Grizzlies defeated the Bulldogs two years ago and reached the 7A semi-finals. They missed the playoffs last season, but also return a dozen experienced starters with plenty of speed. Then there is Choctaw.
“I’m not real happy with Coach Jones for scheduling those guys,” said Young with a smile. “It’s a really good football team that does some unique stuff, a little like Pulaski Academy. I think Coach Gill (GHS Defensive Coordinator) was even more unhappy with Coach Jones. But we like the challenge, and [Choctaw] will certainly give us [one]. They are an up-and-coming 6A football program in Oklahoma, so we will have our hands full.”
The Bulldogs open conference play September 25th at home against Little Rock Parkview, a new member of the 6A West this season. But according to Young, the Patriots may have some of the best individual talent in the state, according to the college recruiters. “We open with Parkview that has four SEC-offered kids. They’ve got a great quarterback, a great tight end, and two great running backs,” said the coach. Parkview has 16 starters returning and is picked fourth in the conference by Hooten’s.
The following two weeks the Bulldogs travel to Mountain Home and Siloam Springs. The Bombers are also new to the league this year and don’t have much football tradition, but do represent the longest road trip of the season, about 195 miles, which is always a challenge for any team. Mountain Home returns 13 starters and has a new head coach, Steve Ary.
Siloam Springs is much closer, but has been improving under third-year head coach Brandon Craig. The Panthers played the Bulldogs tough in the playoffs last season and are picked to reach the post-season again this year. “Siloam Springs has improved the last few years. Coach Craig is turning that program around,” said Young.
Up next the Bulldogs host Russellville, whose head coach is former GHS assistant Jeff Weaver. The Cyclones will be very young this season, with only six returning starters, but always have good athletes with plenty of speed. With Benton coming to town a week later, there is always the chance the Bulldogs might overlook the Cyclones. “Russellville has some good skill guys and Coach Weaver does a good job,” said his friend and former GHS colleague.
Then comes the real test for Coach Young, his staff, and their players. Three consecutive weeks against some of the top 6A teams in the state, starting with their final regular season home game against Benton. Then on October 30th they will take the short drive across the Arkansas River to face the Van Buren Pointers, also new to the 6A West. Only a year removed from being a 7A school, Van Buren is the second largest 6A school in the state while Greenwood is the second smallest, based on student enrollment.
“Van Buren has a great quarterback and some good skill guys returning,” explained Coach Young. “They won some big games last year.” Once a football power in the 1990s, Van Buren appears to be on the comeback trail under second-year head coach Crosby Tuck. The Pointers finished last season with an 6-5 record, losing in the opening round of the 7A playoffs, and return nine starters.
“Lake Hamilton may be as talented as anybody,” said Young of Greenwood’s final league opponent and last regular season game on the first Friday in November. “They started 8-0 last year and then their quarterback broke his leg. But he’s back now and their running back and linemen are back.” The Wolves return a dozen starters and are picked third in the conference behind Greenwood and Benton.
“Our conference will be as competitive as it has been in a while,” said Young. “I’m sure El Dorado, Jonesboro, and Searcy are good football teams [too], but I’m not familiar with what they have right now. Our conference is so talented this year that we’ve put all our focus on those guys.”
Don’t be surprised if the state semi-finals are not heavily populated by teams from the 6A West. Benton, Greenwood, and Lake Hamilton occupy the top three spots among Hooten’s 6A pre-season rankings, with Parkview and Van Buren ranked sixth and seventh, respectively.
“The biggest thing right now is trying to keep our kids safe,” said Coach Young. “[As coaches], we all have the same end goal. We all want to finish the season, so we share ideas on a regular basis. I talk to Coach Dick at Fayetteville. I talk to Coach Harris at Benton a lot, [Coach Weaver] at Russellville, and Coach Bush at Alma. Our coaching circle in Arkansas is very tight and I’ve enjoyed that part of it.”
Asked if he had a message for the fans and family members of players, the new GHS head coach said, “We’re just excited about the opportunity to play in front of them. We’re not sure what a Friday night is going to look like. But we’re so fortunate in Greenwood. Between our fans, our parents, our band and cheerleaders and dance team, they give us an advantage on Friday night. The culture of Greenwood football and the atmosphere on Friday night helps us win. We know it’s going to be different, but we just want them to come out as much as they can to support our kids.
“The hard thing [about this season] is we just don’t know what it’s going to look like a week from now, a month from now, or a year from now,” said Young. “If we knew in two weeks it was going to be over, we could plan accordingly. It’s hard to plan when you don’t know what you’re planning for, but we don’t know what they’re going to tell us tomorrow.”
Finally, Young talked about his ongoing relationship with his friend and mentor, Coach Rick Jones. “We talk on a regular basis, and I’ll talk to him the rest of my life. He’s a guy that’s had a tremendous impact on me, and I value his opinion. Whether it’s a question about football, or about being a dad or a question about life, he’s one of those guys I reach out to.
“I give him a hard time,” said Young of Coach Jones’ recent foray into the world of social media, answering questions from fans and parents via Facebook video. “I tell him he’s not doing enough coaching, but spending too much time on social media. But that’s something Coach Jones wanted to do. He enjoys doing social media stuff. He enjoys speaking. He’s very knowledgeable and he’s good at it, so I’m happy for him.”
One thing is for certain, despite his new job with the Missouri Tigers of the SEC, Coach Jones will be following the progress of Young and his Bulldogs this season, though from a distance. Both coaches, new and old, have a vested interest in the continued success of the GHS football program, despite the pandemic and the challenges of a tough schedule. Go ‘Dogs!