As it turns out, you really can’t win them all. That’s the painful lesson learned by the Greenwood Bulldogs last Friday night in the state semifinals. Head Coach Rick Jones and his team have appeared in the last four state title games and have won two consecutive state championships.
The ‘Dogs made the long trip to White County to take on the Searcy Lions, the #1 seed from the East and the only team in 6A to score more points than Greenwood this season. Both squads entered the contest with identical 10-1 records, and as expected, the game quickly turned into a scoring fest, ending with a 50-38 victory for the hometown Pride.
The Lions struck early and often to end Greenwood’s hopes of a title three-peat. Searcy scored four touchdowns in the first quarter, shocking the GHS defense and building a 28-7 lead with 1:53 left in the period.
But it took only three minutes for Greenwood to score twice – once by the defense – to climb right back into the game at 28-21. But missed scoring opportunities and a Hail Mary pass completion at the end of the first half put Searcy back in the driver’s seat, leading 41-21 at the break.
The ‘Dogs then rallied early in the third period, scoring twice to make it 41-35 midway through the quarter, but that was about it for the GHS offense, which could only add a field goal in the final 19 minutes of play. The Lions scored twice in the second half on a field goal and a late touchdown to put the game out of reach, winning 50-38.
Leading up to Friday’s showdown the state had been soaked by 36 hours of light rain, but the wet stuff stayed away once the lights came on at Lions’ Stadium. For late November the temperature wasn’t bad either, in the upper 40s at kickoff, so the weather wasn’t really a factor in the game as many people had anticipated.
The Lions roared onto the field and pummeled the Greenwood defense early with deep bombs from senior quarterback Bryce Dixon. Their first score came on the game’s opening possession, a 78-yard drive in just five plays.
Dixon began the series with a 37-yard pass to Tanner Leonard, who made a sensational catch at the Greenwood 41. Four plays later Searcy running back Johnson Guthrie scored on a 26-yard draw play. The kick made it 7-0 Lions (10:54).
A one-yard run and two incomplete passes constituted Greenwood’s first possession, followed by a punt. Searcy then drove 67 yards in six plays to score again, aided by a penalty on the Bulldogs. The touchdown came on a fourth down pass from the 6-yard-line. The PAT made it 14-0 Lions (7:21).
With more than half of the first quarter remaining, GHS fans were nervous but not unduly alarmed at being behind so early, and their confidence was soon rewarded.
The ‘Dogs received a short kick and started their second possession in excellent field position at their own 47. They managed to move the sticks once, reaching the Searcy 38, but a pair of incomplete passes gave the ball back to the Lions on downs. Greenwood’s passing attack was largely missing in action in the first half.
Enter junior running back Hunter Wilkinson, who rushed for over 220 yards a week earlier against Siloam Springs, going over the 1,000-yard mark for the season. He would essentially duplicate that same effort against Searcy.
After the GHS defense got the ball back from the Lions after a failed fourth down play, Wilkinson romped 46 yards to the Searcy 2-yard-line. He then scored on the next play and Jackson Stewart added the extra point, making it 14-7 with 4:26 left in the opening stanza.
But the Lions were undeterred and responded quickly with two more touchdowns. Starting from their own 20, they covered the 80 yards to the end zone in just three plays, one of which resulted in a pass interference call on the Bulldogs. The TD came on a 54-yard bomb from Dixon to 6’4” receiver Marlon Crockett. The kick made it 21-7 Searcy (3:24).
Following another ineffective Greenwood possession and punt, the Lions sprinted 83 yards in just two plays, the first being a run plus a big penalty on the Bulldogs, moving the ball to the Searcy 37. Dixon then connected on another long scoring pass to receiver Griffin Love for 63 yards and six points. The PAT followed (1:53).
Trailing (28-7) one of the best teams in the state by 21 points, especially on the road, was starting to look like a major obstacle for the Bulldogs to overcome, but there remained nearly 38 minutes left to play, so they regrouped and went back to work and soon found themselves right back in the game.
Jayden Jasna returned the ensuing kickoff from the visitors’ 35 to the 50, giving his teammates another short field on offense. Perhaps out of respect for Jasna’s return ability, the Lions tried to keep the ball away from him.
This time the Bulldogs came to life on offense, keeping the ball on the ground. Wilkinson rushed seven times and Aaron Ligon once. The Lions were also penalized for a personal foul and Wilkinson scored from five yards out on a direct snap. Stewart’s kick made it 28-14 just seconds into the second quarter.
The GHS defense then got a piece of the scoring action on Searcy’s next possession when senior linebacker Jayden Martin scooped up a loose football near the visitor’s sideline and raced 41 yards to the end zone. The extra point was good to further trim the Lions’ lead to 28-21, allowing GHS fans to breathe a sigh of relief.
The defense came up big again just moments later when Jayden Jasna picked off a Searcy pass near the GHS 25 and returned it to the Lions’ 38 with 9:12 left in the half. The momentum had clearly shifted into Greenwood’s favor.
But the final nine minutes of the first half turned out to be the most critical moments of the game. After a QB sack at the Searcy 43, the ‘Dogs turned to Wilkinson again, who rushed four consecutive times, giving Greenwood a first-and-goal situation at the 2-yard-line. Easy, right? Not this time.
Two running plays resulted in negative yardage, followed by an incomplete pass on third down. Facing fourth-and-goal at the four, Coach Jones decided against a field goal try, but a completed pass to Wilkinson resulted in a big loss back to the 18, giving the ball back to Searcy after a huge stop by the Lions’ defense.
The home offense then turned in its longest scoring drive of the game, netting 82 yards in 13 plays, taking 3:15 off the clock. The touchdown came on a seven-yard quarterback draw by Dixon. The extra point followed (3:06).
Trailing 35-21, Greenwood got the ball back after the kickoff, starting at its own 20. Wilkinson then burst through the Searcy defense for 49 yards to the Lions’ 31, setting up yet another scoring chance for the ‘Dogs.
But two rushes for short yardage and a failed pass play brought up fourth down. From the 27, Jace Presley’s next pass attempt also fell incomplete, giving the ball back to Searcy with just under two minutes left in the half.
Needing a stop, the GHS defense rose up and did just that, forcing the Lions to punt the ball to Jasna. But that’s when things got a little crazy. On the punt, Greenwood got caught with too many players on the field and was flagged for illegal participation, giving the ball back to Searcy with a fresh set of downs at its own 43.
The Lions were also penalized on their next snap, moving the ball back to the 28, but it hardly slowed the Searcy offense. Three plays later the home team was at the GHS 35 with two seconds left to play.
Dixon then heaved a Hail Mary pass into the end zone and the waiting arms of Crockett for a miracle touchdown catch as time expired. The extra point failed, but the Lions headed to their locker room with a 20-point lead, 41-21.
As Coach Jones left the sideline, he spoke to the Richie Taylor, the on-field reporter for the Greenwood Dog Pound, broadcasting the game via live stream over the internet. The coach acknowledged his team’s mistakes but remained upbeat and predicted a second-half comeback by the Bulldogs.
“Our kids gave up some stuff early, and then battled back, but we’re in good shape,” he said. “We didn’t make a play there [at the end] when we had a chance, but we’ve been in this spot before, and we’ve come right back. So we’re going to receive the kickoff, have a great drive and get a stop [on defense]. It’s going to be fun. We’re going to make history.”
To no one’s surprise, that’s almost exactly what happened when both teams returned to the field for the second half. The Bulldogs scored on their first two possessions, with the defense getting a critical fourth down stop against the Lions in between. But after the initial GHS charge, Searcy regrouped and outscored Greenwood 10-3 over the final 19 minutes.
Colin Daggett received the opening kick of the third quarter, returning it to the GHS 27. Wilkinson then ran twice for a first down at the 42, but the biggest play of the drive was a 21-yard pass from Presley to Treyton Dawson that drew a flag for unnecessary roughness, moving the ball to the Lions’ 21.
Three snaps later Presley found Dawson again for 26 yards to the Searcy two. Wilkinson scored two plays later from the one, and Stewart added the extra point, shaving seven points off the Lions’ lead, 41-28.
Searcy picked up a first down on its opening possession of the half, but failed on fourth-and-short at the Lions’ 43, giving the football back to Greenwood, and the ‘Dogs took advantage by scoring again seven plays later.
Presley opened the series with a pair of completions to Caden Brown, reaching the Searcy 18-yard-line. Two snaps later Brown had another catch at the eight, followed by Wilkinson’s run to the five.
After a penalty back to the 10, Lazaro Angel made a nice sideline grab inside the 1-yard-line, setting up Wilkinson for the score on the next snap. Stewart’s kick was good, and the Bulldogs were nipping at the heels of the Lions, 41-35, with nearly seven minutes remaining in the third quarter.
Both teams then failed to score on their next possession, and a Jackson Stewart punt was downed by Colin Daggett at the Searcy 1-yard-line. But the Lions got a long run by Guthrie deep into GHS territory, setting up a 27-yard field goal by kicker Ethan Clegg, making the score 44-35 with 1:12 remaining in the period.
Early in the fourth quarter, another defensive stand by the Bulldogs stopped the Lions at their own 48, bringing the GHS offense back onto the field, trailing by nine points. On second down from the 44, Presley passed to Dawson for a big gain to the Searcy one, setting up first-and-goal for the visitors.
But once again the Searcy defense rose up and stopped the ‘Dogs dead in their tracks, stuffing three consecutive rushing plays, bringing up fourth down. This time Coach Jones sent Stewart in for a chip shot field goal, making it 44-38 with 9:19 remaining to play.
The Greenwood defense forced a Searcy punt exactly one minute later, giving the Bulldogs possession of the ball at their own 22. But after picking up a first down they too were forced to punt, giving the ball back to the Lions at their own 8-yard-line with 6:54 remaining.
This time the home team offense was up to the task, methodically marching down the field to the GHS 43 before completing a long pass over the middle to receiver Griffin Love for a touchdown. The Lions went for two points, but failed, making the new score 50-38.
With just 2:42 left on the clock, the odds were stacked against the Bulldogs, but there was still a chance for a miracle finish. But whatever hope remained was quickly dashed after the kickoff when Jace Presley’s first down pass was picked off by Searcy’s Tanner Leonard.
Greenwood’s defense forced a Lions’ punt but had to use all three of the team’s timeouts to preserve the clock, getting the ball back with 1:40 left. The offense tried desperately to score again, crossing into Searcy territory, but there just wasn’t enough time left.
Seniors Jace Presley and Lazaro Angel hooked up for their last career pass completion at the Lions’ 32. Presley’s next throw fell incomplete in the end zone as time expired on the 50-38 Greenwood loss, ending the Bulldogs’ season.
Post-game stats revealed that Searcy had an incredible 740 yards of offense on 94 plays, with 476 yards of that coming in the first half alone. Bryce Dixon threw for 445 yards to pace Searcy’s offensive assault.
For the Bulldogs, Hunter Wilkinson ended his 2019 campaign with a flourish, adding another 212 yards to his season total, including four more touchdowns. Jace Presley finished the game with 198 yards passing on 19 completions. His favorite target on the night was Treyton Dawson with six catches for 119 yards.
After the game, Coach Jones talked about the heartbreaking loss. “We gave good effort,” he said. “Effort wasn’t an issue, but we didn’t execute as well as we needed to. We got right up there close and didn’t get it in. We didn’t knock it in when we had the chance, and that changed the complexion of the game.
“But I give Searcy credit,” he continued. “Those kids played and never backed off. They fought hard and had a great plan. I give them credit and wish them all the luck in the world. But our seniors are two-time state champions, and I can’t say enough about those guys. I appreciate them.”
Searcy, the top seed and outright champion from the East, will play West champion Benton this coming Saturday night at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock for the 6A state crown. The Lions have not been to a state title game since 1984, while the Panthers lost to Greenwood in the state championship last season.