For the fifth consecutive year the Greenwood Bulldogs returned to Little Rock’s War Memorial Stadium last Saturday in the Class 6A state championship game. Their opponents for the noon kickoff were the Shiloh Christian Saints of Springdale, and both teams are members of the 6A West conference. While the contest was competitive for a while, the Bulldogs soon pulled away to a 42-21 halftime lead before completing the 61-35 victory to earn the school’s 12th state title, all since the year 2000 and the most in Arkansas since the start of the modern playoff era over 50 years ago.
The Bulldogs opened league play in late September with a 28-17 victory at Shiloh Christian, a game in which each team’s starting quarterback was absent for all or part of the contest. As a precaution, Greenwood’s Kane Archer did not play in the second half due to a minor injury. Archer, a highly touted junior, was recently named as the state’s Gatorade Player of the Year. Sophomore backup QB Jake Bodenstein started both games for the Saints and played well, especially last Saturday.
The Shiloh QB completed 27 of 42 passes for over 400 yards and two touchdowns and was the source of most of his team’s offense after the GHS defense shut down the Saints’ ground game. By contrast, Kane Archer completed 22 passes in 29 attempts for 321 yards, maintaining his spectacular 80% passing efficiency on the season, a new state record. He also finished his junior campaign with 57 touchdown passes with only 54 incompletions and just two interceptions. His performance on Saturday earned him a second straight Most Valuable Player award after the title game.
With senior kicker/receiver Hudson Meeker sidelined by an injury a week earlier, sophomore Landon Franklin teed up the football for the opening kick, and the Saints began their first possession at their own 13. But four snaps later they were punting the ball away after the game’s only three-and-out offensive series for both teams. Greenwood’s Champ Davis quickly made his presence felt by returning the punt 34 yards to the Saints’ 14-yard-line, setting up his team’s first score.
Archer and company didn’t take long to cash in on that excellent field position, scoring in one play, a quick pass from Archer to Grant Karnes on the right side. The senior receiver made the grab, slipped a tackle and trotted into the end zone for the touchdown. Franklin’s extra point kick was good, and the Bulldogs led 7-0 at the 10:17 mark.
“That stop was huge,” said GHS Head Coach Chris Young after the game. “Getting [that] stop right off the bat and going down and scoring was big. Then we give up a score and again go and answer. We did a really good job — especially early when we [gave] up points — of answering and not letting them get back in the game and getting that momentum.”
Starting from their own 21 after the kickoff, the Saints needed seven plays, including converting on fourth down at midfield to keep the drive alive. The touchdown was scored by running back Griffin Mason on a 5-yard scamper, and the point after knotted the score at 7-7 with 7:59 remaining in the opening period. But the scoring fest was just getting started.
From their own 35, the Bulldogs began their next offensive series that reached the end zone in five plays. The first was the biggest of the possession, a short, quick pass to Champ Davis that he turned into a 43-yard gain to the Shiloh 22. Three more short tosses followed, one to Cooper Goodwin and two more to Davis, putting the ball at the 11-yard-line. On the next snap, Kane Archer showed off his dance moves on his way to the end zone, sidestepping no less than six defenders around right end on his way to the end zone. Franklin’s kick was good for a 14-7 GHS lead (6:38).
Shiloh Christian executed a fake punt on its next possession, completing a fourth down pass to extend the drive. But a bad snap over the quarterback’s head was then recovered by Greenwood senior linebacker Gage Hanna at midfield. Eight plays later the Bulldogs scored their third touchdown to create some early separation from the Saints. Archer completed four passes for five, 10, 14, and five yards besides running three times for 13 yards, including the 3-yard TD run. The PAT was good.
Leading 21-7 just four seconds into the second quarter, Greenwood was on the verge of blowing out the Saints, who were yet to get the message. From their own 35, Shiloh completed a 30-yard pass to the GHS 35 on their first snap, giving them hope of staying in the fight a while longer. Eight plays later they scored on a 4-yard run by Griffin Mason. The PAT trimmed the Shiloh deficit to 21-14 with 9:18 left in the opening half.
Senior Scott Holland returned the ensuing kick to the Greenwood 26 to start the Bulldogs’ next possession. Two snaps later, Archer completed a 19-yard pass to Champ Davis, reaching the 47. After a penalty back to the 42, Archer connected with junior Cooper Bland over the middle for a huge gain to the Saints’ 28. The ball was thrown slightly behind the GHS receiver, who made the adjustment and a great grab without breaking stride. Next, Champ Davis carried on a reverse for five yards then caught another pass for 10 yards to the 13. Lastly, senior running back Wesley Raggio bounced outside around left end untouched for the touchdown. Franklin’s kick was good for a 28-14 GHS lead (7:09).
Three more scores would follow before the half ended, two by Greenwood and one by the Saints. A mistake in the GHS secondary allowed Shiloh’s next touchdown on a long pass play covering 67 yards. Jake Bodenstein’s pass was hauled in by wide-open receiver Chandler Kemp without a defender in sight. The extra point kick made it 28-21 with 5:58 left in the second quarter, and that was as close as the Saints would get the rest of the way.
The Bulldogs then went back to work offensively to secure a three-score lead at the half and essentially put the game away before the intermission. A short kick return by Grant Karnes put the rock at the GHS 43, setting up the 57-yard scoring drive. Karnes and Davis caught short passes, and Kane Archer ran for five yards to the Shiloh 46 and a first down. Two plays later, Archer rambled for 14 yards to the Saints’ 30. He then reconnected with Karnes down the sideline to the 6-yard-line before the star QB ran a keeper for the touchdown. The extra point was good again (4:00).
Leading 35-21, the GHS defense did its job again by stopping a fourth down play by the Saints, giving the ball back to their offensive teammates at the Greenwood 24 with less than three minutes left. After a short gain to the 25, Archer completed a quick sideline toss to Grant Karnes on the right side. The star receiver, who has an offer from the University of Arkansas as a preferred walk-on, sprinted ahead past several Saints, exploiting a gap in the defense all the way to the end zone. The 75-yard play and the extra point made the halftime score, 42-21.
Despite being outscored by a 2-to-1 margin, Shiloh Christian dominated the time of possession in the first half, keeping the ball for 15½ minutes compared to 8½ for Greenwood. The Bulldogs were simply more explosive on offense, scoring more quickly and more often than the Saints. Both teams combined for five more touchdowns in the second half, starting with Greenwood, which received the opening kick of the third quarter and promptly marched 65 yards in eight plays. Scott Holland returned the Saints’ kickoff 27 yards to the GHS 35.
From there, Kane Archer ran three consecutive times to the 47 for a first down. After completing a short pass to Grant Karnes for eight yards, he ran again for 12 yards to the Shiloh 33. Wesley Raggio then carried to the 23 before Archer sidestepped a defender on the next play, before stiff-arming another would-be tackler on his way to the end zone. However, Landon Franklin’s kick was wide, leaving the score at 48-21 (9:28).
The Saints penetrated GHS territory on their first possession of the second half, reaching the Bulldogs’ 23-yard-line before senior linebacker Cash Archer sacked QB Jake Bodenstein at the 32, effectively killing the drive, allowing Greenwood to take over on downs at their own 24 moments later. Greenwood’s leader on defense the past two seasons, Cash recently received a scholarship offer from the University of Central Arkansas in Conway.
The GHS offense began putting the final nails in the Saints’ coffin with yet another touchdown on their second possession of the half, driving 76 yards in just six plays, aided by 20 yards in penalties against Shiloh Christian. The first of those flags moved the ball to the GHS 29 on second down before Kane Archer rambled across midfield to the enemy 49, drawing another flag for a personal foul, adding 15 yards to the play, reaching the Saints’ 34.
Cooper Goodwin then carried to the 32 before Archer hooked up with junior receiver Ben Hossley to the 14-yard-line. After a 1-yard gain and a five-yard penalty back to the 18, Archer fired a bullet over the middle to a streaking Scott Holland, who made the grab and raced across the goal line. Hoping to invoke the 35-point mercy rule, the Bulldogs went for two, but the reverse/pass to Grant Karnes failed, leaving the score 54-21 (3:56).
With victory clearly out of reach for the Saints, they still fought hard to give their fans something to cheer about, driving 54 yards in nine plays for their fourth score, a 9-yard touchdown pass from Bodenstein to receiver Zane Sluyter. The extra point trimmed the GHS advantage to 54-28 with 1:02 remaining in the third quarter. But the Saints soon caught a break when Kane Archer threw only his second interception of the season on the first snap of the fourth period.
From the Greenwood 11-yard-line, Shiloh Christian needed just four plays to score, though their final snap was a do-or-die fourth down play from the GHS three, a touchdown run by Hudson Ball. The PAT made the score 54-35 with 10:06 remaining in the contest, but the Bulldogs would add one additional score to top off their state championship performance. However, this one was not credited to the offense, though an offensive player was involved.
After the GHS offense failed on a fourth down play at the opposition 21-yard-line, Shiloh Christian took over on downs and drove to the Bulldogs’ 6-yard-line in eight plays. But snap #9 proved disastrous for the Saints when Greenwood receiver Champ Davis, playing on defense, picked off an enemy pass at the goal line and raced unimpeded 99 yards for the score (1:27). Franklin’s last extra point kick was good, accounting for the final tally of 61-35.
The normal celebration and trophy presentations followed the Bulldogs’ victory, their second straight after also winning last year with an identical 13-0 record. Kane Archer was awarded the MVP trophy and senior Gage Hanna received the Brandon Burlsworth award given to a lineman on each team in the state finals. Coach Young and some of his players also answered questions from the media and posed for photographs.
“The offense was really good,” said Young after the victory. “We got a little careful at the end. We didn’t want to make a mistake, and we ran the ball. I think that slowed us down. That was a bad decision by me. We missed an extra point and then went for two to start the mercy rule clock. When you’re up 33, it’s hard to keep the pedal down. [So] we dropped off and they picked up.”
Young and his Bulldogs wanted to win back-to-back titles, but he said they have learned there is more to life than football. On Friday morning, the coaching staff and team received a letter from President-elect Donald Trump. It read, “Melania and I are devastated to learn of the loss of your incredible teammate, Isaiah Arrington, and send our deepest condolences to your entire team and the Greenwood High School community. We pray you continue to find comfort in the many wonderful memories you have shared with Isaiah. We know your team and community will work to carry on his indelible legacy," the soon-to-be 47th president added.
Before Saturday’s contest, Coach Young talked about his players’ evolving emotions concerning their late teammate. “They're starting to tell good stories and funny stories, and they start to smile when they mention his name and remember the good things about him,” Young explained. “They want to win for him. They know how important it was for him, and they feel like that's a way we can honor him one last time, because we know that's what he would want for us.”
"It's been a rough year," said Young at War Memorial the next day. "I mean, it's been a really, really rough year for the kids and coaches going through things we should never have to go through. A day like today gives you a reason to smile. The kids are so excited they were able to finish it off for Isaiah. This was his dream. It's about a lot more than running routes or making tackles. It's about spending time together and being around people you care about and working hard, and I think the kids are going to learn lessons from this year they can apply the rest of their lives.”
“I just want to go out there and win with all of them and do it for Isaiah,” said wide receiver Grant Karnes the day before the championship game. “I've known him, probably since I was five years old. I played football, baseball, basketball, and track with him. I've done about everything with that kid. Tomorrow is for him. I mean, he would have loved to be there, and so tomorrow we get the win for him.” Quarterback Kane Archer added, "[Isaiah] wanted a state championship his senior year. We all put our heads down, we worked together, we bonded together, and we hung in there with each other."
Statistically, Davis finished with 10 catches for 106 yards, returned a punt 35 yards and the 99-yard interception return for 249 all-purpose yards. Grant Karnes completed his fourth state championship game appearance with seven receptions for 134 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Kane Archer was 22 of 29 passing for 321 yards and three touchdowns, giving him 57 for the season, averaging over four passing TDs per game, with just two picks along the way and only 54 incompletions.
While the final stats for both teams weren’t that much different, there was one category that stood out. Greenwood rushed for 196 yards in the contest to just 55 for the Saints, largely on the wheels of Kane Archer, who carried 18 times for 131 yards and four touchdowns. The winning defense effectively shut down Shiloh’s star running back, Griffin Mason, a plus-1000-yard rusher during the season, holding him to just 65 yards on 21 carries.
Defensively, Paul Brixey led the Bulldogs with 12 total tackles, five solo and seven assisted. Right behind was fellow senior Zack Zitzmann with 10 tackles split five and five. Linebacker Cash Archer was next with nine tackles, eight of them solo stops, while senior safety Kaylor Jasna also accumulated nine stops, seven of them solo. Burlsworth award winner Gage Hanna had seven tackles, four of them solo, while sophomore defensive back Lawyer Thornsberry and senior linebacker Zack Edwards both had six stops. Senior D-back Radney O’Neal had five tackles and senior defensive lineman Eddy Castelo, a transfer from Ft. Smith Northside before the season, had four stops. Senior Cash Owenby and junior D.J. Dobbins had three tackles each.
So, once again the Bulldogs brought home the bacon, so to speak, winning yet another state title to set the record for modern championships during the playoff era at 12, with no sign of letting off the gas in the future. While the coaching staff will have to fill some holes defensively due to graduation, there are several capable young players just waiting their turn in the spotlight. Offensively, Kane Archer returns for his senior season next fall and will have another talented and experienced group of receivers, including Champ Davis, to assist him in scoring plenty of points behind an offensive line that returns three starters. There are also some very talented offensive and defensive players moving up next season as sophomores, with a couple of them potential starters.
Indeed, the cupboard is far from bare on the GHS campus and the coaching staff is still among the best in the nation. If the last two seasons have proven anything, it’s that Greenwood High School football is head-and-shoulders above any other school in Class 6A, and almost every other school in Arkansas. Only a handful of teams can compete with the Bulldogs, regardless of class, and the Dog Pound salutes 7A Bryant and 5A Little Rock Parkview that also won championships this past weekend. Along with Greenwood, that trio of teams are ranked in the top three by all pundits.
Of course, the only stain on this championship season was the tragic passing of Isaiah Arrington in a house fire along with his mother and sister. But sometimes the harsh reality of life rears its ugly head and reminds us that sports or other pursuits, no matter how enjoyable or beneficial they may be, are not that important after all.
As any good coach will acknowledge, football or any team sport is about preparing young men and women for life in the real world, building character while teaching the values of teamwork, commitment, and overcoming adversity. The Bulldogs have learned those lessons well and overcame a tragedy that could have sidelined them for good. Instead, they played the remainder of their season for their lost teammate and did so with a determination to win it all for him. So, rest in peace, Isaiah. Your buddies have done their part to honor your memory.