The verdict is in – the Greenwood Bulldogs are clearly the team to beat in the upcoming 6A state playoffs. Ranked #1 all season, the ‘Dogs rolled the #2 Little Rock Christian Warriors last Friday night, 56-39, at Greenwood’s Smith-Robinson Stadium to win the 6A West conference championship and earn homefield advantage through the state semifinals. It was also the 61st consecutive home victory for the Bulldogs (10-0, 8-0).
Both the ‘Dogs and Warriors will enjoy an open date next Friday in the first round of postseason games. Benton (9-1) and Marion (7-3) are the top two teams from the 6A East and will also be off next week. A total of 12 teams enters the playoffs with a chance to compete for a state title, but the reality is that only Greenwood, LR Christian, Pulaski Academy, and Benton have a realistic chance to win it all. But the Bulldogs have made a powerful statement the past two weeks, defeating Pulaski Academy on the road, 58-33, before Friday’s 56-39 home victory over Little Rock Christian.
Friday’s contest was also a battle between two of the state’s top quarterbacks. The Warriors’ Walker White, a senior, has already committed to play for the University of Auburn next fall and turned in a one-man show last year in Christian’s 49-35 home victory over the Bulldogs. But the GHS defense did a better job of containing White last Friday night.
Greenwood sophomore QB Kane Archer, playing without that large blue cast on his left forearm and wrist, performed well against the Warriors, rushing for nearly 100 yards and throwing for another 260 and six total touchdowns. Archer broke his left wrist early in the season and has played effectively for the past several weeks wearing a cast on his non-throwing arm. The GHS tenth grader has been mentioned among the top young quarterbacks in the nation.
The first 22 minutes of the game were like a heavyweight fight with both teams throwing haymakers as the lead bounced back and forth, changing hands seven times. But the final two minutes of the second quarter belonged to the Bulldogs, who were finally able to get some separation, leading 35-24 at the intermission. The Warriors stayed close enough to have hope in the second half, but were never able to close the gap, eventually losing by 17 points.
The home team kicked off to start the festivities, and after a six-play possession, the Warriors chose to punt on fourth-and-one from their own 42. But normally surehanded GHS senior return man L.J. Robins fumbled the punt reception and LR Christian recovered the ball at the Greenwood 31. The home defense put up a strong stand, but nine plays later the Warriors scored the game’s first touchdown. Or did they?
White flipped the ball forward to a receiver in motion, who pulled up and threw a low pass to another receiver in the end zone for the apparent score, though it appeared the ball may have hit the ground. It took a moment, but GHS Head Coach Chris Young and some of his players on the field were motioning that something was wrong with the play. Three game officials huddled to discuss the matter, eventually dropping a penalty flag against the Warriors for an illegal double forward pass. The call resulted in a 34-yard field goal by kicker Greyson Hoover giving the Warriors an early 3-0 lead (6:24).
But it didn’t last long. On the ensuing kickoff, GHS junior return man Grant Karnes bobbled the ball at the 7-yard-line before picking it up and streaking down the left side of the field, eluding a would-be tackler near the 40 before gaining the sideline and a bevy of blockers to escort him into the end zone. The extra point kick by Bodey Steinfeldt was good for a 7-3 GHS lead.
LR Christian then responded with a 76-yard drive in nine plays, with Walker White scrambling 25 yards around left end for the touchdown. The extra point was good, and the visitors were back on top, 10-7, with 3:16 left in the opening quarter. But the Bulldogs bounced back with a 14-play scoring drive, overcoming a pair of procedure penalties along the way.
After Karnes returned the Warriors’ kick to the 25, Brayedan Davis ran to the 30 and Kane Archer passed to Isaiah Arrington to the 42, moving the sticks. Davis then ran twice more to the Christian 45 before Archer passed to Karnes to the 37. Next, Davis ran three times to the 27 and L.J. Robins caught a pass for a first down at the 13. Davis then gained the 11-yard-line on the final play of the first period.
Early in the second quarter, the two penalties pushed the Bulldogs back to the Warriors’ 20 where they faced third-and-16. Archer was then forced to scramble, reaching the 9-yard-line, bringing up fourth-and-five. Coach Young decided not to try a relatively short field goal and the Bulldogs ran a play instead, a pass from Archer to Karnes inside the five to the 2-yard-line for the first down. Archer scored on the next snap, getting turned around and backing his way into the end zone. The kick by Steinfeldt was good and Greenwood retook the lead at 14-10 (11:03).
The two defenses then traded interceptions, the second of which went for a touchdown. Greenwood’s Brady Mackey nabbed an overthrown pass in the end zone for a touchback, but LR Christian’s Tate Ferguson returned the favor moments later, snagging a Kane Archer pass near the visitors’ sideline, somehow staying inbounds, before taking it all the way back for a touchdown. The extra point put the Warriors back on top, 17-14 (8:26).
The scoring merry-go-round continued for the next six minutes. The Bulldogs answered back with a quick strike five-play 80-yard drive to regain the lead. From their own 20, the ‘Dogs relied on Brayedan Davis on four consecutive runs to the 38. After a penalty to the 33, Archer threw to Isaiah Arrington just past the 40-yard-line, and the junior receiver broke free and led a quartet of defenders on a long chase to the goal line, where he was stripped of the football.
Fortunately, Grant Karnes was also trailing the play for Greenwood and immediately fell on the loose ball in the end zone. The two officials on the play quickly consulted one another and both signaled a touchdown. It wasn’t clear whether Greenwood scored because Arrington crossed the goal line or because of Karnes’ recovery, but the ‘Dogs were back on the scoreboard. The extra point made the score 21-17 (5:49).
Still, Walker White and company weren’t deterred, needing just over three minutes to retake the lead once again, but this time for the last time. Starting at their 22 after the kick return, the Warriors snapped it nine times before scoring on a 5-yard run by White, who completed a pair of passes on the drive as well. Greenwood was also flagged for pass interference during the possession. The extra point kick put LR Christian back on top, 24-21, with 2:28 left in the first half.
After that, the Bulldogs began to pull away. Starting from their 20 after the kick, Archer ran to the 27 before Davis carried to the 33 for a first down. Grant Karnes then made a spectacular sideline catch at the 46, somehow keeping a toe inbounds while fully extended to make the catch in front of the GHS bench. L.J. Robins caught a pass for short yardage at the 50 before Archer ran to the Christian 46. Isaiah Arrington then got behind a pair of defenders down the visitors’ sideline for a touchdown pass, hauling in the catch near the 15. Steinfeldt’s kick was good for a 28-24 GHS lead.
With only 29 seconds left in the quarter, both teams would normally be content to go into halftime with a four-point differential, but this was no ordinary game. After Greenwood’s kickoff, LR Christian had the ball at its own 26, but foolishly tried to go downfield with a long pass that was picked off by Caden Nelms at the Warriors’ 42 and returned to the 34 with 13 ticks left on the clock.
With time running out, Archer threw to Grant Karnes for a short gain to the 26, leaving just seven seconds in the half. After a timeout, the Bulldogs went back to Karnes in the end zone, but the pass was incomplete with one tick left to play. Archer then rolled to his right to avoid pressure before setting his feet and launching another pass into the end zone, this one over the heads of the defense and into the waiting arms of L.J. Robins for a touchdown. The PAT made it 35-24 at the break.
That was the separation the Bulldogs needed to earn the victory. Flagged for excessive celebration after the Hail Mary touchdown at the end of the half, Greenwood was penalized on the second half kickoff, giving them the football at their own 20, but the momentum was clearly on the Bulldogs’ sideline. The home team then engineered a 15-play 80-yard scoring drive that took over five minutes off the clock.
There was only one play of over ten yards during the possession, a 13-yard keeper by Archer that crossed midfield into Warriors’ territory. He also completed five passes including a critical fourth down throw to Brayedan Davis to move the chains. Davis also had five rushes during the series, but it was Archer who scored from eight yards out. The extra point made it 42-24 with 6:46 left in the third period. In less than 10 minutes, a back-n-forth contest that could have gone either way was firmly in the grasp of the Bulldogs, and they would not let go.
But LR Christian is a great team, and the Warriors didn’t give up, despite the odds. They responded with a 60-yard drive and another Walker White touchdown on a 1-yard QB sneak. For good measure, White also scored on a two-point conversion play after a penalty on Greenwood moved the ball inside the 2-yard-line. With 3:21 left in the third quarter, Greenwood’s lead was only 10 points at 42-32 and the outcome was still in doubt.
The GHS offense kept up the pressure, however, driving 80 yards for another score after 10 plays. On third down, Archer threw to L.J. Robins for 15 yards and a first down at the 43. Three snaps later those same two players collaborated for another first down throw and catch to the Christian 35, an 18-yard gain. Archer then scrambled to the 14 before the Warriors were called for pass interference, moving the ball to the 7-yard-line. Archer carried in for the score on the next snap. The extra point kick made it 49-32 (:38).
On the first play of the fourth quarter, however, the Warriors answered back with a long pass play of 46 yards from White to Tristian Watson to keep themselves in the game. The extra point cut the GHS advantage to 49-39 with a whole quarter left to play. But both defenses came up with a stop on the next two possessions. Greenwood punted for the first time and LR Christian turned the ball over on downs at the GHS 38.
From there, the Bulldogs marched 62 yards in 12 plays as the Warriors burned through all three of their timeouts. The first 11 plays were on the ground with Davis and Archer doing the honors. From the visitors’ 13, play #12 was a pass from Archer to Robins in the far-left back corner of the end zone, a nice two-handed overhead grab. Steinfeldt’s kick made the final, 56-39. Before time expired, Greenwood’s Brady Mackey had his second interception of the game.
Unofficially, Kane Archer finished the night 18 of 26 passing for 280 yards while also rushing for 97 yards and three touchdowns. Running back Brayedan Davis carried 25 times for 121 yards. Auburn-bound Walker White also had a good game for the Warriors with 288 yards passing and 77 yards on the ground.
The GHS receiving corps was led by L.J. Robins with eight catches for 103 yards and two touchdowns. Isaiah Arrington also had two scores on three catches and 124 yards. Grant Karnes had three grabs for 31 yards plus a fumble recovery in the end zone and a 93-yard kickoff return. Brady Mackey (2) and Caden Nelms had interceptions for the GHS defense.
After the victory, Coach Young spent some time with his team before talking to members of the media. "That’s a heck of a football team we just beat. They are really talented and well-coached. We won by 17, but that game could have gone either way. It’s just a good win for our kids. It’s a good night to be a Bulldog. You're not going to shut [LR Christian] down with the caliber of those guys, and their quarterback is unbelievable," said Young. "You want to [score] when you get the opportunity, and we did that. Our defense bent, but at times we made big plays. The turnovers were huge [too].
“Coach [Stephen] Hogan and Coach [Austin] Moreton did a great job calling plays,” he added. “I think we had four different coaches call a touchdown play. We’re all smarter together than we are individually, and I’m just really proud of our offensive staff. It’s a team win, but Kane [Archer] was great, and so were the guys around him, [our receivers] and Brayedan Davis ran like crazy. I’m just so proud of them.”
Asked about the playoffs, Young acknowledged that his Bulldogs might have to face Pulaski Academy and Little Rock Christian both in the semi-finals and finals, respectively. Pulaski Academy will play a first-round game at home against El Dorado next Friday, and should the Bruins win, which seems likely, they would travel to Marion in the quarterfinals. The Bulldogs don’t figure to have much trouble with the LR Catholic-Mountain Home winner in their quarterfinals contest, leaving a Greenwood-Pulaski Academy rematch at distinct possibility at Smith-Robinson Stadium on the Friday after Thanksgiving.
Like Greenwood, Little Rock Christian gets an open date in round one, but will host the West Memphis-Van Buren winner in week two, likely West Memphis. The winner of that game will then travel to Benton, most likely, with the victor moving on to the finals on Friday, December 1st, at Little Rock’s War Memorial Stadium. Most pundits will probably agree that the Bulldogs should return to the finals for the fourth consecutive year and the eighth time in nine years to face either Benton or LR Christian for the 6A title. Go Bulldogs!