Week zero of the high school football season has come and gone and the Greenwood Bulldogs wish they could get that time back after dropping their season opener on the road at Stillwater, Oklahoma, 41-27. The Pioneers lived up to their reputation as one of the Sooner State’s best, with two collegiate division-I recruits on their offensive line and the son of Oklahoma State University head coach Mike Gundy as their quarterback.
But as good as the Pioneers are, Greenwood made it easy for them in the opening quarter with a pair of turnovers and some missed opportunities on both sides of the ball. When the period ended the Bulldogs found themselves down 14-0 and playing from behind for the rest of the game. They trailed 28-14 at the half, but had chances to cut into the Stillwater lead in the second half and rally for a comeback victory, but came up short on a fourth down play with 5:38 remaining. Another GHS turnover followed to seal the win for the home team.
Senior quarterback Hunter Houston rebounded from a rough start to finish with a nice stat line, completing 37 of 51 passes for over 360 yards and four touchdowns. But three interceptions and a multitude of dropped passes by Greenwood receivers was too much to overcome for the Bulldogs’ offense. On the other side of the ball, Greenwood’s defensive front had trouble containing the Pioneers’ running game. The loss snapped an 11-game winning streak against teams from Oklahoma by the Bulldogs, who last lost in 2004 to the Poteau Pirates, 10-7.
For weeks GHS Head Coach Chris Young had talked about how good the Pioneers were, knowing his Bulldogs would have to play well to have a chance to win on the road. But the Greenwood team that started Friday’s game at Stillwater was not at the top of its game, and it cost them a potential victory. But sometimes a loss can be very productive too.
Greenwood received the opening kick and took possession at the 20 after the ball sailed into the end zone with the help of a stiff wind. The Bulldogs then proceeded to marched down the field in typical fashion, using their short passing game, despite a couple of early drops. Houston was five of seven throwing the ball before pass #8 was picked off by Stillwater near the Pioneers’ 20 and returned to midfield, where Houston himself made the tackle.
Stillwater then made quick work of its first touchdown, needing just three snaps to score on a 35-yard run by tailback Noah Roberts right up the middle, almost untouched. The point after was good and the Pioneers led 7-0 less than three minutes into the contest. Then the Pioneers’ defense came up big on Greenwood’s next possession.
Starting again from their own 20, the Bulldogs marched 79 yards in 15 plays, mostly through the air, the last play of which failed to cross the goal line from the one on a QB sneak by Houston. The GHS senior has previously scrambled for a critical first down to keep the drive alive at the 10 after facing a fourth-and-12. But the GHS offensive line got no penetration against the Stillwater defensive front and Houston had nowhere to go, turning the ball over to the Pioneers on downs, a huge missed opportunity by the Bulldogs.
The GHS defense then missed a chance to bury Stillwater deep in its own territory by allowing the Pioneers to pick up a first down at the 17, eventually reaching the 42 before punting the ball away. The kick sailed out-of-bounds at the GHS 19, but it didn’t matter because on the first snap the Bulldogs committed another turnover with their second interception. The ball was picked off right at the line-of-scrimmage and returned a short distance to the Greenwood 10, setting up another Stillwater touchdown just two plays later. Noah Roberts scored again for the Pioneers from four yards out.
The extra point made the score 14-0 with less than a minute remaining in the opening quarter. Still, the Bulldogs were down, not out, and they roared back to score just over two minutes later as the game moved into the second period. Junior L.J. Robbins returned the kickoff 20 yards to the GHS 27, and three plays later senior receiver Aiden Kennon made a nice leaping catch for a first down at midfield on the first snap of the second quarter.
From there, Houston connected with sophomore receiver Grant Karnes for 11 yards at the 39 and junior receiver Peyton Presson at the 35. Houston then executed a beautiful QB draw for a big gain to the 15. His next throw went to Karnes over the middle for the touchdown. Senior kicker Steven Duran added the extra point to cut the deficit to 14-7 (10:29).
But the big and talented offensive line of the Pioneers continued to baffle the Greenwood defensive front, unable to stop Stillwater’s slow and steady advance down the field. Quarterback Gage Gundy didn’t have to throw much, but when he did he made it count, with a pair of deep bombs in the second quarter that kept the Bulldogs at bay. The first of those two deep balls covered 45 yards and put the Pioneers at the GHS 6-yard-line just moments after the GHS touchdown.
Two snaps later Gundy carried in for the score from four yards out and the PAT put Stillwater back up by 14 points, 21-7. With just over five minutes left in the opening half, both teams would score again to make it 28-14 at the intermission. Moments later a short sky kick by Stillwater helped the Bulldogs with good field position at the GHS 46.
After completing a short pass to Kennon, Houston ran on second down and the play drew a flag for a flagrant facemask penalty, moving the ball to the Stillwater 33. Facing fourth-and-four at the 27, Houston coaxed the defense to jump across the line for an automatic first down. The senior QB then rolled to his right and lofted a pass over the defense to a wide open L.J. Robbins, who bobbled the ball momentarily before gaining control and streaking for the touchdown unmolested. The kick by Duran was good, making the score 21-14, keeping the Bulldogs very much in the ballgame.
But once again the Pioneers answered back with their fourth touchdown after a deep throw by Gundy was hauled in at the Greenwood three-yard-line, setting up another quick score. Gundy eventually scored from six yards out after a Stillwater holding penalty and a lengthy delay during which Greenwood Head Coach Chris Young had a long discussion with the referee. During the game there were several unexplained delays and lengthy stoppages of play.
Trailing again by 14 points, 28-14, the Bulldogs needed to respond in kind with another scoring drive of their own, but it wasn’t to be. With nearly four minutes remaining in the half, Greenwood got a nice kick return by Grant Karnes to the 32-yard-line, but were completely stymied on three consecutive plays, the last two of which were quarterback sacks on Houston, forcing Landon Nelms to enter the game and punt the ball away with 1:29 left before the break. Thankfully, the Pioneers weren’t in a mood to try and score again, content to go to their locker room up by two touchdowns.
The GHS defense did its job early in the third quarter, stopping the Pioneers on the opening possession of the half, keeping the margin at 14 points, giving the GHS offense a chance to cut it to seven. Stillwater even helped out with a strange call on fourth down, a fake punt that ended with an incomplete pass, giving Greenwood the ball at the Pioneers’ 28-yard-line. But just like Stillwater, the GHS offense failed on its first possession of the half, going three-and-out. Desperate to score, the ‘Dogs went for it on fourth down, but Houston’s pass attempt fell incomplete.
Back on offense, the Pioneers made the most of it, driving 72 yards in 11 plays, converting a fourth down play along the way before running back Cameron Johnson scored from nine yards out. The point after was good for a 35-14 Stillwater lead with 6:07 left in the third period, leaving GHS fans depressed and the home fans feeling confident. But the game wasn’t over yet, and the Bulldogs continued to fight, hoping for a break or a mistake by the Pioneers.
The ensuing kick by Stillwater was short and fair caught at the Greenwood 37. On second down from the 39, senior running back Jake Glover broke a nice run to the Pioneers’ 42. Moments later, Houston dumped a short screen pass to Grant Karnes that reached the 19-yard-line. Peyton Presson then caught a pass for 11 yards and Houston connected with L.J. Robbins over the middle on another screen pass for the touchdown. Steven Duran’s kick was good, making it 35-21 (3:56) late in the third stanza. Still, plenty of time remained for a GHS comeback.
But hopes for that rally faded again when Gundy connected on a deep sideline pass on the ninth snap of Stillwater’s next possession, with the play covering 38 yards, resulting in a touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter. The point after was missed, but the Pioneers continued to lead the Bulldogs by three scores with time starting to run out.
Down 41-21, Greenwood went back to work on offense, driving 87 yards in eight plays, including six consecutive completions by Houston. His last pass went to Karnes who scored from 36 yards out. But just like Stillwater, the PAT failed, blocked by the Pioneers, leaving the score at 41-27 with 10:22 left to play.
But once again the GHS defense forced a quick punt by Stillwater, giving the ball back to the Bulldogs with 8:50 remaining. Houston and company needed to take advantage of the opportunity, and did so right up to the moment when they needed to convert a critical fourth down play at the Stillwater 15-yard-line. After driving down the field almost exclusively through the air, the Bulldogs tried running the ball on fourth-and-one, but Jake Glover’s effort was stopped cold by the defense, handing the ball back to the Pioneers with 5:38 left to play.
Stillwater picked up a couple first downs while milking the clock before punting to L.J. Robbins, who returned it 28 yards to the Pioneers’ 47-yard-line. With 2:37 remaining there was still hope for Greenwood fans who dreamed of a miracle comeback, but those hopes were dashed moments later when a deflected pass was picked off by the defense. Stillwater then ran a couple plays on the ground before taking a knee twice to run out the clock on a Pioneers’ victory, 41-27.
After the loss, Coach Young addressed his team on the field for quite some time before taking a moment to talk to the Greenwood Dog Pound’s sideline reporter, Richie Cagle. The third-year head coach didn’t mince words, saying, “We got our butts whipped. There were so many mistakes and so many of our guys haven’t had Friday night experience, and we didn’t respond very well. Offensively we moved the ball down the field then turned it over.
“We dropped eight [passes] and threw three picks,” added Young. “I felt like we really moved the ball on offense, but I don’t know if it would have made a difference because we couldn’t stop [Stillwater]. They’ve got two division-I offensive linemen up there just mauling us all night long. But we’re going to get better, and coach better, and play better. But we better get ready because we’re going to [face] a similar team next week in [Fort Smith] Northside.” The Grizzlies opened their season Friday with a 42-24 victory over crosstown rival, Fort Smith Southside.
Despite the dropped passes, several Greenwood receivers put up some respectable numbers Friday night. Both Grant Karnes and L.J. Robbins had over 100 yards receiving. Karnes caught nine balls for 119 yards while Robbins hauled in 11 catches for 109 yards. Both players had a pair of touchdowns. Aiden Kennon also had seven receptions for 78 yards and Peyton Presson snagged six catches for 39 yards. All stats are unofficial.