Greenwood hosted Alma last Friday at Smith-Robinson Stadium, as the two long-time rivals played their final non-conference game of the season in a fairly snappy two hours, 15 minutes. The problem was that the game kicked off more than two-and-a-half hours late at 9:32 p.m.
The Bulldogs' 2016 home opener was marred by a series of thunderstorms that passed through Western Arkansas, affecting several other area games. The Arkansas Activities Association, the governing body for high school athletics in the state, requires all outdoor sporting events to be delayed or halted when lightning is present near the stadium.
At around 6:45 p.m. fans were asked to voluntarily evacuate the stands and take shelter as the first wave of bad weather approached. Hearty Bulldogs' supporters then watched helplessly as the scoreboard clock was reset to 30 minutes over and over again with each new flash of lightning.
Some people went home, perhaps to watch the game on their computers or listen by radio, but several hundred fans chose to tough it out and were still in the bleachers when the final horn sounded. Except for the National Anthem, most on-field activities were cancelled or were held indoors, such as the pre-game coin toss.
But despite the long delay, Greenwood defeated Alma for the 12th straight year, winning 35-12. The Bulldogs improved to 3-0 on the season, have won 15 of 16 games dating back to the start of the 2015 season, and are poised to begin conference play this week at home against the Texarkana Razorbacks in the newly formed 6A West.
Greenwood scored on three of its first four possessions and led 21-0 at the half. The visiting Airedales never got closer than 21-6 after that, and were never really a threat to the Bulldogs, ranked #1 in Class 6A. Alma, which dropped a level this season, is also highly ranked in Class 5A.
Junior Ethan Escalante returned the opening kick 25 yards to the Bulldogs' 34 to start the game. Senior quarterback Luke Hales threw to junior running back Kenny Wood for a first down at the 44, then Hales kept the ball for seven yards to the Alma 49. Next, Wood scooped up his own fumble and got seven yards to the 42, then Hales rumbled to the 34.
Wood got the call on the next three snaps, gaining 19 yards to the 15, before Hales completed a sideline toss to junior receiver Zane Harmon, reaching the 7-yard-line. On the next play, sophomore running back Marc Jones scampered in for the touchdown. Sophomore kicker Grant Ennis added the extra point for a 7-0 GHS lead at the 8:55 mark of the opening quarter.
After the Bulldogs stopped the visitors short of a first down on Alma's opening series, the home offense returned to the field and put together a 12-play drive, mostly under the direction of junior QB Connor Noland. The possession took over four minutes off the clock, but died at the Alma 16-yard-line when a fourth down pass failed to move the chains.
The Airedales promptly suffered a penalty, moving the ball back to the 6-yard-line, then narrowly escaped a safety, recovering their own fumble near the goal line. They eventually found their footing and earned a pair of first downs to their own 43 as the first quarter ended.
Between quarters, former Greenwood administrator Jerry Cecil was briefly introduced on the field and acknowledged for his many years of loyal service. Cecil spent 31 years with the school district, serving as high school principal, assistant superintendent, and 17 years as Athletic Director. He received a warm and well-deserved round of applause from the crowd.
When play resumed, a penalty and strong pass defense by the Bulldogs ended the Alma drive, forcing a punt, with Greenwood taking over on offense at its own 27. With Luke Hales back behind center, the Bulldogs needed just five plays to score their second touchdown of the game.
On first down, Hales kept for nine yards to the 36, and on second down completed a long pass to senior receiver Devin Gilbert, who bobbled the ball momentarily before securing it and reaching the Alma 27. Noland then replaced Hales and ran for 13 yards to the 14, before Marc Jones rumbled to the 4. Hales then re-entered the game and scored on a QB keeper. Ennis added the extra point.
With 10:08 left in the first half, the Bulldogs led 14-0, and the defense once again proved up to the task, stopping the Airedales short of a first down. Alma's punt sailed out-of-bounds at their own 47, giving Greenwood's offense a short field.
The home team's third scoring drive took just 56 seconds and five plays. Noland completed three straight passes, the first two throws to junior Kade Orlicek for 28 yards, and the last one to sophomore Josh Barlow for 11 yards to the Alma 14.
The shifty Noland did the rest with his legs, keeping the ball twice for three and 11 yards, respectively, the last run for the touchdown and six points. The extra point was good and the Bulldogs led 21-0 at the 7:04 mark.
Alma then put together its best offensive series of the first half, driving 64 yards in 17 plays, the last of which was a fourth down pass overthrown in the end zone. With only one tick left on the first half clock, the Bulldogs took a knee and headed to the locker room.
Alma received the opening kick of the second half, but could do nothing with it. One of several good defensive plays by the GHS secondary forced yet another Airedales' punt, rolling dead at the Greenwood 42. But the home offense stalled as well on its first possession of the half, largely due to a big penalty and a dropped pass. Alma took over at its own 26 after the punt.
But this time the Airedales cashed in, marching 74 yards in 11 plays, a drive jump-started by a personal foul penalty on the Bulldogs. The touchdown came on a five-yard run by quarterback Garrison Jensen, but the extra point try failed, leaving the score at 21-6 with 5:24 left in the quarter.
The Bulldogs promptly responded with their fourth scoring drive after Kade Orlicek returned the Alma kickoff 22 yards to the GHS 23. The possession started with five rushing plays that reached deep into Airedales' territory. Noland ran twice for 17 yards, Jones rushed twice for 29 yards, and Wood ran once for eight yards.
From the Alma 23, Noland passed to senior Drew Dundee to the 16, and two plays later threw to Gilbert at the 8-yard-line. Kenny Wood then found an open lane around right end for the score. Ennis added the extra point and the Bulldogs were up 28-6 with 3:06 remaining in the third quarter.
The Airedales punted on their next possession as the stanza came to an end. Greenwood took over at its own 32 to begin the fourth quarter, and marched to the Alma 13. But a penalty scuttled a field goal try, forcing the Bulldogs to throw a fourth down pass, which fell incomplete in the end zone.
Greenwood gave up a long pass of 86 yards on Alma's next possession, as receiver Brayden Johnson got behind the defense. That was followed by a 1-yard TD run by Jensen. But the two-point attempt failed, leaving the score at 28-12 with 8:20 remaining to play.
The game's final touchdown occurred 2:10 later at the 6:10 mark of the quarter. The Bulldogs marched 48 yards in seven plays after a botched on-side kick attempt by Alma. On first down, Wood ran for 11 yards to the Alma 37. After a loss to the 40, Noland threw to Orlicek for a first down at the 24.
Three snaps later, Noland scrambled away from trouble, rolling out to his right, and threw to a wide-open Devin Gilbert in the end zone. Grant Ennis added the extra point, making the score 35-12.
A pass interception by Greenwood's Trey Woods, a sophomore, gave the Bulldogs one last scoring opportunity, but a fumble negated that chance, giving the ball back to the Airedales, who ran out the clock only a few minutes before midnight.
Statistically, the GHS offense was held below 500 yards for the first time this season, but still gained 441 yards, 256 on the ground and 185 passing. Greenwood called 39 running plays for a 6.56 yards-per-play average, led by Kenny Wood with 91 yards on 13 carries. Marc Jones ran eight times for 67 yards, while Connor Noland (10/52) and Luke Hales (8/46) combined for 98 yards.
Through the air, Hales (6/66 yards) and Noland (12/119 yards) combined for 18 completions on 27 total attempts, with nine different receivers catching the ball. Kade Orlicek and Devin Gilbert had three catches each, with Gilbert gaining 65 yards.
After the game, GHS Head Coach Rick Jones spoke with his players, congratulating them on the victory, but also reminding them that they must continue to improve and "tighten things up" as they head into conference play. Jones then talked with the media.
"It was a good win," said the coach, whose only loss to the Airedales came in 2004, his first season at Greenwood. But despite the victory and the ease with which his offense moved the ball, Jones acknowledged there was a point in the game when things might have been different.
"Alma gave us fits," he said. "We [went] down and scored easily, and then they [drove] it on us for 9½ or 10 minutes from the one-inch line. It was so frustrating. We were so close to getting a safety, and then they go all the way down [the field]. We can't get the ball, and that's a good [strategy] against us.
"[Our offense] couldn't get back on the field, and we couldn't get their offense off the field. It was a bad combination." Ultimately, the Bulldogs' defense halted the drive, forcing an incomplete pass on fourth down at their own 5-yard-line.
“That was huge,” said Jones. “It was good news, bad news. We couldn’t get our offense back on the field, but if they score right there, they have a lot of momentum. I don’t want Alma going into halftime feeling good about themselves. They [received] the second-half kickoff. If they get 14 points right there, they’re right back in it.”
The coach continued to praise the effort of his players, but lamented the sometimes sloppy play. "I don't fault our guys' efforts," he said. "They played hard. We just have to be smarter. We have to play better. We're just not playing good, clean, tight football, and that's what we need to do. We've got to hold on to the ball and keep them in front of us [on defense]. It's frustrating, not executing at a high level."
Asked about the long delay prior to kickoff, Jones didn't believe it really affected either team much. "I don't think it was a factor," said Jones. "We really didn't try to over-respond to [the delay]. You don't know how long it's going to be, and it's messed up for everybody.
"We probably had the advantage because we were at home and we have better accommodations than they do. We'd walk through once in a while and talk [to the players] about reminders. But we tried to have that last 10 minutes as much like a [normal] game as possible."
Finally, the coach talked about this week's opponent, the Texarkana Razorbacks, and the opening of 6A West conference play. "I've seen Texarkana on film last year one time," said Jones.
"I haven't seen a whole lot of them, but I know they have tremendous speed. Everybody I've talked to says they have one of the fastest teams you'll ever see. They have a great track program and their kids are really fast."
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. this coming Friday at Smith-Robinson Stadium. The following week the Bulldogs will hit the road for their longest trip of the season to El Dorado.