The Greenwood Bulldogs entered last Friday’s road game at Texarkana ranked #1 in Class 6A, but the players from Arkansas High didn’t seem to care. Under new head coach Barry Norton, who left cross-town rival Texas High earlier this year, the resurgent Razorbacks have a talented roster loaded with speed and enough confidence to think they could hang with the Bulldogs, and they did for a while.
Their athleticism was readily apparent in the first half as the hometown Hogs led Greenwood at the half, 17-13. But the Bulldogs regrouped at the break and performed much better in the second half, especially the defense, on their way to a 38-17 conference victory.
It’s a long way to Texarkana down Highway 71 – about 3½ hours by bus – and perhaps the Bulldogs needed some time to get into the flow of the game and adjust to the overall team speed of their opponents. GHS Head Coach Rick Jones knew the Razorbacks were fast, because he had seen it up close and personal.
“We [found out] from the conference track meet [last spring],” said Jones. “I went out and watched them for about five minutes, got sick to my stomach and decided I couldn’t watch any more, they’re so fast. They’re just really athletic. Those guys are really good.”
Jones also ran into Coach Norton several years ago at a coaching clinic and knows the Razorbacks have one of the best at the helm now. Referring to Norton’s unusual move from Texas High to Arkansas High, Jones said, “It’s a unique situation, crossing the street to a different school in another state.
“He’s done very, very well in Texas,” said Jones. Norton posted a remarkable record of 152-25-1 at Texas High, including a state title. “He’s won a ton of games, and now he hops over here in Arkansas.” The Razorbacks are also slated to drop down to Class 5A next season, which should help them greatly.
Not only did the Bulldogs have to deal with the long bus ride, but the temperature at game time was 85 degrees on the first official day of fall. Still, all seemed normal as Greenwood received the kick and marched 47 yards in five plays to score on their opening possession.
Senior Aaron Ohl got things started with an excellent kick return from the Greenwood 8 to the Texarkana 47. Senior running back Kenny Wood got a yard on first down, then caught Connor Noland’s first pass of the game for an 11-yard pickup to the 35.
Noland then connected with junior receiver Josh Barlow for another nice gain to the 20. Noland then went back to Barlow for a short completion to the 17.
After a play for no gain, Noland found junior Peyton Holt open at the 5-yard-line. The junior playmaker snared the catch and carried in for the touchdown. The extra point was good by junior kicker Grant Ennis for a 7-0 GHS lead (10:36).
Texarkana then took over seven minutes to march 78 yards in 12 plays to the GHS 2-yard-line, but were forced to settle for a field goal after a third down pass was batted down by defensive back Camden Hall. The kick came with 4:02 showing on the scoreboard clock with Greenwood leading 7-3.
After the kick return to the Greenwood 29, a quick turnover put the Texarkana offense right back on the field. On first down, Noland’s pass to senior Zane Harmon was caught at the 40, but immediate contact dislodged the ball, pluck out of the air by Cameron Collier, who returned it to the 20.
But Collier wasn’t done. On first down, Razorbacks QB Drake Browning lofted a pass to the right side of the end zone and Cameron Collier leapt high for a one-handed grab, despite being well-defended by Greenwood’s Ethan Escalante. The amazing catch was followed by the extra point for a 10-7 Texarkana lead.
Undaunted, the Bulldogs answered with a long drive for their second touchdown, aided by a pair of big penalties against the Razorbacks. The first flag for roughing the passer added 15 yards after a 26-yard gain on a screen pass to Kenny Wood.
From the 50, Greenwood got another gift when Texarkana was flagged for pass interference, moving the ball to the Razorbacks’ 40. Moments later Peyton Holt made a great one-handed catch before going out-of-bounds at the 19 for a 13-yard gain.
Noland then kept the ball for a six-yard pickup before handing off to Wood three consecutive times, the last of which covered three yards and yielded a touchdown. But the kick by Ennis was no good with 13 seconds left in the opening half.
Trailing 13-10, the Razorbacks failed to pick up a first down as the game became a defensive struggle in the second quarter. Greenwood narrowly missed a long field goal attempt from 40 yards out and both teams traded several punts until Texarkana took possession with 1:53 left in the half.
Two plays later, Browning ran left, slipped a couple of tackles and found running room down the left sideline all the way to the end zone. The PAT was good and Texarkana led 17-13, taking that lead into the locker room at the half.
But it was all Bulldogs in the second half, starting with a forced fumble on the opening kickoff. Greenwood junior Dawson James stood up the kick returner near the 15-yard-line before the ball came loose and was recovered by Camden Hall at the Texarkana 7.
But the stubborn Razorbacks’ defense put up a fight, forcing Greenwood to settle for a 33-yard field goal by Ennis, trimming the Texarkana lead to one point at 17-16.
The home team moved the first down marker twice on its next possession, but a quarterback sack by Greenwood sophomore defensive lineman Cole Erwin left the Razorbacks facing fourth-and-31, forcing a punt. The Bulldogs took over at the 50 and needed just one play to retake the lead for good.
On the first snap, Noland found Kenny Wood near the 40-yard-line in front of the GHS bench. The senior running back was wide open and caught the ball before streaking down the sideline for the score, somehow staying inbounds after receiving contact at the 5. A two-point pass from Noland to Holt was good, making the score 24-17 with 5:17 left in the third quarter.
The Razorbacks’ offense started in a big hole after Greenwood stuffed the kick return inside the 5-yard-line. Although Texarkana managed to get a first down, the home team had to punt from deep in its own territory, then was flagged for a penalty after impeding Peyton Holt’s attempt at a fair catch.
Starting at the Razorbacks’ 29, the Bulldogs needed just five plays to score. Holt ran for three yards on first down, then Wood caught a screen pass to the 8-yard-line. A bad snap resulted in a big loss to the 25, but Noland scrambled out-of-bounds at the 19 on the next snap.
He then threw to Holt in the left back corner of the end zone. The GHS receiver made an incredible diving catch while staying inbounds. Ennis added the extra point for a 31-17 GHS advantage with 1:30 left in the third stanza.
Greenwood’s final score came early in the fourth quarter after another Texarkana punt. From the Bulldogs’ 43, the offense marched 57 yards in six plays, all but one on the ground. Senior Jackson Webb ran twice for eight yards and Noland completed a short pass to Holt for seven yards.
Kenny Wood did the rest, rushing three times for 44 yards, including the 21-yard TD gallop. He found a seam through the middle of the defense, then cut left for the score. Ennis added the extra point and the GHS defense held the Razorbacks scoreless over the final 10 minutes for the 38-17 win.
The Bulldogs rolled up 351 yards of offense, 149 on the ground and 202 passing. Noland struggled in the first half, but finished the game with 14 completions on 25 attempts for three touchdowns. Kenny Wood ran for 129 yards on 16 carries, while Peyton Holt had six receptions for 60 yards.
On defense, Greenwood was led by senior linebacker Nick Vota with 13 total tackles, including four solo stops and nine assists. Senior Jon Womack was right behind with 12 tackles, including four solos. Senior Dylan Vota also had eight total tackles, six of those assists, while senior Hunter Webb was in on eight tackles, junior Morgan Hanna had seven stops, and junior Travis Cox had six.
After the game, Coach Jones said, “It was so obvious that we just didn’t play [in the first half], and I challenged them to go out there and play. I think they thought it was supposed to be easy, but there’s nothing easy about it. You’re on the road for 3½ hours and you play a team that can run and has some speed, and if you play sloppy, that’s what happens to you. Hopefully we learned our lesson.
“I was proud of the way we played in the second half. I was really disgusted with the way we played the first half. We’ve still got a lot of things to work on, so we’re not going to cancel practice next week,” said the coach.
With the victory, the Bulldogs opened league play at 1-0. “It’s a big game,” said Jones. “It’s the conference opener. We’ve got to enjoy this tonight, because tomorrow we’re going to start thinking about what we’ve got next week, and we’re going to have our hands full [with El Dorado].”
The Head Bulldog was also pleased with the nice turnout by Greenwood fans who made the long trip to Texarkana. “I tell the kids, ‘We may play away, but we’re never away from home,’” said Jones.
Earlier in the day the coach also talked about the open date left by the departure of Alma from the schedule for at least the next couple of years. “We have a verbal agreement [with Sand Springs, OK],” he said. “I think it’s going to work [out]. Sand Springs is equivalent to [Class] 6A in Arkansas.
[I’ve] coached there several times. Typically, they’re physical, tough kids, and they have a great wrestling program, and that’s a pretty good combination. They have some good skill players [too]. It ought to be fun. It’s not a bad drive. It’s on the west side of Tulsa, not far from the Arkansas River.
“Hopefully we’ll get the papers signed on that in the next week or so. The way it looks, they’ll be coming here next year and we’ll be going there the year after,’ said Jones.
This week Greenwood (4-0, 1-0) hosts the El Dorado Wildcats (4-0, 1-0) in a regular season and conference showdown of the top two teams in Class 6A. The winner of Friday’s game will have the inside track for the top seed from the 6A West in the playoffs. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.