A week after blanking the Alma Jr. Airedales, 37-0, the Greenwood High School freshmen Bulldogs shut down the Pea Ridge offense, keeping the opposition out of the end zone for a second consecutive week. Greenwood defeated the Blackhawks in conference play, 43-0, last Thursday night. The win pushed the Jr. Bulldogs’ record to a perfect 3-0, two of those wins on the road, with Van Buren coming to Greenwood and Smith-Robinson Stadium this coming Thursday.
The defense set the tone for the lopsided victory, forcing three Pea Ridge turnovers in the first half. But first, Greenwood received the opening kick with Braxton Canada returning the ball to the 28-yard-line. But quarterback Jubal Parks and the GHS offense couldn’t make a first down and punted the ball away to the Pea Ridge 42. But after the first Blackhawks turnover, the Greenwood offense shifted into high gear.
On first down, Pea Ridge attempted a pass, but Greenwood defensive back William Rye made a diving catch for an interception at the Greenwood 45. Back on offense, Drake Little carried to the 47. After a short gain to the 50, Little carried again for 16 yards to the 34. QB Jubal Parks then passed to Jayden Campbell, reaching the 29. After a penalty pushed the visitors back to the Pea Ridge 38, Parks connected with William Rye for a gain to the 10-yard-line. Three snaps later, Parks scored on a keeper up the middle from the 3-yard-line. But the extra point try was botched by a bad snap, leaving the score 6-0.
But it didn’t take long for Greenwood to get the football back after another quick interception, this one by Luke Wilson, who stepped in front of the intended receiver and had a short return to the Pea Ridge 30. Parks then threw to Braxton Canada to near the 25 before a penalty moved the ball to the 16. Another pass to Canada reached the 10 and yet another flag on Pea Ridge moved the ball to the 5-yard-line. Two snaps later, Drake Little scored from one yard out and this time the extra point kick by Grayson Cobbler was good, making the score 13-0.
The game moved into the second quarter on the Blackhawks’ next possession, ending with a punt to the 50-yard-line. Greenwood changed quarterbacks with Dabin Gaines checking in to lead the next Bulldogs’ scoring drive. On second down, he passed to Jevin Tilson for seven yards, then to William Rye for 13 yards to the home 30-yard-line. Drew Dickinson then rambled twice to the 21 before Gaines ran a keeper to the 17. Three plays later he threw to Tilson again, reaching the 6-yard-line. The touchdown came on a rollout by Gaines and a toss to Braxton Canada near the right pylon for the score. The kick by Cobbler was good again for a 20-0 GHS lead.
The defense then came through again when linebacker Gunner Flanary chased down the Pea Ridge quarterback from behind and stripped the ball, allowing teammate Keagan Rice to make the recovery at the home 44-yard-line. Six plays later the Jr. ‘Dogs were in the end zone again. The short drive started with a pass from Gaines to Jayden Campbell to the Pea Ridge 37. Three snaps later, Drew Dickinson rumbled 24 yards through several would-be tacklers to the 10-yard-line. Dickinson then got the call twice more, scoring the touchdown on a 4-yard run up the middle. The kick by Cobbler was good.
Trailing 27-0 late in the half, the Blackhawks got their biggest play of the game when their quarterback sprinted up the middle for a long run of 69 yards before being chased down by Greenwood defender William Rye at the 5-yard-line. Two failed passes followed with time running out before a QB keeper was stopped short at the 1-yard-line on the final play of the half.
When play resumed, the Bulldogs went right back to work, forcing the Blackhawks to punt after a three-and-out. After a bad snap, they were forced to kick from their own end zone, giving Greenwood the ball in enemy territory at the Pea Ridge 28. Jubal Parks passed to Braxton Canada for a gain to the 21, then found Canada again wide open in the end zone for six points. The extra point was good, and Greenwood increased its lead to 34-0.
The defense then forced yet another Blackhawks’ punt, this time to the Greenwood 46 with no return. Parks then threw to Jevin Tilson for 24 yards to the Pea Ridge 30, and again to the 20. After completing another toss to the 7-yard-line, Drake Little carried to the one-yard line and then for the touchdown. Cobbler’s kick made it 41-0. The Jr. Bulldogs added a defensive safety by Jasper Meeker later in the game to make the final score 43-0.
When asked about his impression of the contest and his team’s performance, Head Coach Luke Hales began with his defense. “Our defense just played awesome,” he said. “We’ve had two shutouts in a row, and that really speaks to our kids’ effort and our coaches’ preparation. Toward the end of the game, we had to punt, and we pinned them deep inside the 10, and our guys made a really big stop. They had a bad snap, and our kids flew back there and made a play [for the safety].
“Our D-line was incredible – [Gunner] Flanary and [Hunter] Crawford. Bryer Hackler was back at linebacker. We also rotated some more guys in the secondary. J.C. McMillen played some in the secondary for us and did a good job. Our kids are flying to the football and tackling and being physical, and that’s what Bulldog football is all about. Playing physical, but doing it the right way,” said Hales.
Offensively, the coach credited his defense for helping their brethren on the other side of the ball. “We benefitted from our defense. We had two picks early in the first quarter. William Rye and Luke Wilson had interceptions, so we were dealing with short fields. But our offense started slow, to be honest. We went three-and-out on our first possession. But when the defense got their energy going it sparked our offense. Everything started with our defense.
“We played Parks and Gaines at quarterback,” said the coach. “Both got quite a few snaps, and both are doing a good job for us. Those are guys we need to develop for the future, so when they’re in the 11th and 12th grades they are the best they can be.” As for all-around playmaker and receiver Braxton Canada, Hales said, “[He] will still play some quarterback depending on who we are playing and the game plan. But we just like to get the ball in his hands because he can do a lot of stuff. Something we can do better at receiver is blocking. We need to be great without the ball. Guys blocking on the edge make plays happen.”
As for the performance of his offensive line and running backs, Coach Hales was very pleased. “Absolutely,” he said. “Coach [Brian] Sims has been doing this a long time and he knows exactly what needs to get done and he can fix [problems] in a moment. We were super happy with our offensive line. Our running backs did great [as well]. We rotated Drew Dickinson and Drake Little. Dickinson also starts on defense. But those guys got the majority of the carries. I think they both had a rushing touchdown. And we didn’t have any turnovers.”
As for this week’s opponent, Van Buren, Coach Hales is taking nothing for granted, despite his team’s hot start. “Van Buren is really talented. They’ve got two running backs that can play and some big boys up front. They are the beginning of the tough part of our schedule. We think it’s going to be a heck of a ballgame. They’re one of our tough opponents in this grade and our kids are looking forward to it.” Hales recalled that last season on the eighth-grade level Greenwood won by two touchdowns, but it was one of their closest games of the season. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Thursday night at Smith-Robinson Stadium.