The Greenwood Jr. Bulldogs improved to 2-1 on the season last Thursday with a dominating 42-0 win over the Ramsey Rams. The contest was played at Jim Rowland Stadium on the campus of Southside High School in Fort Smith.
The Greenwood freshman scored on each of their first three offensive possessions, then added a defensive touchdown for a 28-0 lead at the half. They tacked on a pair of second half scores as well, while the defense stifled the opposition, keeping the Rams out of the end zone.
The home team received the opening kick, but the visiting defense immediately made a big play to set up Greenwood’s first scoring threat. From the Rams’ 31, a pass attempt was tipped by Fletcher Gill and intercepted by Colin Dagget, who returned the pick to the Ramsey 11-yard-line.
Back on offense, Dagget ran on first down to the five before Cameron Krone ran twice, the second time for the 1-yard touchdown. Kicker Ben Moy added the extra point for a 7-0 Greenwood lead (6:36).
Moments later, after a Rams’ punt, Greenwood had the ball at its own 40. On second down, Dagget took the handoff and began an incredible journey through the Ramsey defense, dodging and weaving his way into the enemy backfield until he broke free and bolted 60 yards for the score. The kick by Moy was good.
Leading 14-0, the Greenwood defense again shut down the Rams. The subsequent punt gave the Jr. ‘Dogs the football at the Rams’ 46. Quarterback Noah Jantzen immediately passed to Sebastian Crumb for 23 yards. After a holding penalty moved the ball back to the 37, Jantzen ran a QB draw to the 15 on the final play of the first quarter.
To begin the second period, three rushing plays netted seven yards, before Jantzen threw to Cameron Krone at the five. Krone then scored on the next snap. The PAT put Greenwood ahead 21-0.
The defense continued its stellar play in the second quarter, scoring the game’s fourth touchdown. Ramsey’s quarterback attempted to run around right end and was stood up by a pack of Bulldogs, allowing Greenwood’s Tyler Crossno to rip the ball loose and return it about 30 yards for the score. The extra point made the score 28-0 (5:17).
The Rams finally moved the ball offensively on their last possession of the first half, driving deep into Greenwood territory, but the defense stiffened. Facing fourth and goal from the 4-yard-line, the Rams came up short when their quarterback was dragged down at the six by Fletcher Gill, ending the threat.
The Jr. ‘Dogs received the opening kick of the second half, with Dagget bringing the ball back to the 45. Sebastian Crumb then carried across the midfield stripe to the Ramsey 45, before Dagget ran again for a big gain to the 23.
Following a penalty to the 28, Jantzen kept the ball on a QB draw to the 12 for a first down. He kept it again on the next snap, reaching the Rams’ 5-yard-line, then repeated his effort for the touchdown. The kick by Moy was good, making the score 35-0 (6:09).
With the clock running, the Bulldogs had one more impressive drive left, this time from their second team offense. From their own 35, with just over three minutes left in the third quarter, they needed 11 plays to score their final touchdown, with Jabin Huff at quarterback.
To start the possession, Huff kept the ball and reached the 42, then passed to receiver Seth Stephans at the 44, before Cameron Krone carried to the Ramsey 47 to move the sticks for a fresh set of downs. Gabe Belin then ran to the 40, then again to the 30.
As the game moved into the fourth quarter, Belin reached the 26 before Huff passed to Logan McLellan at the 17. Huff then ran to the 8-yard-line. On the next snap it was Belin again, reaching the two. He scored on the next play. The extra point was good, making the final score 42-0.
With six minutes left, the Rams put together a time-consuming drive against Greenwood’s defensive reserves, but were ultimately turned back at the visitors’ 32-yard-line, giving the ball up on downs.
Shortly after the contest, Head Coach Shannon Rhea talked about the win. “We did a real good job offensively,” he said. “We executed well, and I don’t think we had a turnover. We got a big one [on defense], a strip and an interception. We made all our extra points. I thought overall it was good.
“I was really pleased with [the defense],” added the coach. “We’ve been doing concentration drills. That’s what hurt us at Russellville. We’d have a bad snap or a penalty or something [else], but we played well tonight.”
Rhea also revealed a change in strategy regarding quarterback Noah Jantzen, one that paid off well against the Rams. “We’ve decided that we’re going to let [Noah] do a few more things running the ball. We spread them out and let him run, and he did [well]. He’s got some speed. He’s one of the fastest kids on our team and he’s hard to bring down.”
The coach also praised the hard work and ability of Colin Dagget and Sebastian Crumb. “We’ve got some other guys, but [Dagget] and Crumb probably play harder than anybody. They play everything and give all they’ve got. They play really hard.”
Rhea also liked what he saw from his offensive line. “We had a couple of mistakes, but we moved [Ramsey] out of there. We executed, and I was really pleased with those guys,” said the coach.
Next week the Jr. ‘Dogs will continue River Valley Conference play, returning to Jim Rowland Stadium to take on the Fort Smith Chaffin Cougars. Game time will be at 7 p.m. Greenwood’s next home game will be on October 4th against Fort Smith Kimmons.