The Greenwood Junior High football team improved to 6-1 overall this past Thursday night with a convincing road victory at Siloam Springs, 35-12. Three games remain on the season schedule with the conference title still up for grabs. The freshmen ‘Dogs host Pea Ridge next Thursday at Smith-Robinson Stadium before finishing their season on the road at Shiloh Christian and Alma. The winner of the Greenwood-Shiloh Christian contest will likely be champion of the Northwest Arkansas River Valley conference, assuming both teams take care of business against their other remaining opponents.
First-year Head Coach Luke Hales saw his team jump out to a 21-0 first-half lead against the Jr. Panthers, who scored late in the half, making it 21-6 at the break. Greenwood then went up 28-6 in the third period before Siloam Springs scored its last touchdown early in the fourth quarter. The visitors then added a late score for the 35-12 Final.
The visitors received the opening kickoff and covered the ball at their own 40 with no return. But it didn’t take long to reach the end zone – just two plays – both through the air. Quarterback Cooper Goodwin completed his first toss for a nine-yard gain to Benton Hossley to the 49, then dumped a short swing pass to running back Wesley Raggio, who did the rest with his feet, sprinting through a gap in the defense nearly untouched for the 51-yard touchdown play. Cooper Bland and Malaki Efurd made tremendous blocks on the play to spring Raggio for the score. The extra point by Laydn Cassanova was good for a 7-0 Greenwood lead.
Forcing a Siloam Springs’ punt moments later, the visiting offense was right back out on the field, scoring again in just three plays. Starting at the home team’s 43-yard-line, Raggio ran to the 37 on first down before Goodwin kept to the 32 on the next snap. Then Goodwin hooked up with receiver Lawyer Thornsberry, wide open for the touchdown. The extra point was good for a 14-0 lead.
The Jr. Panthers managed to penetrate Greenwood territory on their next possession, reaching the 19-yard-line before failing on a fourth down play, giving the ball back to the Bulldogs early in the second quarter. The visitors then marched 81 yards in seven plays, most of them involving Raggio, who caught a trio of passes for nearly 60 yards during the possession, including the touchdown catch and run for 18 yards. He also had a 29-yard reception earlier in the series. The extra point kick made the score 21-0.
A short kickoff gave Siloam Springs the ball in good field position at its own 46, setting up the Panthers’ first score after a short drive sparked by a long run to near the Greenwood 20. A few snaps later the home team got on the scoreboard, but a two-point pass attempt was intercepted by Greenwood’s Caleb Cox, leaving the score at 21-6.
With little time remaining in the half, the Bulldogs went back to work on offense, driving from their own 38 to inside the Siloam Springs’ 30 before time ran out and both teams headed to their locker rooms.
Greenwood kicked to start the second half, and the Jr. Panthers stalled out offensively at midfield, failing on a fourth down play at their own 49, giving the ball to the visitors with excellent field position. However, a Greenwood fumble ended the promising possession at the home 6-yard-line. But just two snaps later the Panthers reciprocated with a fumble of their own, and the Jr. ‘Dogs were back in business.
This time they cashed in after a seven-play drive from the Siloam Springs’ 20-yard-line. Raggio carried the ball five times and scored the touchdown from three yards out. The extra point kick made it 28-6 early in the fourth period with time quickly running out for a Siloam Springs rally.
But the Jr. Panthers didn’t quit and drove 69 yards for their second and last touchdown of the game midway through the final quarter on a scoring pass, but then failed again on the extra point try, making the score 28-12.
With their lead trimmed to 16 points, the Bulldogs put the game away for good with a 78-yard scoring drive of their own, burning up most of the remaining time. All eight plays were on the ground with Raggio doing most of the honors, including a 25-yard gallop and a 17-yard run. But it was Brayden Sheppard who scored the touchdown on an 8-yard scamper. The extra point by Casanova was good, making the final, 35-12.
“We relied heavily on our offensive line,” said Coach Hales after the game. “They did such a good job for us.” The freshmen ‘Dogs have benefited from their big linemen up front all season. It’s been a strength of the team, which is now 6-1 on the season. “We’ve got three [games] left,” said Hales, who is now focused on getting his players ready for Pea Ridge next Thursday. “They’ve been competitive,” he said of next week’s conference opponent. “We’ve got to get after it and do our thing. We’ve got to play the way we play, and it should be a good night.”
Asked about the chance to win another conference championship by winning out, including a victory at unbeaten Shiloh Christian, Hales said tentatively, “I believe so. It may be a shared situation, but we’re not really worried about that [right now]. We’re trying to win against Pea Ridge on Thursday and then we’ll move on to Shiloh.”
Hales also confirmed that Deacon Cameron, injured earlier this season, is rehabbing and could rejoin the team before the season ends. Cameron was a starter on special teams and played linebacker on defense. He served as a backup at running back as well. Otherwise, the team is healthy, according to Hales.