The Greenwood High School freshmen Bulldogs hope to end their regular season with a three-game winning streak on Thursday at home against longtime rival Alma. The Jr. ‘Dogs suffered a controversial 15-14 loss at Harrison on October 5th but followed up with a pair of victories at Pea Ridge on October 12th and at home last Thursday against Shiloh Christian. They are currently 7-2 on the season and will host the Jr. Airedales Thursday at 7 p.m.
Unfortunately, Pea Ridge failed to send the game video to the Greenwood coaches after the contest, and the Dog Pound doesn’t usually cover junior high away games in person. Thus, there is no video from which to write the game story. However, Head Coach Luke Hales reconstructed the game as best he could from memory, as follows:
Pea Ridge
“The first scoring drive we marched down the field with Drew Dickinson and Danh Nguyen running the football. (Starting running back Mario Dunbar was injured). Brewer threw one to Ty Holt and got us down to the goal line, and Dickinson punched it in I think,” recalled Hales.
“We [also] scored on a punt that was snapped over the punter’s head. Thomas Newcity ran back and smoked the punter as he was trying to pick up the ball. Griffin Mourton [then] picked it up and ran it in for a touchdown.
“Dickinson would score [twice more] on the ground to put us up 28-0 at halftime. Short drives; short field; and our defense was stoning them. I think Brayden Brewer hit Braxton Canada or Ty Holt on a pass to make it 35-0 in the third quarter. The final score was 35-6.
“A couple of standout players were Brock Shepherd at linebacker/D-line and Alex Vanderwatt, who stepped up and played left guard for another injured player. Brayden Renick and Cooper Webb also blocked really well at receiver positions,” said the coach.
Shiloh Christian
The Jr. Saints are one of the best teams in the conference with a long history of gridiron excellence, and they came to Smith-Robinson Stadium last Thursday night, suffering a 35-18 loss to the freshmen Bulldogs. Greenwood led Shiloh 21-6 at the half and 28-12 after three periods.
The Bulldogs received the opening kick but had to punt to the Saints’ 38-yard-line. After moving to midfield, Shiloh coughed up the football when Greenwood’s Thomas Newcity laid a solid hit on the Saints’ quarterback and Griffin Mourton took the ball away and returned it to the visitors’ 40-yard-line. The Jr. ‘Dogs then drove for their first score.
A short flip pass from QB Brayden Brewer to Braxton Canada turned into a 17-yard gain to the 23 on first down. After a penalty moved the ball back to the 28, a now healthy Mario Dunbar ran back to the 23 before Brewer passed to Canada again, reaching the 12-yard-line. After a loss to the 16, Brewer ran a QB keeper to the four before keeping it again for the touchdown up the middle. The extra point kick by Landon Franklin was good for a 7-0 home lead.
But it didn’t take long for the Saints to strike back. They returned the kickoff to the Shiloh 32, then got a 68-yard scoring run to trim the Greenwood lead to 7-6, failing on a two-point conversion attempt. However, the Junior Bulldogs would score three consecutive touchdowns to build a 28-6 lead midway through the third quarter.
Greenwood’s next score came after an 11-play drive that carried over into the second quarter. Ty Holt got the ball rolling with a long kick return to the visitors’ 43. Mario Dunbar rumbled to the Shiloh 44 then again to the 42. Brewer passed to Brayden Renick to the 38 and Dunbar carried to the 35.
Facing fourth-and-one, Brewer kept the ball for a first down at the 28. Facing another fourth down situation at the 24, Brewer threw to Holt for 11 yards to the 13, moving the chains. Another pass to Holt reached the 7-yard-line before Drew Dickinson found running room around the left side for the touchdown. Franklin’s kick was good again for a 14-6 Greenwood lead.
Fumbling the subsequent kickoff, the Saints found themselves deep in their own territory at their 2-yard-line. They moved to their 22, but Greenwood’s Bailey Thibodeau had a tackle for a loss on fourth-and-short, giving Greenwood the ball at the Shiloh 21. It was a critical gamble that did not pay off for the Saints, setting up another Bulldogs’ score.
On first down, Brayden Brewer threw to Ty Holt for a nice gain to the 3-yard-line before Mario Dunbar scored behind the left side of the Greenwood line. Landon Franklin added the extra point and the home team led 21-6 with 4:08 left in the second quarter. That remained the score as both teams adjourned for halftime.
When play resumed, the Bulldogs kicked off, but Shiloh gave the ball up quickly on their second snap, throwing an interception picked off by eighth grader William Rye at the home 42-yard-line. Seven plays later the Jr. ‘Dogs were in the end zone. The drive was aided by a pass interference penalty on the Saints.
Brayden Brewer passed to Mario Dunbar on first down to the 34. After the ‘Dogs reached the 26-yard-line, Shiloh was flagged for pass interference, moving the ball to the 13, and Dunbar scored on the next snap off the left side. The extra point was good by Franklin and Greenwood led 28-6 with 5:44 left in the third period.
Less than two minutes later the Saints finally dented the scoreboard again after a 70-yard drive in eight plays, taking advantage of a facemask penalty against Greenwood that negated a quarterback sack. The touchdown came on a 57-yard screen pass followed by a two-point try foiled by a great defensive play by William Rye, knocking down a pass attempt.
Leading 28-12, Greenwood recovered Shiloh’s onside kick attempt at midfield, then reached the Shiloh 30 before the offense stalled out, punting the ball to the home 14-yard-line. From there, the Saints once again put together a quick scoring drive, converting on fourth down to midfield then completing a long touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter (7:31). The two-point try failed again, leaving the score at 28-18, the outcome still very much in doubt.
But the Greenwood defense shut down the Shiloh offense on its final two possessions while the visiting offense managed to score one more time. Starting at their own 45 after Shiloh’s onside kick, the Bulldogs needed just four plays to secure their victory. A short pass from Brewer to Braxton Canada reached the Shiloh 44 on first down before Mario Dunbar ran to the 41 and Drew Dickinson to the 39. Dickinson then rumbled all the way to the end zone for six points. Franklin’s kick was good, making the final score, 35-18.