The Greenwood Junior High Bulldogs (8-1, 6-1) ended their 2017 gridiron season with a 28-0 thumping of the Alma Junior Airedales last Thursday at Smith-Robinson Stadium. Head Coach Shannon Rhea and his team finished second behind Harrison (9-1, 6-0-1) in the River Valley Conference standings.
Harrison rallied from a 21-0 first half deficit to edge Greenwood 28-27 on October 19th, and narrowly avoided its first loss in two years last Thursday, settling for a 33-33 tie with visiting Van Buren. The Jr. Goblins certainly deserve credit for a great season and their comeback against Greenwood, but a good argument can be made that the Jr. Bulldogs were the better team overall.
For example, Harrison beat Fort Smith Kimmons 34-30, a team Greenwood blasted 34-9. The Jr. Goblins defeated Fort Smith Chaffin 31-30, while the Jr. Bulldogs clobbered the Cougars 40-7. Harrison beat Alma 30-24, while Greenwood beat the Jr. Airedales twice this year, 21-6 and 28-0. Harrison tied Van Buren, but only a week before the Jr. Pointers were crushed by Greenwood, 49-20.
Last week’s home and season finale against Alma began with a Hayden Wells’ kick return to the Greenwood 40-yard-line. Seven plays later the Jr. ‘Dogs reached the end zone for the first of four times in the game. Facing second-and-16 after a penalty and a fumbled snap, running back Hunter Wilkinson dashed 14 yards to the 48, then got four more to the Alma 48 for a first down.
A screen pass from quarterback L.D. Richmond to Wilkinson reached the 38, before Richmond scrambled for 13 yards, setting up the scoring play, a 25-yard gallop by Wilkinson through the middle of the Alma defense. A fake kick on the extra point failed when Hayden Wells was stopped short of the goal line and two points, leaving the score 6-0 with 6:06 left in the first quarter.
Good defense, a quick offensive series by Alma, and a short punt put the ball back into the hands of Greenwood in excellent field position, and the Jr. Bulldogs made the most of it, scoring in just six plays. Starting from the visitors’ own 31, a pair of bad plays once again left them facing third-and-long from the 37, before a screen pass to Wilkinson bailed them out, reaching the 22.
Facing fourth-and-short, Wilkinson picked up the first down at the 21, keeping the possession alive. Richmond then passed to receiver Peyton Carter to the 8-yard-line, before Wilkinson exploited the heart of the Alma defense once again for his second touchdown. He also ran for the two-point conversion, making the score 14-0 (2:47).
The Jr. Airedales were finally able to advance the ball into Greenwood territory as the game moved into the second quarter. But after penetrating inside the 35-yard-line, Alma gave up the ball following a failed fourth down play. The Jr. Bulldogs took over at their own 32 and quickly marched for their third and final score of the opening half.
Richmond completed a pass to Jase Strozier for a short gain to the 36, but connected with Tatum Sadler for a much bigger gain on the next play, reaching the Alma 44. Running back Caden Franks then ran for 21 yards, before scoring two plays later on a 23-yard romp. Franks replaced Wilkinson for the remainder of the game due to an unspecified injury.
Franks’ TD added to the Greenwood lead, and the kick by Luis Morales made it 21-0 with 3:18 left in the second quarter. Alma again crossed mid-field on its next possession, reaching the home 42-yard-line before time expired in the first half.
Both teams turned the ball over on downs to start the third quarter, and Alma’s second possession extended into the fourth quarter and ended with a punt to the Greenwood 45. From there, the Jr. ‘Dogs moved for their fourth and final score of the contest.
On first down, Strozier got the carry and rambled for 17 yards to the Alma 38. Three plays later, Richmond threw to Carter for another big gain to the 12-yard-line. Franks then ran off right tackle and around right end for the touchdown. The kick by Morales was good, making the final score 28-0.
Alma pulled off a successful fake punt to keep its final drive alive, making headway against Greenwood’s second team defense, but the possession finally died at the home 13-yard-line as time expired on the game and the 2017 gridiron season.
After a final on-field session with his players, Coach Rhea talked to the Dog Pound about the game, the season, and his players. Rhea has posted a 22-5 record in three seasons as the Jr. Bulldogs’ head coach. Four of those five losses came last season.
“These boys have been a pleasure to work with,” said the coach. “They’ve played hard every game, and even though we got beat at Harrison, they played that game as hard as they could. We really didn’t have too many bad games with them. They’re competitors and I appreciate them.
“I told them after the Harrison game that it would be tough to get back up,” he continued. “They could have sulked and thought their season was over, but they came out and beat a real good Van Buren team and a good Alma team. I don’t think Alma has been shut out all year.”
Asked about the play of running back Caden Franks, taking over for the injured Hunter Wilkinson, Rhea said, “He’s been wanting to carry the ball. He runs hard and does a good job.”
Regarding the play of Jase Strozier, who had a couple of big plays against Alma, the coach said, “He’s been a [good] player for us all year.
“The offense did a good job executing,” he added. “We moved the ball and made some holes, and made some good passes and catches. We made some good plays on third down and kept drives going.”
Rhea was also very pleased with his defense. “[Alma’s] got a tough scheme. They’ve got big linemen and they do a good job with the counter game, but we got in the backfield tonight. I thought we did a really good job, especially in the second half.”
The coach also praised the overall play of his quarterback, L.D. Richmond. “He’s done a real good job. He’s made big plays for us last year and this year. We’re glad to have him.”
Asked if there were any pleasant surprises this past season, Rhea said, “I think the play of the D-line and the depth we had there. Coach [Eric Daniel] was able to rotate two or three sets of linemen in there, and that’s the difference between this team and other teams. That really helped us, because we could stay fresh. I think our linemen did a real good job.”
Finally, asked about the future potential of this group of freshmen, Rhea said, “They can be as good as they want to be, if they stick together. They’ve got some good skill guys and some real good linemen. There’s going to be some of them that will have to play next year [on the varsity team], and I think they just need to get stronger in the weight room, and I think they will do that. They love football.”