The Greenwood Junior High Bulldogs improved their gridiron record to 2-1 last Thursday with a 28-0 road victory at Dardanelle. After dropping their season opener at Farmington, the GHS freshmen won at home last week, 49-8, over Prairie Grove. All three games were league contests. Up next this coming Thursday, the Jr. ‘Dogs will host Van Buren at Smith-Robinson Stadium. Next week they will play at Sallisaw, (OK) in their only non-conference game this season. Kickoff for that contest is set for 5:30 p.m.
Last week’s game was the first time (and last time) this season the Junior Bulldogs will play on a natural grass surface. But they seemed to acclimate very well, scoring four touchdowns while the defense pitched a shutout. Head Coach Luke Hales and his staff were happy with the performance of several players and the overall result reflected by the final score.
Coach Hales was pleased with all aspects of his team’s play as reflected in his post-game analysis. “Our defense has played really well the last two weeks,” said the young head coach, “and our offense has improved quite a bit with Mario Dunbar running the ball. Our offensive line is getting better, and our quarterback is playing better, Brayden Brewer. He’s getting better every day. We’re really pleased with those guys.”
Offensively, the game started slowly for both teams. Greenwood’s first two possessions were short-lived and ended with punts. For the Jr. Sand Lizards, their second offensive series was interrupted by a pass interception by Greenwood’s Griffin Mourton, who returned the pick for a touchdown, but a penalty nullified the score and brought the ball back to the Dardanelle 25. The visitors would score five plays later.
Eighth-grader Braxton Canada ran for three yards on first down, then quarterback Brayden Brewer completed a short pass to the 15. Running back Mario Dunbar rambled to the 7-yard-line, then again to the four before Elijah Rillamas bowled his way into the end zone for the touchdown. The extra point kick by Landon Franklin was good for a 7-0 Greenwood lead (1:15).
Neither team scored again until six minutes later at the 3:09 mark of the second quarter. The Sand Lizards got a long kick return to the Greenwood 32-yard-line, but the visiting defense stifled any further advance. Dardanelle turned the ball over on downs, putting the ball back into the hands of the Greenwood offense.
Moments later, facing second down and five at midfield, Mario Dunbar carried for 13 yards to the home 37, moving the sticks. Four plays later, from the 19, Brewer passed to receiver Rodney Wirth who reached the 1-yard-line. Dunbar then carried in for the game’s second score. Franklin’s kick was good again for a 14-0 Greenwood lead at the intermission.
The visitors then scored on their first possession of the second half after the Sand Lizards botched the kickoff return, fumbling the ball away at their own 25. Brewer then completed a toss to the 14 before dumping a swing pass off to Dunbar, who found ample running room around left end for the score. The extra point was true for a 21-0 Greenwood lead (7:10).
Following a punt on Dardanelle’s next possession, the Bulldogs started at their own 21-yard-line, producing a nine-play scoring drive that ended with a touchdown and 16 seconds left in the period. On first down, Dunbar carried for 11 yards to the 32. After a short gain to the 35, Brewer passed to receiver Ty Holt at the 43, then completed another toss to the home 46.
After a short pickup to the 43, Brewer reconnected with Holt to the 35. The freshman quarterback then threw to Dunbar for a 10-yard gain to the 25. On the next snap, Brewer ran a keeper for big yardage to the 10 before a penalty moved the ball back to the 15. Brewer then threw a long pass into the right side of the end zone to receiver Cooper Webb, who made a nice leaping grab for the touchdown. The kick by Franklin was good.
Moments later, the Bulldogs got a pass interception by defensive back William Rye, an eighth grader, on the last play of the third quarter, but couldn’t do anything with it offensively. Both teams then played out the final eight minutes of the game without scoring any points, and the contest ended with Greenwood on top by four touchdowns, 28-0. Braxton Canada finished the game at quarterback for Greenwood.
Defensively, Coach Hales had words of praise for three of his players. “I think [defensive back] Griffin Mourton had an awesome night with an interception, along with [defensive end] Jacob Berry and Bailey Thibodeau, one of our safeties. [Thibodeau] came up and made a big hit and popped the ball out. Those three guys really flew around on defense and did a great job for us,” said Hales.
Offensively, the coach was pleased with the play of center Ethan Shumate. “We just moved him [to center] a couple weeks ago after the Fayetteville scrimmage, and he’s doing a great job getting movement and getting off the ball and leading the offensive line.” The coach also talked about several eighth graders who are playing up a level on Thursday nights, including Williams Rye, who had the interception on the final play of the third quarter.
“He’s an eighth grader and he’s an awesome player,” said his coach. “They are all doing really well for us,” he added, referring to the other eighth graders on the ninth grade squad, including the multi-talented Braxton Canada, who has played at receiver, quarterback, and even running back.
The coach also talked about their upcoming contest with Van Buren. “They will be a good challenge for us,” he said. “They’ve been a really good team in this grade the past couple years, so it will be a good game. It’s a big game at home for us. We need everybody to come out and support us,” he said. Kickoff for the Van Buren contest is at 7 p.m.