The junior varsity Greenwood Bulldogs took on Fort Smith Southside this past Monday night for their second meeting of the year, after the 'Dogs came away victorious in the first meeting, 23-13. The game was played at Greenwood's Smith-Robinson Stadium.
Southside began their first drive at their own 17-yard-line after Greenwood's Caden Taylor hustled down field to make the tackle on the kickoff. The Bulldogs' defense began the game with a three-and-out after Halen Carter and Trey Beckmann combined to stop Southside on third-and-short.
Jayden Jasna then took the Mavericks' punt to the opponents' 36 yard line. On second-and-long, quarterback Jace Presley found Jaze Strozier open on the home sideline for a 9-yard gain and a first down. The 'Dogs continued to move the sticks as Presley found Strozier again, this time on third-and-eight for a first down. The Bulldogs capped off the drive as they ran the ball in from the nine. The extra point was good by Jackson Stewart to give Greenwood an early 7-0 lead.
On its next possession, Southside converted a fourth down play at its' own 36. But after a long pass completion, the Mavs found themselves going backwards. Greenwood's Garrett Newman snuck into the backfield on a screen pass for a six-yard loss.
The 'Dogs' D-line then continued their success as Tayshawn Leader sacked the Southside quarterback for a loss of eight yards, bringing up fourth-and-21. Greenwood got the football back on its' own 15-yard-line after the punt.
The GHS offense then kept the chains moving as running back Caden Franks ran for a first down and Jasna reeled in a catch for another fresh set of downs. Greenwood was eventually forced to punt, giving the ball back to Southside. Both teams remained stagnant offensively for the whole second quarter as Greenwood went into the break leading 7-0.
Southside recovered a Greenwood fumble to start the second half and returned it all the way to the Greenwood one-yard-line. Two plays later the Mavs found the end zone, but the extra point was blocked by Greenwood's Tatum Sadler to make it a 7-6 game with 8:30 left in the third quarter.
The two teams traded punts on their next two series, but after a long return by Jasna and a pass completion to Franks, the Bulldogs had the ball at the Mavs’ nine-yard-line. Two plays later Franks carried the ball in from three yards out. The extra point by Stewart extended the GHS lead to 14-6 with 4:14 left in the quarter.
After both teams struggled to put together a sustained drive, Greenwood finally found some momentum as Southside muffed a punt and Garrett Newman dropped the kicker on fourth down, giving Greenwood excellent field position.
Presley then found his favorite target of the night, Strozier, who took it all the way to the seven-yard-line. Franks then ran it in from three yards out to give Greenwood a 21-6 lead after Stewart knocked home the PAT.
Southside rallied to start the fourth quarter, driving into Greenwood territory. After a series of runs, SHS moved into the red zone and eventually scored on an eight-yard-pass. The Mav’ were also successful on a two-point conversion to make it 21-14 with 6:42 left in the contest.
Southside then tried an onside kick, but Greenwood's Bo Asher recovered the ball at the 50. After multiple runs, Corbin Stone found a hole in the middle and stormed into the end zone from 26 yards out. The extra point gave Greenwood a 28-14 lead with 3:47 left.
But the Southsiders weren't done yet. With time running down, the Mavericks completed a 48-yard pass for six points, then added another two-point conversion, making it 28-22 with 2:38 left, a one-possession game.
On Greenwood's final offensive series, facing third-and-14, Presley found Taylor open for a bubble screen near the home sideline for a crucial first down to essentially seal the victory. The Bulldogs went on to score to secure the 35-22 win.