The 2016 edition of Hooten's Arkansas Football, the highly respected gridiron preview magazine, is once again predicting good things for the Greenwood Bulldogs this coming fall. The annual Arkansas football bible, now in its 24th year, is available for purchase throughout the state at numerous retail outlets, including Wal-Mart.
The outstanding 448-page tome is packed with preview information about every high school team in Arkansas, every in-state college program, special features, team schedules, and a large section dedicated to the 2016 Razorbacks. In fact, this year's coveted front cover features an image of current Razorback senior and former Greenwood star receiver Drew Morgan.
The writers at Hooten's expect the Hogs' defense to be very good and carry the team early while the new players on offense, including junior quarterback Austin Allen, find their rhythm. But when it comes to Greenwood, the magazine is picking the Bulldogs as the best in Class 6A.
Touting the incredible record of the team under Head Coach Rick Jones (138-22), including six state championships, Hooten's favors the Bulldogs to win the newly formed 6A West Conference title over teams like Benton and El Dorado, and likely contend for yet another state crown.
Once again the Pine Bluff Zebras are picked as the best team in the East, and Hooten's has ranked them second in 6A behind the Bulldogs. Pine Bluff defeated Greenwood last December in the state title game, 28-21. The Zebras also ended the Bulldogs' incredible 50-game winning streak at the end of the 2013 season, beating Greenwood in the state semi-finals.
The Bulldogs will open their season in September with three non-conference games at Fort Smith Northside and Southside, both 7A schools, and at home against Class 5A Alma. They will then host the Texarkana Razorbacks in the 6A West league opener before traveling to El Dorado (Wildcats) and Siloam Springs (Panthers) on successive Fridays. El Dorado is picked fourth in Class 6A.
October 14th will serve as Greenwood's homecoming against a familiar opponent, the Russellville Cyclones, picked third in the conference and sixth overall in 6A. The Bulldogs then stay home to face the Benton Panthers, picked second in the league by Hooten's and fifth overall in 6A.
Greenwood closes out its regular season on the road against the Sheridan Yellowjackets and at home against the Lake Hamilton Wolves, hopefully followed by a deep run into the playoffs.
With five starters returning for Greenwood on each side of the ball, Hooten's sees the quarterback position as a definite plus for the Bulldogs. Senior Luke Hales (All-State) and junior Connor Noland (All-Conference) split time last season behind center, and will likely do so again this fall.
With more time and experience in the program, Hales got the majority of the snaps in 2015, passing for nearly 2,200 yards and 19 touchdowns, while rushing for over 700 yards and 14 touchdowns.
As a sophomore last year, Noland passed for nearly 900 yards and nine TDs, while rushing for over 400 yards and four touchdowns. Both QBs are receiving a lot of interest from college recruiters.
While Greenwood seems to have adequate depth at receiver and running back, led by senior Devin Giblert and junior Kenny Wood, respectively, Hooten's does cite inexperienced linemen as one area of concern for the Bulldogs.
But Coach Jones is confident that a strong junior high program over the past few years has produced the kind of linemen needed to play in Class 6A. The Junior Bulldogs are currently riding a 27-game winning streak and the last two classes especially have featured strong line play.
"We do have some good size kids and we're getting stronger. Coach [Jason] Gill has done an awesome job. We won the state weightlifting meet, which has never happened before in the history of the school." Senior Parker Didier also returns to anchor the offensive line.
Defensively, Greenwood was outstanding last season, especially in the second half of the schedule, and the defense was clearly ahead of the offense this past spring.
"[The defense] played great in the spring," said Coach Jones in his interview with Hooten's. "We aren't huge, but we are athletic and move to the ball."
The Bulldogs are led defensively by senior nose guard Jon Womack and senior linebacker Austin Collins. The secondary is good, led by senior safety Drew Dundee and senior cornerback Caleb Fowler.
Coach Jones and his staff will also look to sophomore Grant Ennis to handle the kicking duties, after senior Jarrod Cooper announced that his family was moving out of the district over the summer. Jones is also excited about the potential of sophomore receiver Peyton Holt, who played quarterback as a ninth grader last fall.
"The guy that's really in a position to make a lot of plays is Peyton Holt," said Jones in an interview in late May. "He can flat out go [and] cover some ground. He has some athletic moves like acceleration through the crease and making people miss. I think he's going to be a good one. He's going to be one of our go-to guys, plus I will work him some at quarterback, because you never know what's going to happen. I [also] wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't practice on both sides of the ball."
Besides Holt, a number of other talented sophomores could contribute as well this season, said Jones, including Colin Curry, Trey Woods, Aaron Ohl, and Josh Barlow.
"We're talking about some young guys," said Jones. "I've got a feeling that we're going to have a pretty young football team when it's all said and done. You just never know. There's a long time to go before September."
Other area teams predicted to do well this fall include the 4A Booneville Bearcats, picked second in their conference, the Charleston Tigers, picked first in their league and second overall in Class 3A, and the Paris Eagles, picked to finish second behind Charleston in conference play.
Hooten's Arkansas Football also has Fort Smith Southside, now known as the Mavericks, picked second in the 7A Central and fourth overall in Class 7A. The Alma Airedales, moved back down to Class 5A, are ranked first in the 5A West and fourth overall in Class 5A.