The Greenwood Bulldogs have scored 128 points in their first two games, winning 70-35 at Bentonville-West last week and 58-0 over the Fort Smith Northside Grizzlies this past Friday in Greenwood’s home opener at Smith-Robinson Stadium. After losing three fumbles to the Wolverines on the road, the Bulldogs protected the ball much better against the Grizzlies and showed significant improvement between the two games, especially on defense.
The Northsiders were held to less than 100 yards of offense for the game and have not scored on the Bulldogs since 2022 when Greenwood scored the winning touchdown on a late Hail Mary pass in a 56-53 victory. The Class 7A Bears lost to Greenwood last season, 49-0, in their annual non-conference matchup. Up next for the Bulldogs are the Wildcats of Springdale Har-Ber, also a home game for Greenwood.
The Grizzlies received the opening kick, starting their first possession from their own 13-yard-line. But a penalty immediately pushed them back five yards. Two snaps later the GHS defense had pushed Northside even further back, then forced the Grizzlies’ quarterback to throw the ball away, drawing a flag for intentional grounding resulting in a safety.
Leading 2-0, the Bulldogs received the free kick with Grant Karnes returning it 15 yards to the Northside 45, then caught a pass from quarterback Kane Archer, reaching the 36. On the next snap, Archer executed a QB draw, starting up the middle before breaking left and sprinting his way to the front corner of the end zone. The extra point kick by Hudson Meeker was good for a 9-0 GHS lead (10:37).
Northside’s second possession resulted in 15 negative yards and a quick short punt returned by Karnes to the visitors’ 28-yard-line. Two plays later, Archer connected with receiver Scott Holland for 13 yards to the 15 and a first down. He then passed to exciting new receiver Champ Davis, who came up just short of the end zone at the 2-yard-line. Running back Wesley Raggio scored on the next play and Meeker added the PAT for a 16-0 GHS lead.
The Greenwood defense continued its stranglehold on the Grizzlies after the ensuing kickoff, pushing them back two yards and stuffing two more rushing plays to force yet another punt, fair caught at the Northside 40. Archer then threw over the middle to Karnes at the 15 ending at the 6-yard-line. Another short pass to Champ Davis reached the two before Raggio ran twice, the second time for the score. Meeker’s kick was good, and the Bulldogs led 23-0 with 3:46 remaining in the first quarter.
The Grizzlies finally got movement offensively on their next possession, reaching GHS territory on a pass play and a penalty on the Bulldogs, but soon went backwards again with a six-yard loss and a 15-yard penalty that forced another Northside punt. Greenwood took over on offense at its own 21 with 1:08 left in the opening period and began its longest scoring possession of the contest.
After a penalty to the 16, Archer passed to Davis at the 27, then to Karnes at the 36. Davis made another catch at the Northside 49 on the last play of the quarter. After a Wesley Raggio run and a holding penalty put the ball at the GHS 49, a procedure flag pushed the pigskin back to the 44. Archer then threw to Isaiah Arrington and the shifty senior receiver zigged and zagged his way to the Northside 23 before going out-of-bounds. A pass to Champ Davis on a slant pattern over the middle then reached the end zone. The PAT was good, making it 30-0 (10:58).
Just over three minutes later the Bulldogs were in business again after a failed fourth down play by the Grizzlies. Taking over at their own 40, Archer handed off to Raggio for a short gain, then passed to Grant Karnes for 13 yards to the Northside 46. Junior receiver Cooper Bland then found a blind spot in the Grizzlies’ defense and was wide open to receive a sideline pass from Archer, allowing Bland to race unimpeded to the goal line for the touchdown. The kick by Hudson Meeker was good again and Greenwood led 37-0 with 6:27 left in the first half.
But the Bulldogs weren’t done scoring, getting the ball back less than two minutes later after the GHS defense forced another Northside punt, downed at the Greenwood 49 with no return. Archer then passed to Champ Davis for 14 yards and to Isaiah Arrington for six yards to the Grizzly 29. A short toss to Cooper Goodwin and a fourth down scamper by Raggio reached the 13 for a first down. Raggio then ran again to the 7-yard-line before Archer tucked the ball and scrambled toward the left pylon, getting pushed out-of-bounds at the one. Two snaps later, sophomore running back Mario Dunbar scored the touchdown. Meeker’s extra point made it 44-0 at the half.
With the 35-point mercy rule in force, the second half played out in real time with a continuously running clock. Scott Holland returned the opening kick to the home 35 and the first team offense trotted onto the field for the final time. Kane Archer then passed to Arrington twice, reaching the 47. After a pair of ariel misses, Archer rolled right and connected with Grant Karnes all the way to the Northside 27. Another pass to Karnes reached the 10 before a pass to Arrington allowed the elusive receiver to weave his way to the end zone. But after he crossed the goal line, a Northside defender laid him out with a brutal late hit, drawing a flag. The kick by Meeker was good, making the score 51-0 near the 7:25 mark with the clock ticking.
The penalty was assessed on the GHS kickoff, plus two additional 15-yard penalties on the Grizzlies for unsportsmanlike conduct on the extra point play, allowing Meeker to tee up the ball at the Northside 15, something this sportswriter has never seen before. The kick went out-of-bounds at the 5-yard-line drawing another flag, this one on the Bulldogs. Ultimately, Northside got the ball at its own 10, later resulting in a punt to the Grizzly 46 with no return.
With several of the first teamers sidelined, the Bulldogs were led onto the field by #2 quarterback Cooper Goodwin. After an incompletion on his first attempt, Goodwin connected on his next three passes, the first two to Hudson Meeker, reaching the 23. After a five-yard jaunt by Mario Dunbar, Goodwin’s next toss went to junior receiver Lawyer Thornsberry to the 7-yard-line. Dunbar then reached the five before Goodwin carried in for the touchdown. The kick was good by Landon Franklin, making the score 58-0 early in the fourth quarter.
The remaining 11 minutes passed without incident and both teams lined up to shake hands after the game, putting any raw nerves and bad blood behind them. In the game, the Grizzlies were flagged several times for unnecessary roughness or unsportsmanlike conduct, reflecting the frustration they felt being shut out again by the Bulldogs, losing in consecutive years by lopsided scores. The ‘Dogs have outscored Northside 107-0 since 2022.
Following the game, GHS Head Coach Chris Young spoke to members of the media, including Dog Pound sideline reporter Richie Cagle and others. "I was proud of our team. We had a great week of preparation, and we played great in all three phases tonight," the coach began. "We were clean and didn’t make many mistakes. Our ball protection was better. Last week I thought we were inconsistent. But tonight, we saw a lot of improvement. I thought we were better up front. Our kicking game was solid. We were down in penalties. We had a good game plan, and the kids executed tonight, and that’s all you can ask for. It was a good night for the Bulldogs.”
As for junior QB Kane Archer’s performance, Young said, "He was efficient tonight [and] he made good decisions. Last week I thought he pressed a little bit with the decision-making. Tonight, though, I thought he was awesome. Our receivers are doing a great job as well. I think in these first two weeks, I don’t recall a receiver dropping a pass."
Unofficially, Archer finished his night completing 21 of 27 passing attempts for 291 yards and three touchdowns. One of those scores came on the lone reception by Cooper Bland, a 46-yard pass and run in the second quarter. Another scoring toss went to Champ Davis, who had seven catches for 82 yards in the game, all in the first half. Isaiah Arrington caught the other TD pass from Archer, part of his five receptions for 49 yards. Grant Karnes also had six catches for 102 yards. Scott Holland had one catch for 13 yards. The GHS running game was mostly relegated to short gains near the goal line with Wesley Raggio getting the majority of the carries for 24 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Archer ran six times for 42 yards.
Defensively, the Bulldogs were nearly perfect, said their head coach. "Aside from one play, our defense played lights out," Young said. "Even on that play, [the receiver] was covered and made a heck of a catch. I thought the defense showed a lot of improvement this week. We gave up 35 points last week, and we don’t do that. I thought [defensive coordinator Jason] Gill, the coaches, and the players took that personal. They could have pouted. They could have made excuses, or they could play like they did tonight. I love how they responded." Young was also impressed with how his players kept their cool when the Grizzlies showed their frustration, drawing several flags.