For the second straight week the Greenwood Junior Bulldogs shut out a River Valley Conference opponent, blanking the Chaffin Cougars, 36-0, last Thursday, a week after beating the Ramsey Rams, 42-0. In fact, the impressive ninth grade defense has given up just seven points over the last three games.
Ironically, both shutouts came on the road at Jim Rowland Stadium on the campus of Southside High School in Fort Smith. Greenwood improved to 3-1 on the season and 2-0 in league play. They will next host the Kimmons Raiders this Thursday at Smith-Robinson Stadium starting at 7 p.m.
Somewhat surprisingly, the Cougars gambled early in last week’s game on their opening possession. Facing fourth-and-four at their own 36, they eschewed the punt and went for the first down, coming up short at the 38, where Greenwood took over.
The Jr. ‘Dogs then drove to the Chaffin 3-yard-line before a big loss pushed them back to the 12. But kicker Ben Moy booted a 29-yard field goal for a 3-0 Greenwood lead (2:06).
Moments later, a fumble on the kick return put the ball back into the hands of the visiting offense at the Chaffin 38. On third-and-10, quarterback Noah Jantzen found receiver Luke Brewer for a big gain at the 8-yard-line for a fresh set of downs.
Running back Colin Dagget then got the call, running off right tackle for the touchdown. Moy added the extra point and the Jr. Bulldogs led 10-0 with 43 seconds left in the opening quarter.
Another defensive stand and a short punt resulted in great field position for Greenwood at the Chaffin 44 early in the second period. A 12-play scoring drive was the result, overcoming a pair of penalties and converting on fourth down along the way.
Most of the big plays were passes, including nine-yard completions to Bryce Caldwell and Colin Dagget, and a 19-yard sliding reception by Parker Gill on fourth down at the Chaffin 9-yard-line. Dagget also ran for 12 yards and Jantzen flipped the ball to Sebastian Crumb for the 7-yard touchdown. The PAT failed.
Leading 16-0 with 4:12 remaining in the first half, the Greenwood defense continued to dominate. The Cougars managed to move the sticks twice as the clock ticked down, but eventually turned the ball over on downs at their own 46 with 40 seconds left. After a play for lost yardage and an incomplete pass, Greenwood allowed the remaining time to expire.
The Jr. ‘Dogs received the opening kick of the second half and promptly drove for their third touchdown of the game. Still gambling, the Cougars tried an onside kick, but it was recovered by Greenwood’s Tyler Crossno at the visitors’ 48-yard-line.
Sebastian Crumb ran for nice yardage on first down, reaching the Chaffin 44. Then after an incomplete pass, Crumb took the handoff and found running room around right end all the way to the pylon for the score. A two-point pass attempt failed, leaving the score 22-0 (7:09).
An interception set up Greenwood’s next scoring chance, after Sebastian Crumb, who also plays defense, picked off the errant pass and returned it about 25 yards to the Cougars’ 3-yard-line.
It took four tries, but finally Cameron Krone was able to break the plane of the goal line for the score from two yards out. The PAT by Moy was good for a 29-0 Greenwood lead (2:51).
A breakdown in kick coverage allowed a long return by the Cougars to the Greenwood 18, giving Chaffin its best scoring opportunity of the game, but to no avail. After giving up a first down at the seven, the Greenwood defense stiffened, stopping the drive at the three, then drove the Cougars back to the five before stuffing the quarterback for no gain on fourth down.
Now in the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs marched 95 yards in 17 plays, chewing up most of the remaining time. Highlights of the drive included a 22-yard run by Cameron Krone, an 11-yard pass reception by Bryce Caldwell, an eight-yard run by Krone, a 20-yard pass from Jantzen to Luke Brewer, a seven-yard jaunt by Krone, and the eight-yard TD pass to Colt Owenby. The extra point was good.
Trailing 36-0 with little time remaining, the Cougars’ offense ran a few plays against Greenwood’s defensive reserves before time expired.
Afterward, Greenwood Head Coach Shannon Rhea talked about the victory over a solid Chaffin squad. “They’re a good team,” he said of the Cougars, thought to be one of the better conference teams in the pre-season. “They’re well-coached and do a good job of scheming us.
“But we played really well tonight,” said Rhea. “We got after it. We had great enthusiasm on the sideline. We executed offensively and defensively. We did a very good job. I’m really pleased.”
Asked about the running game and Chaffin’s defensive approach, the coach said, “They had everybody within five yards and they were coming. But we had a couple [of plays] that broke for long yardage. They were [also] blitzing the house, so we were one-on-one on the outside.” As a result, Greenwood threw a lot more in the second half of the game.
As for his quarterback, Noah Jantzen, Coach Rhea had words of praise, but also encouragement to get even better. “There were a couple [of passes] he probably could have thrown better, but he hit some right in stride too. He’s doing a great job for us. He’s being physical on the run and he’s being a leader out there on the field. I’m really pleased with his play.”
Obviously, Rhea was happy with the shutout. “I’m proud of the defense. When [Chaffin] made the long kickoff run and they’re down here inside our [10-yard-line], our enthusiasm just picked up. They were wanting a shutout.”
Finally, the coach addressed the importance of beating Chaffin in the league race. “We had to win this game,” he said, “and it kind of sets up some things later on. We’ve got Kimmons next week.”