The Greenwood Junior High Bulldogs (7-2, 5-1) didn’t win the River Valley Conference title this fall, finishing second to unbeaten Harrison, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t another stellar season for the freshmen ‘Dogs. Greenwood closed out its schedule last Thursday at home with a resounding 25-0 win over Alma.
The annual rivalry game was also the final league contest of the season for the defending RVC champions. Head Coach Shannon Rhea and his staff have done their usual superlative job of preparing the next wave of varsity Bulldogs.
Asked about the just-completed season, Rhea said, “It flies by. Once we get going in junior high, we’ve got two or three games a week, and it goes by quick.” The head coach and his staff oversee grades seven through nine, and apparently this group of freshmen Bulldogs were easy to coach.
“You can’t fault the effort of this bunch,” said Rhea. “They played hard every time. They practiced well. It’s just been a pleasure to coach them.”
He also had high praise for his three assistant coaches, Josh Holloway, Eric Daniel, and John Kincade. Holloway is the offensive coordinator, Daniel runs the defense, and Kincade works with special teams.
“They work hard,” said Rhea. “Coach Holloway does the offense and we score a bunch of points. He schemes up [the opposition] and he does a great job.
“Coach Daniel gets those guys motivated to play defense, and they really respond to him, and I appreciate it,” he added. The defense had two shutouts this season and consistently kept the opposition out of the end zone.
“Coach K helps me with special teams and around the locker room mentoring [the players]. I just appreciate working with those guys,” said Rhea.
Last week’s game saw Greenwood score on its first two offensive possessions, taking a 12-0 lead into the halftime break. The Jr. ‘Dogs had some trouble with their extra points, missing the first three before making their final attempt.
The GHS freshmen scored late in the third period to lead 18-0 and again late in the fourth quarter to put the icing on the cake. The home defense was stingy throughout. Alma penetrated as far as the Greenwood 25 only once.
The Bulldogs received the opening kick, a short one covered at the home 45-yard-line. On first down, quarterback Hunter Houston then threw to receiver Aiden Kennon for a big gain to the Alma 30, immediately putting the defense back on its heels.
Two snaps later running back Javon Williamson rambled for 13 yards to the 17, before a flip pass to Kennon reached the 10. But soon the Bulldogs were facing fourth-and-three from the same spot when Houston took the snap and handed off to Storm Scherrey in the backfield.
Scherrey was quickly targeted by the Alma defense, allowing Houston to slip away unnoticed in the opposite direction, giving Scherrey just enough time to throw the ball back to Houston for a touchdown. The point after failed for a 6-0 Greenwood lead (5:47).
After quickly forcing an Alma punt, the Bulldogs went back to work on offense, scoring after a short six-play drive led by Scherrey. Greenwood’s other quarterback opened the series with a pass to Kennon for 25 yards to the Alma 49.
Williamson followed up with nice run of 17 yards to the 32, then another short pass from Scherrey to Kennon reached the 26 on the final play of the opening period.
A short toss-pass to Kennon was good for 13 yards to start the second quarter, then after a loss of one, Scherrey kept the ball on a 14-yard jaunt to the end zone. A high snap on the extra point kept the score at 12-0.
Alma’s only real scoring threat then died at the Greenwood 30, snuffed out by the home defense before halftime. Likewise, the Bulldogs came up short on another scoring chance as time ran out on a last second play that ended with a fumble at the Alma 20.
The Jr. Airedales received the opening kick of the second half and picked up a pair of first downs before launching a short punt to the Greenwood 29. Five plays later the Bulldogs were in the end zone again.
On second down, Hunter Houston ran a keeper for 10 yards to the 41. Two snaps later he threw to Kennon for a huge gain all the way to the Alma 2-yard-line. The big receiver caught the ball near the visitors’ 30 and nearly fought his way into the end zone. Williamson scored on the next play, but again the PAT failed.
Leading 18-0, the home defense continued to stymie the Alma offense, foiling another fourth down attempt by the Airedales at the Greenwood 26 with 4:35 left to play in the game.
Back behind center, Scherrey threw to Brett Wood twice, but a penalty on the second catch moved the ball back to the home 30-yard-line. A QB keeper then reached the 39 and moved the sticks, followed by another Scherrey run to the 45.
A short pass to Kennon moved the ball into Alma territory at the 49, and another Scherrey keeper put it down at the 45. The Greenwood quarterback then got a chance to show off his arm with a bullet pass down the middle of the field to a streaking Brett Wood near the 20.
Wood made the grab in stride and nearly scored before being brought down at the Alma three. Williamson scored off right tackle on the next snap. Kicker Steven Duran then added the extra point for the 25-0 win.
After the game, Coach Rhea talked about the talent on his team and their future contributions to the varsity squad, starting with the quarterback position.
“We were blessed to have three good quarterbacks in junior high,” he said, referring to Houston, Scherrey, and Joe Trusty, the latter of which was moved up to provide depth for the junior varsity team.
“The two [Houston and Scherrey] that are with us can both run and pass,” he added. “We’re also pretty deep at receiver and have guys that can catch the ball. We’re pretty good offensively when we get rolling.”
As for the guys up front, Rhea had more nice things to say. “We’ve got good linemen. They work really well together and they’re a pleasure to be around in the locker room. They’re [all] going to be a good bunch when they get to senior high.” Rhea also spoke briefly about his seventh and eighth grade teams.
“I wasn’t really sure about [seventh grade] at the first of the year, but they really came on and they’ve been smoking people,” said the coach. “And ever since the Chaffin game, the eighth grade has been playing really well. Depth-wise, those two teams are going to be good.”
Again, referring to the freshmen squad, Rhea added, “We’ve got some guys coming up that can really catch and throw the ball. [The future] looks good. We’ve just got to keep them playing.”