The Greenwood Junior High Bulldogs traveled to Harrison last Thursday and suffered a heartbreaking loss to the Jr. Goblins, 28-27. The win puts unbeaten Harrison (8-0) on a clear path to claim its second straight River Valley Conference title. The Jr. ‘Dogs lost their first game of the season, falling to 6-1 overall, 4-1 in league play.
What made the loss so hurtful and frustrating was that Greenwood ran out to a quick 21-0 lead in the first quarter, then led 27-7 in the second before Harrison rallied with 21 unanswered points to win the game.
Turnovers, penalties, and an inability to defend against the deep pass plagued Greenwood, as did Harrison’s multi-faceted offense with its myriad of formations designed to deceive opposing defenses.
At first the Jr. Goblins seemed unable to tackle Greenwood running back Hunter Wilkinson, but by the second half it was the Greenwood defense that was having trouble containing the Harrison offense.
The game began with Harrison kicking to Hayden Wells, who returned the ball to the Greenwood 33. On first down, Wilkinson rumbled for 34 yards to the Harrison 33. After a penalty, quarterback L.D. Richmond ran for seven yards and Wilkinson ran again for 16 yards to the 15.
Three plays later Richmond scrambled for eight yards to the 11. Facing a fourth down, the Jr. ‘Dogs decided against a field goal try and Richmond threw a pass to Camden Carter for a first down at the 3. After a loss to the 8, running back Caden Franks sauntered around the right side for the score. The extra point by Luis Morales was good.
Leading 7-0, Greenwood didn’t waste much time before scoring again. With the defense forcing a quick Harrison punt, the Jr. Bulldogs started their second possession at their own 47. Three plays later they were in the end zone once again.
On first down, Richmond kept the ball for six yards to the Harrison 47. Then Wilkinson broke off another long run down the Greenwood sideline to the Goblins’ 6-yard-line. Richmond scored on the next snap and Morales added the extra point for a 14-0 lead.
The Junior Bulldogs’ next score came after a pass interception by Tatum Sadler at the Greenwood 40. On first down, Richmond connected with a wide-open Peyton Carter down the middle of the field. Carter made the catch near the Harrison 40, but was run down from behind by the defense at the 11-yard-line.
Franks then carried to the six, before Richmond ran in for the score. Morales added his third point after and the Jr. Bulldogs appeared to be on their way to a blowout road win. But appearances are sometimes deceiving.
As the game moved into the second quarter, the Harrison offense found some traction and engineered a 10-play drive that ended with a 10-yard TD run. The extra point made the score 21-7.
But Greenwood responded immediately, scoring again on another lightning-quick drive. From their own 44 after recovering an onside kick, the Jr. ‘Dogs needed just two plays, both runs by Hunter Wilkinson, to score again.
Wilkinson’s first effort advanced the ball to the Harrison 38. On the next snap, he followed his blockers on the left side before cutting back toward the middle, breaking a couple of tackles on his way to the end zone. But this time the extra point failed, after both teams were flagged for offsetting penalties.
Still, Greenwood led comfortably 27-7. But the momentum totally changed starting with Harrison’s next possession. The Jr. Goblins needed just three plays to score, cutting their halftime deficit to 13 points. The touchdown came on a 62-yard pass play. The kick made it 27-14 at the half.
One potential turning point came early in the second half after Harrison had driven to the Greenwood 5-yard-line before losing a fumble. But the Jr. ‘Dogs could not pick up a first down and had to quickly punt back to Harrison, which promptly completed another long pass to the Greenwood 8. They later scored on a 1-yard run.
Now trailing by just six points, 27-21, and feeling good about their prospects, the Jr. Goblins kept up the defensive pressure on Greenwood, forcing the visitors to punt on their next possession.
Harrison then marched 65 yards, most of that coming on the 52-yard scoring pass that tied the score. The extra point broke that tie, and with time running out, Greenwood now trailed 28-27.
The Jr. Bulldogs had one more possession, but a pass interception ended all hope. Harrison ran six more plays, picking up a first down, then took a knee to end the game as time expired on the come-from-behind win.
Greenwood will close out its regular season by traveling to Van Buren this Thursday and hosting Alma next week at Smith-Robinson Stadium. This Thursday’s game pits two teams with identical 4-1 league records, so the winner moves into sole possession of second place, pending the season finale. Game time is 7 p.m.