In their 2021 season opener at Shiloh Christian last Thursday night, the Greenwood Junior High Bulldogs picked up right where they left off last season, winning in convincing fashion, 29-12, over a very good Saints team. The GHS freshmen went unbeaten last fall (10-0) while winning the River Valley Conference championship. This new and talented crop of ninth graders expect to repeat that feat again this year.
Despite getting about 30 fewer offensive snaps than Shiloh Christian, the Jr. Bulldogs more than doubled the Saints’ offensive output on the scoreboard. Unofficially, the home team ran 62 plays to the visitors’ 34, but Greenwood’s last two snaps were in victory formation with the quarterback taking a knee.
The Greenwood defense, while giving up significant yardage on the ground, still allowed just two scores, both on big plays, a long touchdown pass and a brilliantly executed fake handoff followed by a long quarterback sprint for a score. On the positive side, the defense did have an interception, but on the negative side, the Jr. ‘Dogs fumbled the ball twice on offense. Still, it was a good effort on a steamy evening in Springdale.
It was also the debut of heralded eighth grade quarterback Kane Archer, playing up a grade this season on the freshman team. With two college offers already on the table and many more to come, big things are expected from the 13-year-old this season as he begins the climb up to varsity football. Against Shiloh, he completed 12 of 14 passes for 185 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran nine times for 84 yards. All stats are unofficial.
The visiting Bulldogs kicked off to start the game, and Shiloh quickly showed its strength to be its running game, moving steadily down the field into Greenwood territory on five runs and two passes. But the wheels came off the drive inside the visitors’ 20-yard-line when the Saints were flagged for holding, followed by a loss of six more yards on a play by Greenwood defender Grant Karnes. On fourth down, defensive end Samuel Burton intercepted a Saints’ pass to end the drive.
From their own 30, the Jr. ‘Dogs needed just four plays to score the game’s first touchdown. On first down a short pitch-pass from Archer to Karnes earned good yardage across midfield and into Saints’ territory at the 39. Two plays later Archer scrambled for 14 yards to the 24. He then rolled to his left and lofted a pass over the defender and into the hands of Karnes for the score. The PAT kick failed.
Leading 6-0, the Greenwood defense responded with a four-and-out against the Saints, giving the pigskin back to the visiting offense. However, the possession was short-lived, ended prematurely by a lost fumble. But the defense came up big once again, holding the Saints to four plays, helped by a bad snap for a loss and a QB sack by middle linebacker Peyton Sterling.
From their own 45, the Jr. Bulldogs marched 55 yards in just five plays, all of them executed by Archer, who passed three times for 42 yards and ran twice for 13 more. From the Shiloh 28, he rolled out and fired another deep ball to Karnes for a touchdown. Archer then scrambled across the goal line on the two-point try, making it 14-0 midway through the second period.
But the Saints weren’t ready to concede quite yet, putting together their best sustained drive of the game, marching 66 yards in 12 plays, nearly all on the ground, before scoring on a fourth-and-14 pass play from the Greenwood 31 with 47 seconds left in the first half. The extra point try failed and the two teams left the field at the break with the score at 14-6.
Greenwood received the opening kick of the third quarter and needed just 55 seconds and two plays to score their third touchdown of the game. Scott Holland had a nice kick return to the 46 to set up the quick scoring series. Archer’s pitch-pass on first down was sniffed out by the defense and the play went for a 10-yard loss, putting the visitors in an early hole. But Archer’s big arm bailed the Bulldogs out as he found Karnes again near the Shiloh 30-yard-line before the receiver sprinted toward the end zone for another score. Archer then passed to Daniel Burton for the two-point conversion.
Now trailing 22-6, the Saints needed two more series to score their next and final touchdown. In between, the Bulldogs suffered their second fumble and lost possession. Shiloh Christian scored in two plays from midfield, the second of which was a mesmerizing fake handoff, with the defense following the running back across the field before the quarterback, who still had the ball, streaked 50 yards down the sideline, eluding one tackler to reach the end zone. The two-point play failed, cutting the Greenwood lead to 22-12 with less than a minute left in the third quarter.
Greenwood’s next drive died on downs inside the Shiloh 10-yard line, but the following possession ended with the visitors’ fourth and final touchdown. After a pair of short gains by running back Zackery Edwards, fellow back Jeremy Lawyer found a seam and burst through the left side of the line for a 68-yard TD sprint, almost untouched. The kick by Edwards was good, making the final score 29-12.
Shiloh’s last two possessions of the game each ended after four downs, and Archer was able to take a knee twice to run out the final minute, ensuring Greenwood’s season-opening victory. Offensively, the Jr. Bulldogs gained about 300 yards, or almost 10 yards per snap. Not a bad effort, but much work lies ahead, and this team is sure to continue improving.
After the game, Head Coach Shannon Rhea offered these words about his team and their play against the Saints. “We beat a really good team,” he said. “They are well-coached and are probably one of the better teams we will see. It’s always a good win when you go to Shiloh and beat them. We were able to get the lead and stay ahead of them, [but] they’ve got some great players.”
Regarding Shiloh’s advantage in the number of offensive snaps, Rhea said, “That’s what turnovers will do,” a reference to Greenwood’s two lost fumbles. “[Shiloh] did a good job of tackling the football and creating turnovers. Our kids are playing hard, but those are things we’ve got to do better, keeping the turnovers down.
Asked about the weather, Rhea said some rain and lightning moved through the area earlier, delaying the start of the seventh grade game. “It cooled it off a little bit [and] it wasn’t nearly as hot.” But the humidity was still a problem. “Players on both sides were struggling with cramps.”
Rhea then answered a question about the play of quarterback Kane Archer, an eighth grader starting on the ninth grade team. “He did a great job,” said his coach. “He could have been 14 of 14. He had a couple of drops. He [also] did a good job of keeping the play going. [Shiloh] would put pressure on him, and he was able to scramble around and do some things, and that really helps.”
The coach was also very high on the play and potential of receiver Grant Karnes. “The guy that [Archer is] throwing to is pretty good as well. He’s going to go get it. He can [already] dunk in basketball and he just outruns and outjumps people. He’s a ball player and has a bright future.”
Defensively, Coach Rhea also praised the efforts of two players, Cash Owenby and safety Paul Brixey. “Coach [Eric] Daniel made a comment that [Owenby] had a really good game, [and] I thought Brixey really tackled well.
As for the offensive line, Rhea said, “I thought they did alright. They gave Archer some time to throw, and that’s all we need [when] we’ve got four good receivers running routes. [Running back] Jeremy Lawyer [also] had the long run. I though he hit the hole well and we had real good blocking [on the edge].”
The Bulldogs will host Russellville next Thursday in their home opener at Smith-Robinson Stadium preceded by the season opener for the eighth-grade team, and Kane Archer could play in both games, said his coach. “It will be our first game for the eighth grade at 5:30. We’d like not to play Kane as much, but we’ll see how it goes. He’s going to be dressed out.”
According to Rhea, the eighth-grade squad has two other quarterbacks, Jackson Overton and Logan Thessing. The latter is the son of varsity assistant coach Steven Thessing. Kick-off Thursday for the freshmen contest is at 7:00 pm.