It was 2014 the last time the Greenwood Junior High Bulldogs played a full 10-game schedule, and 2017 will continue that streak after Little Rock’s J.A. Fair cancelled its September 14th home game against Greenwood. On the flip side, the Jr. Bulldogs did win their first league game and home opener last week.
According to Greenwood Junior High Head Coach Shannon Rhea, Fair is playing several freshmen on its varsity team and hasn’t had enough players available to maintain its junior high schedule. So once again the Jr. ‘Dogs had an open date the third week of the season.
Returning to action last Thursday, the Greenwood freshmen moved to 3-0 this season with a 39-21 victory over Fort Smith Ramsey at Smith-Robinson Stadium. The home team overcame a shaky start, trailing 14-13 late in the first quarter before outscoring the Rams 26-7 the rest of the way.
The visitors opened the game with an onside kick recovered by Greenwood at the Ramsey 49. On first down, running back Caden Franks got 14 yards to the 35. Quarterback L.D. Richmond ran to the 24 for another first down, then passed to running back Hunter Wilkinson to the 13.
Wilkinson then took the handoff from Richmond and raced around right end for the score, shedding three would-be tacklers on his way to the end zone. The extra point by kicker Jonathan Lamb was good for a 7-0 Greenwood lead with 7:11 remaining in the opening quarter.
But the Rams responded with a scoring drive of their own, marching 63 yards in seven plays, with quarterback Johntarrius Washington reaching the end zone after a 43-yard run. However, the extra point failed, leaving Greenwood on top, 7-6.
On the ensuing kickoff, Greenwood’s Tyler Moose fielded the ball near the 25-yard-line and crafted a nifty return down the home sideline to midfield at the 47. The Jr. Bulldogs needed just six plays to score, overcoming a penalty along the way.
From the Ramsey 33, Richmond launched a deep pass toward the end zone that a Rams’ defender appeared to have in his sights. But receiver Peyton Carter streaked across in front of the defensive back and grabbed the ball at the goal line for the touchdown. However, the extra point by Lamb failed.
Leading 13-6 with 2:32 left in the first quarter, the Bulldogs kicked off to the Rams, but poor coverage allowed a big return all the way to the Greenwood 3-yard-line. Ramsey cashed in on the next play with a TD run by Parker Wesson. The Rams then completed a pass for a successful two-point conversion, giving Ramsey the lead at 14-13.
As the game moved into the second quarter, the two teams traded punts, with Greenwood getting the best of the field position, taking possession at the Ramsey 42 with 4:05 left in the half.
Two plays later, Richmond connected with receiver Jayden Jasna for a 32-yard catch and run on a slant pattern, giving Greenwood the lead for good. Hunter Wilkinson scored on the two-point play, making it 21-14 with 3:44 remaining. But the Jr. ‘Dogs weren’t finished.
After the defense forced a quick punt by Ramsey, Jayden Jasna made his presence felt again with a 24-yard return to the Rams’ 43-yard-line. Three plays later, from the 27, Richmond rolled to his right and found receiver Jace Strozier in the back of the end zone for another touchdown. The PAT kick failed, but the ‘Dogs headed to the locker room with a 27-14 lead.
The third quarter belonged to Greenwood as the Jr. ‘Dogs scored twice and increased their lead to a comfortable 25 points at 39-14. Ramsey added its third and final touchdown late in the fourth quarter, far too late to impact the outcome of the contest.
Greenwood’s first score of the third quarter came after the defense held the Rams and forced a punt on the half’s opening possession. Taking over at their own 46, the Jr. Bulldogs struck quickly, scoring in just four plays.
Caden Franks ran for 12 yards on first down, before Hunter Wilkinson got seven more two plays later, reaching the 35. From there, Richmond lofted a deep pass that was corralled by Jayden Jasna near the 5-yard-line before crossing the goal line. The PAT failed with 4:45 showing on the clock.
Another strong defensive stand forced yet another Rams’ punt from deep in Ramsey territory, this one giving Greenwood great field position at the visitors’ 26-yard-line. On first down, Richmond handed off to Franks, who found running room around left end before cutting back across the middle of the field to the end zone for the score. A bad snap foiled the extra point attempt.
Still, with 1:23 left in the third quarter, the home team was fully in control of the game. The teams traded possessions over the final 83 seconds, with both squads turning the ball over on downs.
In the fourth quarter, a Greenwood fumble at the Rams’ 30-yard-line helped lead to Ramsey’s final score, which came on a 1-yard plunge with 1:14 remaining to play. The kick was good for the extra point, making the final score 39-21.
After the game, Coach Rhea talked about the win and the first home game. “Our tackling wasn’t very good,” he said, referring especially to the long kick return by Ramsey. “I was [also] disappointed in our kicking game with the bad snaps and missed extra points. We’ve got to get better next week.”
The coach saw great improvement though as the game continued. “[We] got better after the first quarter, especially defensively,” he said. “We bared down a little bit [more] and we tackled better. [Ramsey] didn’t get much on [our] first string defense after that.”
As for playing at home for the first time in 2017, Rhea said, “It was nice, and it’s going to be nice having [Fort Smith] Chaffin over here. They’re [4-0] and it’s going to be a good ballgame.” Kickoff next Thursday is set for 7 p.m. at Smith-Robinson Stadium.
Regarding the cancellation by J.A. Fair and the open date next season, the coach said, “We’re going to have to find somebody else. Our conference might change. We’re kind of looking around at some new members maybe. Who knows?”
The Jr. ‘Dogs currently play in the River Valley Conference including Alma, Van Buren, Harrison, and the four junior high schools [Chaffin, Darby, Kimmons, and Ramsey] from Fort Smith.