With the end of the AAA dead period, and with this year's FASDOGS program winding down, Greenwood High School Head Coach Rick Jones released the 2016 summer football schedule last week.
Once again expectations are high for the Bulldogs, ranked #1 in Class 6A by Hooten's Arkansas Football preview magazine. The 'Dogs will also be playing in a new league this fall, the 6A West, which includes only 6A schools.
Since moving up in classification in 2012, Greenwood has played in the 7A/6A Central, which included 7A schools. Last season, the Bulldogs won all seven games it played against 7A schools en route to a 12-1 record, losing in the state title game to Pine Bluff last December.
Greenwood opens the 2016 season in September with two non-conference games on the road at Class 7A Fort Smith Northside and Southside, before facing Class 5A Alma in the Bulldogs' first home game at Smith-Robinson Stadium.
The conference schedule begins on September 23rd at home against Texarkana. The Bulldogs then travel on consecutive weeks to El Dorado and Siloam Springs, before getting Russellville and Benton at home. Their final road game is at Sheridan on October 28th, with the regular season finale at home against Lake Hamilton on November 4th.
This past Tuesday the GHS athletic department held its annual meeting with the parents of all prospective student-athletes, grades 7-12. New Athletic Director Dustin Smith introduced himself to the crowd, along with new certified athletic trainer Lauren Knight. The meeting was held in the Performing Arts Center on the high school campus.
After explaining some of the basics about insurance coverage, season passes, and concussion protocols, Smith turned the meeting over to the head coaches, who dispersed to several locations around campus to meet with parents for their specific sports.
On Thursday of this week the football coaches will hold their annual pre-season meeting in preparation for the upcoming season. This is also the final week of FASDOGS, shortened this year to three weeks because the AAA dead period was later than normal.
To make up for the lost time, football players are required to attend Bulldog Boot Camp next Monday through Wednesday from 6:30 am until noon each day.
The team will then get a couple of days off before pre-season practice begins. The seniors and their dads will enjoy their annual float trip, leaving on August 6th and returning the next day. The first full squad practice will be from 6-8 am on Monday, August 8th, in helmets and shoulder pads only.
They will don full pads on August 9th and practice from 6-10 am, with daily practice sessions thereafter at different starting times. Some sessions will last two hours and others will last four hours. The complete pre-season practice schedule can be found on the Greenwood Dog Pound Facebook page.
On August 12th the team will practice from 6-10 am and the annual Mom's Football 101 game will be played that evening from 7-8:30 pm. Media day follows on Saturday, August 13th, beginning at 7:30 am, followed by make-up running, an open house practice (6-8 pm) and a team lock-in (8-11 pm).
The first day of school is Monday, August 15th, and the team will then assume its regular practice schedule. The annual Bulldog Kickoff is also on the 15th from 7-9 pm at Smith-Robinson Stadium, during which all players and members of the spirit groups from grades 7-12 will be introduced.
The team will practice on Saturday, August 20th from 8 am until noon and will hold its annual pre-season scrimmage, this year at Fayetteville against the Class 7A Purple Dogs, on the 22nd, both junior varsity and varsity. The players will get a day off on Saturday the 27th, but will have their first Sunday workout the following afternoon.
The first junior varsity regular season game will be Monday the 29th at home against Van Buren, with the varsity season opener the following Friday, September 2nd, at Mayo-Thompson Stadium against Fort Smith Northside. So get ready football fans, another championship run begins in just over 35 days.