Last week Luke Hales promised that his 2024 freshmen squad might be the most talented group he’s had in his three years as head coach, the most talented since the 2021 group that included today’s varsity seniors Grant Karnes, Isaiah Arrington, Kaylor Jasna, Cash Archer, Zach Edwards, Zack Zitzmann, Hudson Meeker, Christian Fleming, Ashton Stein, and others. This past Thursday night that talent was on display in the season opener at Nashville, a resounding 54-21 Greenwood victory.
The Jr. Scrappers opened on offense, but the possession ended when the home team turned the ball over on downs at the Greenwood 43. The visitors quickly took the lead after a short four-play drive led by quarterback Dabin Gaines, who completed passes to Braxton Canada, Jadin Mills, and Jevin Tilson. The touchdown came on a 17-yard carry by running back Drew Dickinson. The extra point failed for a 6-0 Greenwood lead. However, the home team responded quickly with a 30-yard scoring pass early in the second period to take a temporary 7-6 lead after a successful extra point kick.
But Greenwood quickly regained the advantage when Braxton Canada took the ensuing kickoff back for a touchdown. The freshman speedster caught the ball at the 11-yard-line and sprinted right up the middle through the heart of the Nashville defense, taking advantage of his blockers before breaking into the open and outrunning the lone remaining defender to the end zone for an 89-yard touchdown return. The extra point kick failed again for a 12-7 Greenwood lead.
Moments later the visiting defense scored when Greenwood defensive back Luke Wilson snagged a Nashville pass that bounced off the hands of the intended receiver and returned it 32 yards for a touchdown. The extra point by Grayson Cobbler was good, making the score 19-7. But once again the aptly named Scrappers responded with a quick scoring drive. The touchdown came on a 40-yard screen pass play. The PAT cut the Greenwood lead to 19-14 at the 4:12 mark of the second quarter.
Next, the Jr. Bulldogs put together a 56-yard scoring drive in five plays with quarterback Jubal Parks at the controls. Parks also returned the kickoff 20 yards to the Greenwood 44. He then completed a pass to William Rye to the Nashville 45, before finding Rye again for a gain to the 31. Jevin Tilson caught Parks’ next offering, reaching the 20-yard-line. Running back Drake Little then rambled inside the five to the one-yard-line before scoring on the next snap. Little also carried in for the two-point conversion, but that play was nullified by a penalty. Greenwood then lined up to kick the ball, but a high snap fielded by holder Drake Little turned into a perfectly executed two-point conversion pass to Jayden Campbell, making the score 27-14.
The visiting defense soon held Nashville and got the ball back on downs near midfield at the Greenwood 43. QB Dabin Gaines then returned behind center to lead another scoring drive in eight plays. On second down Gaines threw to Braxton Canada for a nice gain to the 24. Three snaps later, Gaines threw to Jubal Parks to the 13, then to Braxton Canada to the 2-yard-line. Dickinson scored on the next snap, boosting the Greenwood lead to 34-14 after the extra point with 25 seconds remaining in the first half.
The Jr. Bulldogs received the opening kick of the second half with Canada returning the ball about 35 yards to the Greenwood 47. But the possession lasted just four plays before the visitors scored again. After a short gain on first down, Drake Little carried twice to the Nashville 38. Gaines then tossed a long pass to receiver Jayden Campbell near the 10-yard-line, with Campbell making the catch and battling his way to the 3-yard-line. Gaines then kept the ball and scored on the next snap. The extra point kick by Grayson Cobbler made it 41-14 in Greenwood’s favor. But the Jr. Scrappers responded with an 85-yard kick return for their final score of the contest.
With 6:15 left in the third period, and leading 41-21, the Bulldogs started their next drive at their own 25, marching 75 yards in nine plays for their sixth score. After a pair of incompletions to start the series, QB Dabin Gaines connected with Jevin Tilson at the 43, moving the first down marker. Two passes to Braxton Canada reached the Nashville 39 before a long heave to Jayden Campbell put the ball at the Scrappers’ 14-yard-line. Three plays later Gaines rolled to his right and found Campbell again in the end zone for the 11-yard score. The extra point failed, putting the visiting Jr. Bulldogs up 47-21 with 4:14 left in the quarter.
Greenwood’s final score was set up by a defensive interception, this one by William Rye, who snared the ball at the Bulldogs’ 18-yard-line and returned it to the Nashville 45. After a run by Drake Little to the 37, on fourth and short Braxton Canada ran to the 34, moving the chains. Dabin Gaines then tossed the ball forward to Jevin Tilson, who reached the 26. The same play to Canada advanced the ball to the 17. From the 12 after a Nashville penalty, Little carried to the 8-yard-line then again to near the goal line at the two. Gaines then rolled right and tossed the ball to Canada in the end zone for the score with three minutes remaining to play. The extra point was good by Cobbler to cap the Greenwood scoring and the win, 54-21.
In his post-game interview, Coach Hales addressed one of the most obvious deficiencies in the win over Nashville, and specifically the improvised two-point conversion after their fourth touchdown. “We’re having first-of-the-year issues with our PATs, so we had some bad snaps. It was a bad snap, and our kids executed [the two-point play] well. But we’re trying to kick PATs. We’re trying to get better at the little things,” said Hales, who also talked about kicker Grayson Cobbler, an eighth grader new to football this year. “He’s a great kid and a good pickup for us in the off-season as a specialist.
“We were really pleased with our kids’ effort,” he continued. “Getting on a school bus and driving three hours away when you are 14 or 15 years old is a pretty big challenge. We were proud of the way our kids had energy. They gave good effort. There were some mistakes here and there. It’s the first game of the year. We had some sloppiness, but our effort was really good.
“We moved the ball well on offense,” the coach continued. “I think all three quarterbacks played at some point, and we’ll see that more in the future. We’re going to rep a bunch of different guys throughout the [season]. Our first group will look a little different this week than it did last week, just because we have so many guys that can play. We’re excited about evolving as the year goes on, trying to be our best.”
Dabin Gaines and Jubal Parks took the majority of snaps behind center, and both performed well. Braxton Canada, who is in his second year playing on the freshman team, also played some quarterback on a very limited basis, but that will change soon, according to Hales. “Canada was at receiver mainly for this game and he did a great job for us. He returned a kickoff for a touchdown and caught probably eight or nine balls.
“We have three kids – Canada, William Rye, and Drew Dickinson – that played a lot of ninth grade ball last year. So those kids are ahead of the game. I think Rye had a pick in the second half and a couple of catches as well. Dickinson ran for a touchdown and made some big plays on defense. We’re really pleased with those guys,” said their coach.
Asked about any standouts on offense, Hales said, “I think Jevin Tilson was a huge part of our gameplan on offense and defense. Due to an injury, he played on both sides of the ball probably 80% of the game, which we normally don’t do unless we have to. He was our MVP with everything that he did, being all over the field almost the whole time. He did a great job for us.” Tilson played both receiver on offense and safety on defense.
As for his quarterbacks, the position Hales played at both Greenwood and UCA, the coach was happy with their performance. “I think they did really well. We’ve got “dudes” at receiver and running back, so the quarterback just needs to get the ball in their hands, and we’ll be really successful if we do that. They had really good protection. We got movement up front. Our tackles are really good football players. Jaxen Cepeda and Walker Fink are our anchors up front. Coach [Brian] Sims and I feel real good about running the ball behind our tackles.” A longtime Greenwood assistant, Sims coaches the team’s linemen.
Hales also talked about the opposition and his own defense. “[Nashville] had some really athletic players and some talented kids, and they obviously love football. Their stadium was beautiful. They’ve got a big jumbotron and turf field. Their press box was massive. They were ready to play some football. But I think on defense Drew Dickinson played really well. Jacob Pugh played well up front, and Luke Wilson had a tipped ball interception and scored a defensive touchdown for us.”
Coming up this Thursday the Jr. Bulldogs will play their first home game at Smith-Robinson Stadium and their first conference game against the Jr. Airedales of Alma. “We’ve got our old friends, the Alma Airedales,” said Hales of Greenwood’s oldest and fiercest rivalry. “We’re going there [Tuesday] for eighth grade, and I know they are excited about their eighth-grade team.”
But for Hales and his Jr. Bulldogs, it’s all about fixing those early season mistakes and getting better every week. “Our tough part of the schedule is the middle, so we’ve got to get better each week. We’ve got to build on what we did last week at Nashville, and we can’t take any steps back. We’ve got to get better and better as the year goes on. Hopefully we’ll have a bunch of fans out at Smith-Robinson both Thursday and Friday nights when the high school hosts Fort Smith Northside.” Both games will kick off at 7 p.m.