The Greenwood High School gridiron machine continues to churn out victories with another dominating performance on the road at Siloam Springs, 62-7. Last Friday’s triumph was their third conference win of the season and their sixth overall against zero losses. Four games remain against Lake Hamilton, Van Buren, Fort Smith Southside, and Mountain Home, all 6A West contests. Greenwood and Lake Hamilton are the only unbeaten teams in the league at 3-0. The Wolves are 5-1 overall and will travel to Smith-Robinson Stadium for a league showdown next Friday at 7 p.m.
Not only did the Bulldogs absolutely decimate the Panthers’ defense, scoring on nine of 11 GHS possessions, but junior quarterback Kane Archer tied a school record with seven touchdown passes, matching Tyler Wilson’s seven TD tosses against Pulaski Academy in a 57-50 playoff win in 2007. But to emphasize Archer’s performance even more, he achieved the feat in just two quarters of play, completing 16 of 21 passes for 347 yards to a host of receivers. The Bulldogs led 49-0 at halftime.
The GHS defense set the tone early by stuffing the Panthers on their opening drive and forcing the first of many punts by the home team. Greenwood’s first possession began at the visitors’ 32-yard-line where Archer’s first pass attempt fell incomplete. But his next three were all short tosses caught by Champ Davis for 12 yards, Isaiah Arrington for five yards, and Arrington again for 11 yards to the home 40. Two snaps later, Arrington caught his third straight pass, this one for a touchdown that was called back due to a penalty.
The Panthers got to Archer on the next snap, bringing up a third-and-15 situation at the Siloam Springs’ 46. But the Bulldogs regrouped with senior Grant Karnes making his first catch and reaching the 28 to move the sticks. Two plays later, Archer and Karnes hooked up again for a sideline completion that Karnes turned into a touchdown. The extra point kick by Hudson Meeker was good for a 7-0 GHS lead (8:18).
After another Panthers’ three-and-out and a punt that rolled dead at the Greenwood 17, the Bulldogs embarked on a lightning quick 83-yard four-play drive for touchdown #2. Wesley Raggio carried to the 23 and Mario Dunbar to the 29 for a first down. Two snaps later, Archer lofted a deep pass to Isaiah Arrington which he caught in stride near the Panthers’ 45 before racing ahead for the touchdown. Meeker’s kick was good again for a 14-0 GHS lead (5:52).
Greenwood defensive back Radley O’Neal then picked off a Panthers’ deep pass attempt at the GHS 37, putting Archer and company back in business. The much-hyped star QB then passed to Cooper Goodwin to the 44. The same two reconnected on the next play and Goodwin turned the short reception into a long run just short of the Panthers’ goal line. But a blocking penalty put the football back at the 25. Archer then threw to Champ Davis for the touchdown. The PAT made it 21-0 (3:45).
Early in the second stanza the Bulldogs sacked the hometown punter at the Panthers’ 41, putting the GHS offense in great position for yet another score. On first down, a quick pass to Arrington turned into a big gainer after a facemask penalty moved the ball to the 19. Champ Davis caught Archer’s next offering, reaching the five. Two snaps later Davis caught another short toss and waltzed into the end zone. The extra point kick was good again, making the score 28-0 (11:02).
Greenwood’s next score came less than three minutes later after the visiting defense stopped the Panthers on a fourth-and-one play at the home 29. Archer was sacked on first down at the 35 but recovered on the next play by scrambling to buy time before finding Arrington on the sideline near the 5-yard-line. The senior receiver then tip-toed his way into the end zone, somehow staying in bounds. Meeker’s kick was true again and Greenwood led 35-0 (8:07), triggering the mercy rule for the second half.
But the Bulldogs were not through scoring yet. From his own 26, Archer led his teammates on another impressively quick touchdown drive in six plays, the first of which was a pass to Grant Karnes reaching the 37. After a penalty to the 32 and an incompletion, Archer scrambled to the Siloam Springs’ 49 for a first down. After another pass to Karnes to the 35, Archer threw deep to Cooper Bland who made the catch near the sideline between two defenders before reaching the end zone. The PAT was good again for a 42-0 Greenwood lead (5:04).
The Bulldogs’ last score of the half came after another Panthers’ punt to the GHS 39. Archer then passed to Arrington for 24 yards to the home 37 before hitting Champ Davis over the middle on the next snap. Davis made the catch and a cut that allowed him to reach the end zone with a little help from a block by Grant Karnes. Landon Franklin added the extra point with 2:19 remaining in the opening half, and that would be all for most of the GHS #1 offense.
Cooper Goodwin replaced Archer in the second half and led the visitors on two more scoring drives of 85 and 50 yards. But Greenwood’s opening possession was foiled by a lost fumble, soon followed by the Panthers’ only touchdown on a long QB keeper through the heart of the #2 GHS defense, making the score 49-7 (6:20).
Goodwin then rallied the troops with another quick score. From the Greenwood 17 he rolled out and threw on the run to Hudson Meeker near the 45, who managed to stay ahead of three defenders trailing the play all the way to the end zone for the score. But the extra point failed, leaving the score at 55-7 with about three minutes left in the third quarter with a rapidly moving clock.
After another Siloam Springs’ punt, a short one to midfield, the Bulldogs took over again on offense at the 50. Goodwin’s first down pass went to Ben Hossley for 19 yards before Deacon Cameron ran to the 26. Hossley caught a second pass at the 19 and Cameron ran again to the nine. After a pair of incompletions and a penalty to the 14, the Bulldogs were really put in a bind when Goodwin was sacked at the 25, bringing up fourth down and goal. But a brilliant play call from the sideline led to Greenwood’s last score. With the Panthers expecting a pass attempt to the end zone, Goodwin dropped back as if to throw, then executed a beautiful QB draw up the middle before breaking right all the way to the end zone. Franklin’s kick made the final score 62-7 with about 6:30 left to play and the clock running non-stop.
After the game, Head Coach Chris Young addressed his team on the field, congratulating them for another dominating outing before talking with members of the media. "It was an impressive performance by our offense in the first half," he said. "[Offensive coordinator Stephen Hogan] had a good plan tonight and Kane went out and executed," he added. “We have enough guys, if he gets them the ball in space, they're liable to go the house, and that's what [we] saw tonight."
Echoing his head coach, Kane Archer said, "It's whoever is open," he said of his receivers. "One of them is going to be open on every play. It's just finding the right guy." Unofficially, Isaiah Arrington led the GHS receiving corps with seven catches for 183 yards, followed by Champ Davis with five grabs for 105 yards. Hudson Meeker had two receptions for 94 yards while both Grant Karnes (four catches) and Cooper Goodwin (two catches) had 71 yards each. Cooper Bland had one grab for 35 yards.
“I’m really proud of them,” Young continued, praising his team for their efforts against the Panthers. “We have really high expectations for our kids, and I thought they delivered tonight. Offensively, they came out and scored on every [first half] possession for the second week in a row. Defensively, I thought our guys were physical at the line and had a great plan. The defensive staff planned well, and the kids executed it. We’ve taken steps forward the last two weeks, and that’s important. We want to focus on ourselves and not our opponents and we’ve gotten better the last two weeks as a football team.