On a chilly, fall night, the Greenwood Bulldogs hosted the Russellville Cyclones for a 6A Conference match up. Russellville head coach Jeff Weaver returns to Smith Robinson Stadium as a Greenwood alumni and hoping to dethrone his alma mater.
With 9:39 left in the first quarter, the Bulldog defense forces a punt from the Cyclones. Sr. Jayden Jasna would field the kick at the Greenwood 33-yard line and shake tackles laterally before sprinting down the sideline for a huge gain to the Cyclone 37-yard line. The offense would go to work with great field position for their first possession.
On the second play of the drive Sr. Q.B. LD Richmond would find his wide receiver Luke Brewer on an out route to the sideline. Brewer would shake tackles rumble downfield for a 24 yard gain to the Cyclone 9 yard line. Two plays later, Sr. RB Hunter Wilkinson would take a swing pass to the left and bust through tackles for an 8-yard touchdown to put the Bulldogs up 7-0 with 8:22 left in the first quarter.
The Greenwood defense would again hold and the Bulldog offense starts their second drive of the game at their own 35-yard line. With 6:29 left in first quarter, Richmond would find Soph. receiver Aiden Kennon on a go route down the right seam and Kennon would scamper into the end zone untouched for a 24-yard touchdown. With 2 perfect drives for the Bulldog offense, Greenwood takes a 14-0 lead.
Russellville would get on the board to briefly bring the score to 14-7 but it wouldn’t remain for long. With 1:43 left in the first quarter, Richmond would connect with Sr. receiver Peyton Carter for a 23-yard touchdown pass and catch. Carter would use his 6 foot 5 inch length to pluck the ball out of the air in what looked like a big brother keeping a toy away from the little brother. Bulldogs would take the lead 21-7.
The Cyclones would get a FG as time expired on the 1st quarter and the score moves to 21-10. On the ensuing kick off to start the 2nd quarter, Russellville would convert an onside kick to retain possession. The Bulldog defense would stand tough yet again, not allowing any points and turning the ball over on downs.
The Bulldog offense looked to move quickly and Richmond would connect with Luke Brewer again for a 47-yard touchdown. Brewer would out run his defender and catch the perfectly thrown Richmond pass on a go route down the sideline. The defender would shove Brewer inside the 5-yard line but the steady feet of Luke Brewer stay in bounds and he dives for the end zone for the score. It would be Richmond’s 4th touchdown throw of the night to bring the score to 28-10.
After another defensive stop, the Bulldog offense would not slow down. They march down the field and Richmond would connect with Sr. receiver Jase Strozier in the middle of the end zone for a 7-yard touchdown and Richmond’s 5th touchdown pass of the night. The Bulldogs take a 34-10 lead with 8:13 left in the second quarter.
With 2:11 left in the second quarter, the Bulldog offense would take over still leading 34-10 and sitting at the Cyclone 34 yard line. Sr. running back Hunter Wilkinson would take the first snap for a 20-yard gain. He would take the 2nd snap for another 9-yards to the 4-yard line. Richmond would do the rest and cap off the drive with a 4-yard Q.B. draw for the rushing touchdown. After Sr. kicker Luis Morales converts the extra point, the score favors Greenwood 41-10 with just over 1 minute to go in the 1st half.
The Bulldogs would have the ball to start the half and after a long completion to Peyton Carter, Richmond would take another one in to the end zone. On a QB rush up the middle for a, staggering, seventh touchdown of the night, Greenwood would go on top 48-10 with just over 11 minutes to go in the 3rd quarter.
This would conclude the scoring for both teams. As outstanding as the offense was, the defense was the key take away in this game. The Bulldog defense averages only 10 points allowed for the year and they met that average against a Russellville team that enjoys throwing the football and scoring points.
Seniors Angel Hernandez, Connor Marvin, Jordan Hannah, Tatum Sadler and Jayden Jasna and the rest of that strong defensive unit for the Bulldogs are some of the best in the state.
LD Richmond would finish 16/20 284-yards and 5 TD. He would add 2 rushing touchdowns to finish with 7 total TD.
Peyton Carter would lead the team and finish with 5 receptions for 110-yards and 1 touchdown. Luke Brewer would also have an impressive game with 3 catches for 69-yards and 1 touchdown.
Greenwood moves to 6-0 and turns their focus to a highly talented Benton team that will come in to town next week. Both teams are undefeated in conference play. That game kicks off next Friday at 7:00 p.m.
