Centerton — Greenwood and Bentonville West traded momentum throughout Friday night’s game, but a late Wolverine touchdown proved to be the difference as Bentonville West knocked off the Bulldogs 28-24 in dramatic fashion.
The night started as a defensive battle. Greenwood picked up its only first down of its opening possession on a Cruz Coatney pass to Brayden Brewer before being forced to punt. Bentonville West moved into Greenwood territory on its first possession, but the Bulldog defense responded. Charlie Hudnall came up with a stop before Thomas Newcity broke up a pass to help force a turnover on downs. Greenwood punted again, and the Bulldogs appeared to have forced another Wolverine punt after Drew Dickinson broke up a third-down pass. An accidental touch on the punt, however, gave Bentonville West the ball back. The Wolverines took advantage of the second chance. A double pass moved West all the way to the Greenwood 4-yard line before a two-yard touchdown pass put the Wolverines on the board. The extra point was good, giving West a 7-0 lead with 3:51 remaining in the first quarter. Greenwood answered with its best drive of the quarter. Receptions by Braxton Canada and runs from Rhett Holloway and Mario Dunbar moved the Bulldogs into scoring position. Greenwood was stopped on third down at the West 13-yard line and opted to take the points, cutting the Wolverine lead to 7-3 on a field goal with 19 seconds remaining in the first.
Bentonville West stalled and punted on its next possession. The Bulldogs again worked their way into scoring position behind plays from Coatney, Canada and Brewer, along with a screen to Holloway. Greenwood couldn’t finish the drive, however, as Dickinson was stopped at the 2-yard line on fourth down. Backed up against its own end zone, Bentonville West came out firing. VJ Warren gave the Wolverines some breathing room before a pass to Ryan Adjam moved West deep into Greenwood territory. Facing third-and-22, the Wolverines were given new life on a roughing-the-passer penalty. Warren eventually finished the drive himself, running it into the end zone with 3:13 remaining in the half to give West a 14-3 advantage. Greenwood wasn’t finished. Coatney used his legs to move the Bulldogs downfield before finding Canada in the end zone for the touchdown. The score cut the West lead to 14-10 with just 28 seconds remaining before halftime. The Wolverines ran out the clock to take the four-point advantage into the locker room.
Greenwood’s defense came out strong to start the second half. Stops by Hudnall and Gunner Flannery helped force a Bentonville West punt, but the Bulldogs couldn’t capitalize and punted the ball back. A Greenwood pass interference penalty helped West on its next possession, but the Bulldog defense again stiffened. A stop by Rodney Wirth helped put the Wolverines in a third-and-25 situation before Greenwood stopped a screen in its tracks and forced another punt. Greenwood’s next drive also ended with a punt, but the Bulldogs flipped the field and pinned Bentonville West at its own 2-yard line. Warren got the Wolverines out of the shadow of their own goal line with a run before a fumbled snap left West facing second-and-19. The Wolverines responded with a deep pass to Adjam that moved the ball all the way to midfield.
Bentonville West carried its 14-10 lead into the fourth quarter and extended it with a passing touchdown with 10:40 remaining, putting Greenwood in a 21-10 hole. Once again, the Bulldogs answered. Holloway and Dunbar powered Greenwood down the field before Coatney connected with Canada for their second touchdown of the night. The score pulled the Bulldogs within four, 21-17, with 7:45 remaining. Bentonville West turned to Warren and the ground game in an attempt to drain the clock, but the Bulldogs got the break they needed when William Rye intercepted a Wolverine pass. Greenwood went to work. Dunbar helped drive the Bulldogs down to the West 17-yard line, where Greenwood eventually faced fourth down with the game on the line. The Bulldogs kept the drive alive and Dunbar finished it with a touchdown run, putting Greenwood in front 24-21 with only 2:42 remaining. But the lead wouldn’t last. Bentonville West returned the ensuing kickoff 68 yards, immediately putting the Wolverines in position to answer. West found the end zone with 1:04 remaining to retake the lead, 28-24. That left Coatney and the Greenwood offense one final opportunity. The Bulldogs moved the ball but eventually found themselves facing fourth down. Coatney looked for Canada, but the pass fell incomplete, bringing the comeback attempt and the game to an end. After Greenwood had battled back from an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit to take the lead, Bentonville West delivered the final blow. The Wolverines walked away with a dramatic 28-24 victory and their first win over Greenwood in four tries.
“We have got to get in there this weekend and figure out to correct those mistakes.” Head Coach Jason Gill said after the close game. “It wasn’t just one phase of the game. If we could clean that up, we have a good chance to have a good football team.”
“You know they grew up a lot last year, but we’re still making mistakes, missing tackles.” Coach Gill said about the defense. “They gave us a few formations that we hadn’t seen, and just didn’t adjust well real quick.”
The Bulldogs are on the road again next week to take on Pulaski Academy in Little Rock.
