The Greenwood Bulldogs wasted little time making their presence known Friday night, putting together an offensive performance that left the Alma Airedales searching for answers. Behind a commanding first half from quarterback Cruz Coatney and a defense that refused to give ground, Greenwood rolled to a 56-0 victory over Alma.
The Bulldogs found the end zone early and often, scoring 21 points in the opening quarter before adding another 28 in the second. By halftime, Greenwood had built a 49-0 advantage.
Greenwood’s opening drive set the tone for the night. Coatney connected with Braxton Canada over the middle for the game’s first touchdown with 10:47 remaining in the first quarter. Landon Franklin’s extra point gave the Bulldogs an early 7-0 lead.
The Greenwood defense quickly made its presence felt. William Rye broke up an Alma pass, and Bryar Hackler came up with a stop that forced the Airedales to punt. Coatney went back to work, finding Cooper Webb for a completion that moved the Bulldogs into Alma territory. The drive ended with Coatney connecting with Ty Holt for a touchdown with 8:20 remaining in the opening quarter, extending Greenwood’s lead to 14-0.
Alma managed to move the ball toward midfield on its next possession, but the Airedales’ drive stalled on a turnover on downs. Greenwood wasted little time capitalizing on the opportunity. Coatney found Holt again for his second touchdown reception of the night with 2:53 remaining in the first quarter. The Bulldogs carried a 21-0 lead into the second quarter.
If the opening quarter was any indication of what was to come, the second quarter removed all doubt. On the first play of the second quarter, Coatney found a wide-open Canada deep downfield for a touchdown just eight seconds into the period. The score pushed Greenwood’s advantage to 28-0 with 11:52 remaining in the half.
The Airedales continued to struggle against the Greenwood defense, turning the ball over on downs on their next possession. The Bulldogs then turned to their ground game, with Rhett Holloway and Mario Dunbar moving the ball downfield. Coatney kept the drive alive with an improvised completion to Canada before Holloway punched it into the end zone with 6:38 remaining in the half. Greenwood’s lead had grown to 35-0.
Alma’s offensive struggles continued when Rye intercepted an Airedale pass, giving Greenwood another opportunity. The Bulldogs were unable to capitalize on the turnover and were forced to punt. The Airedales, however, handed the ball right back. On Alma’s first play of the ensuing possession, the ball came loose and was recovered by Greenwood’s Bailey Thibedou. Coatney connected with Holt for his third touchdown reception of the night. Franklin’s extra point made it 42-0 with 3:35 remaining before halftime.
Following another Alma punt, Greenwood put together one final scoring drive before the break. Coatney connected with Webb and Holt to move the Bulldogs downfield before finding Canada for another touchdown with just 32 seconds remaining in the half. The Bulldogs took a commanding 49-0 lead into the locker room, with Terry McGinster recording a sack to close out the first half.
The second half brought a running clock, but the Greenwood defense showed no signs of letting up. Alma moved the ball toward midfield on its opening possession of the third quarter but once again failed to sustain the drive. Greenwood took advantage, with Coatney finding Brayden Brewer for a touchdown with 2:20 remaining in the third quarter. The score extended the Bulldogs’ lead to 56-0.The Airedales opened the fourth quarter looking to find some offensive momentum through the air. Drew Dickinson had other plans, intercepting a deep Alma pass to give Greenwood possession. With Joey Young taking over at quarterback, the Bulldogs continued moving the football. Young connected with Bentley Neece and Jadin Mills as Greenwood worked its way downfield. The drive eventually stalled following an injury timeout involving Drake Little, and Greenwood turned the ball over on downs. Alma maintained possession through the remainder of the fourth quarter, running out the clock as Greenwood completed the shutout.
“Just couldn’t be more proud of that group of Seniors.” Head Coach Jason Gill said. “Come out here on Senior night and play Alma like that. That’s an awesome job by those guys.”
“He’s found his groove, he’s got lots of weapons over there.” Coach Gill said of Cruz Coatney.
