Greenwood shook off an early deficit Friday night and used a punishing ground attack and a stingy defense to take control, knocking off the Rogers Mounties 28-14.
The Mounties struck first after the two teams traded stalled possessions to open the game. Rogers leaned on the legs of its quarterback to move down the field, eventually finding the end zone with 2:28 remaining in the first quarter for a 7-0 lead.
Greenwood was already knocking on the door when the opening quarter expired, and the Bulldogs didn’t take long to answer.
Runs from Mario Dunbar and Rhett Holloway pushed Greenwood toward the goal line before Cruz Coatney punched it in with 10:56 remaining in the second quarter, evening things up at 7-7. The Greenwood defense came up big on the following Rogers possession. The Mounties moved to the Bulldog 15-yard line before Drew Dickinson helped turn them away on fourth down, keeping Rogers from retaking the lead. After the teams traded punts, Greenwood finally found the big play it was looking for. Coatney connected with Holloway deep downfield, setting the Bulldogs up at the Rogers 6-yard line. Coatney finished the job himself, carrying it into the end zone with 2:06 remaining in the half and sending Greenwood into the locker room with a 14-7 advantage.
The Bulldogs began to take control after halftime. With the Greenwood defense continuing to frustrate the Mounties, the offense put together another scoring drive behind passes to Braxton Canada and runs from Coatney. Brayden Renick capped the possession with a touchdown run with 3:18 left in the third, stretching the Bulldog lead to 21-7.
Rogers got the break it needed early in the fourth quarter when the Mounties intercepted Greenwood and returned it for a touchdown. The pick six with 11:21 remaining cut the Bulldog lead to 21-14 and suddenly made it a one-score game. Greenwood’s response was immediate. The Bulldogs went back to Dunbar and Holloway, pounding their way down the field and taking valuable time off the clock. Holloway finished the drive by finding the end zone with 7:03 remaining, putting Greenwood back in front by two scores at 28-14. From there, the Bulldog defense slammed the door. Rogers’ ensuing drive ended on fourth down after a stop from Terry McGinster and the Greenwood defense. With the football back in their hands, the Bulldogs turned again to Holloway and Dunbar and simply bled away what remained of the clock. It was a fitting finish for a Greenwood team that controlled the game on the ground and came up with defensive stops when they mattered most. Bryar Hackler and Rodney Wirth helped set the tone defensively early, Dickinson delivered a key red-zone stop in the second quarter, and the Bulldogs held the Rogers offense to just one touchdown on the night. After falling behind 7-0 in the opening quarter, Greenwood scored 28 of the game’s final 35 points and left with a 28-14 victory over the Mounties.
“You know, you lose two like we lost two, it’s gut check time” Head Coach Jason Gill said as the Greenwood Band played at midfield post game. “Coming back home, that helps, and couldn’t be more proud.”
“There’s nothing like Smith-Robinson, ha, nothing like it!”
Greenwood has a bye week next week before making their well publicized return to the 5A-West against Morrilton on September 25th.
