Greenwood wasted little time taking control Friday night, building a 21-point lead in the opening quarter and carrying a 42-0 advantage into halftime on the way to a 49-7 victory over the Morrilton Devil Dogs.
Morrilton received the opening kickoff, but the Greenwood defense quickly forced the Devil Dogs to punt.
The Bulldogs went to work through the air on their first possession. Cruz Coatney connected with Ty Holt, Braxton Canada and Brayden Renick to move Greenwood into scoring position before Mario Dunbar finished the drive on the ground. Dunbar punched it into the end zone with 7:21 remaining in the first quarter to give Greenwood a 7-0 lead.
The Bulldog defense kept the pressure on Morrilton. Stops by Bryar Hackler and Terry McGinster helped force another fourth down and a Devil Dog punt.
Greenwood’s passing game went right back to work.Coatney found Holt, Ty Karnes, Renick and Canada as the Bulldogs worked their way down the field. Rhett Holloway nearly broke one loose before Coatney went deep to Brayden Brewer for a touchdown. The score with 3:42 remaining in the first pushed Greenwood’s lead to 14-0.Morrilton again struggled to find room against the Greenwood defense. Pressure from McGinster, Hackler and Gunnar Flannery forced another punt and gave the Bulldogs another opportunity.
Holloway broke a run into Morrilton territory, and a deep completion to Canada put Greenwood inside the 5-yard line. Dunbar took care of the rest, punching it in for his second touchdown of the quarter with 1:33 remaining.Greenwood led 21-0 after one.
The Bulldogs appeared headed for another score early in the second quarter before fumbling at the end of a long run. Morrilton couldn’t capitalize, however, as stops by Hackler and Hudanal helped force another Devil Dog punt.
Holloway quickly put Greenwood back in the Morrilton red zone, and Dunbar followed with a run inside the 5. This time Brewer took the snap and powered his way into the end zone with 7:58 remaining in the half, extending the lead to 28-0.Morrilton punted on its next possession, but a Greenwood fumble gave the Devil Dogs the ball right back. Morrilton elected to go for it on fourth down, but the Bulldogs held and turned the ball over to their offense.Completions to Canada and Renick moved Greenwood down the field before Coatney found Canada on a screen. Canada took it the rest of the way for the touchdown with 3 minutes remaining in the half, making it 35-0.
The Devil Dogs answered with a big kickoff return, but Greenwood’s defense erased the opportunity a few plays later.Bailey Thibedou stepped in front of a Morrilton pass and took the interception all the way back for a touchdown. The pick-six with 1:10 remaining sent Greenwood into halftime with a commanding 42-0 advantage.
The Bulldogs didn’t slow down after the break.
Greenwood opened the second half by moving down the field with passes to Cooper Webb before Coatney connected with Canada in the end zone. The touchdown with 7:51 remaining in the third quarter stretched the Bulldog lead to 49-0.Morrilton was forced to punt on its next possession, and Greenwood eventually did the same as the game moved into the fourth quarter.
The Devil Dogs put together their lone scoring drive of the night early in the fourth, finding the end zone with 11:45 remaining to make it 49-7.
Play was later halted to allow a helicopter to land for an injured Morrilton player as a precaution.
When play resumed, Greenwood began working its younger players into the offense. Drake Little picked up yards on the ground, while Joey Young connected with Aisen Dawson through the air as the Bulldogs drove into Morrilton territory. The possession eventually ended on downs.
Morrilton also turned the ball over on downs on its ensuing possession, giving Greenwood the opportunity to close things out.
Little carried the load on the final series as the Bulldogs drained the remaining time from the clock.Greenwood’s offense produced touchdowns through the air and on the ground, while the defense controlled the game from the opening possession and added a score of its own.
