Greenwood rolled past Farmington 42-14 Friday night, using a pair of crucial defensive stops and three second-quarter touchdowns to turn a 21-7 lead into a 35-7 halftime advantage.
The turning point came late in the first half after Farmington scored to cut Greenwood’s lead to 21-7, then recovered a short kickoff near midfield. With an opportunity to pull closer, the Cardinals instead saw their drive end when Bailey Thibedou broke up a third-down pass and Charlie Hudnall followed with a fourth-down sack.
Greenwood quarterback Cruz Coatney made the Cardinals pay, finding Braxton Canada for a big gain to the Farmington 6-yard line before connecting with Cooper Webb for a touchdown with 2:37 remaining in the half.
The Bulldogs weren’t finished.
Farmington elected to go for it on fourth-and-1 from its own 29-yard line on the ensuing possession, but the Greenwood defense stuffed the attempt. Coatney again went to Canada, connecting on passes that moved the Bulldogs down the field before finding him for a touchdown with 27 seconds remaining in the half.
The two quick scores gave Greenwood a commanding 35-7 halftime lead.
The Bulldogs had to overcome an early interception on their opening drive, but the Greenwood defense kept Farmington from capitalizing, stopping the Cardinals on fourth down.Coatney then went to work, connecting with Canada and Webb to move the Bulldogs down the field. Mario Dunbar capped the drive with a touchdown run with 7:42 remaining in the first quarter.
After another Farmington possession ended in a punt, Greenwood overcame penalties behind runs from Dunbar and receptions by Canada. Coatney finished the drive with a touchdown pass to Brayden Renick with 1:58 remaining in the quarter. Landon Franklin’s extra point made it 14-0.
The Greenwood defense continued to control the Cardinals, with Thomas Newcity and Drew Dickinson making stops to force another punt. Greenwood carried the 14-point lead into the second quarter before Coatney found Canada open down the sideline for a touchdown with 11:33 remaining in the half, extending the lead to 21-0. Greenwood’s Bryar Hackler provided a spark for the Bulldogs, forcing and recovering a Slade Norwood fumble. The Bulldogs eventually punted, and Farmington put together a scoring drive to cut the deficit to 21-7 with 4:43 remaining before halftime.
But the Cardinals’ momentum was short-lived as Greenwood answered with the two late touchdowns to take control of the game. Farmington opened the second half with a first-down run by Slade Norwood, but Terry McGinster recorded a third-down sack to force a punt.
Greenwood appeared headed for a punt of its own after penalties pushed the Bulldogs backward. However, a roughing-the-kicker penalty gave Greenwood new life. Coatney took advantage, leading the Bulldogs down the field before connecting with Ty Holt for a touchdown with 6:33 remaining in the third quarter. Franklin’s extra point pushed the lead to 42-7, putting the sportsmanship rule and running clock into effect.
Farmington was forced to punt on its next possession, and Greenwood controlled the ball to run out the third-quarter clock.
The Cardinals added a touchdown on a deep pass with 6:23 remaining in the game to cut the deficit to 42-14.Greenwood turned to Drake Little and the ground game on its final possession, running out the remaining clock to secure the victory. Coatney finished with five touchdown passes, including two to Canada and one each to Renick, Webb and Holt. Dunbar added a rushing touchdown as the Bulldogs scored on six possessions.
“We challenged our kids all week, and we’ve been waiting on this.” Head Coach Jason Gill said following the victory that keeps them undefeated on 5A West play. “I’m so proud of our kids, they come out and you know what else are you going to say? They played, they put it together tonight.”
Greenwood is on the road to Pea Ridge next Friday to face the Blackhawks. Pea Ridge is 3-4 on the season with losses to Elkins, Booneville, Dardanelle, and Harrison. Catch the action on the Bulldog Broadcast Youtube Channel.
