GREENWOOD — The first test in the move to the 7A/6A-Central was passed by Greenwood on Friday night.
Greenwood got its offense going early and the defense stepped up in the second half to secure a 56-20 victory against Fort Smith Northside at Smith-Robinson Stadium.
Running back Hoyt Smith ran 17 times for 135 yards and 2 touchdowns, and quarterback Jabe Burgess finished 20 of 30 for 183 passing yards and 2 touchdowns in the Bulldogs’ first game in its new conference.
Down 21-7 just before halftime, Northside and quarterback Gray Stanton responded by driving 87 yards to score on his 3-yard run and cut the lead to 21-14.
But that’s when Greenwood (4-0, 1-0) took control. The Bulldogs, who have won 28 consecutive games, forced three-and-outs and scored on its first three possessions after halftime to extend their lead to 42-14 heading into the fourth quarter.
“Both teams came out firing in the first half,” Greenwood Coach Rick Jones said. “It was a great game at halftime with both teams making plays. It was like a good fight. You get some punches in, and they get some in.”
The Bulldogs delivered the knockout blows with a 19-yard touchdown pass from Burgess to Morgan and touchdown runs of 3 and 4 yards by Smith and Saul Palmer, respectively, to put the game well out of reach.
Smith was a big part of the offense in the second half, rushing for 73 yards on eight carries after halftime.
“He has really stepped up the past few weeks,” Jones said of Smith. “I’m really proud of him, and he has gotten tougher and has gotten better. He can dart and make people miss. His confidence is gaining each game. We just handed it to him over and over.”
It was a back-and-forth game in the first half with both teams answering scores in the first quarter.
Northside (0-4, 0-1) received the ball to start the game, but a fumbled snap on the first play and a sack of Stanton stalled the drive early.
Greenwood took over at the Grizzlies’ 35 and took advantage of the short field. Burgess found Smith for a 27-yard touchdown pass to take a 7-0 lead with 9:54 left in the first quarter.
Northside answered with a drive that was kept alive by a fourth-and-16 pass interference call that put the ball at the Greenwood 14. The Grizzlies then reached the end zone when Nigel Spears ran 4 yards for a touchdown to tie the game at 7-7 with 6:44 left in the first quarter.
Burgess didn’t need much time to respond to the scoring drive and to take the lead back.
The junior quarterback led the Bulldogs down to the red zone before he capped the drive with a 4-yard touchdown run for a 14-7 lead with 2:33 left in the first quarter. The scoring drive was aided by a personal foul call that put the ball at the 10-yard line after a 10-yard run.
CONWAY 21, RUSSELLVILLE 7
RUSSELLVILLE - Jeff Anderson rushed for two touchdowns and ran back a kickoff 95 yards for another score to lead Conway (3-0, 1-0) to a 6A/7A-Central victory over Russellville (2-2, 0-1).
Anderson rushed 29 times for 134 yards. He ran 5 yards for his first touchdown, for a 7-0 lead in the first quarter.
After Russellville tied the game, Anderson gave Conway the lead right back with his touchdown return.
Sports, Pages 26 on 09/22/2012