Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Wood runs for 175 yards as Greenwood routs Alma
ALMA — It’s been a good couple of weeks for Greenwood running back Kenny Wood.
After running wild against Fort Smith Southside last week, Wood wore down a stout Alma defense on his way to 175-yard rushing performance to go along with a game-high four touchdowns.
Wood’s touchdowns led a Greenwood (3-0) offense that rolled toward 495 total yards and eight touchdowns on its way to a 54-28 win over rival Alma (1-3).
Bulldogs quarterback Connor Noland finished with three touchdowns to go along with 226 passing yards.
Greenwood coach Rick Jones said this was the first game he’s seen Wood, who has been hampered by a hamstring injury since May, play to the level Jones is accustomed to seeing from his senior back, he said.
“Kenny looked a little like Kenny tonight,” Jones said. “He’s been out for a while, and he just hasn’t looked himself, but tonight Alma got a little dose of what he’s really all about: a physical runner, he makes good cuts and good decisions running the zone. I was pleased.”
Alma coach Doug Loughridge and his defense struggled to contain Wood, who never had a run for negative yards on the night.
“We would load up the box, knew he was running it and just couldn’t tackle him,” Loughridge said. “He’s a tough back and great kid. He’s not flashy, but you’re not stopping him.”
Alma cut the lead to six points early in the second half after defensive back Coltin Bowerman picked off Noland’s pass, which set up Airedale quarterback Garrison Jensen finding a wide-open receiver in Brayden Johnson for 67 yards on the Alma’s first play after the turnover.
It would be the last time the Airedales would score in the game, though, after the Bulldogs commanded the remaining
time of possession by running the ball for over 20 times in the second half.
“We tried to do what they let us do,” Jones said. “We wanted to get better and more consistent running the ball. We busted some stuff in the first half and we were sort of hard-headed in the second half, making sure we were running the ball. Then you get up 14 points in the fourth quarter, and we want to throw it and be loosey-goosey with it, but it gets to a point in time when you need to hand it off, make first downs and run the clock.”
Loughridge said he was still pleased by how his players ignored the pre-game hype surrounding Greenwood this past week and came out of the second half attacking.
“It’s a better Alma-Greenwood game than we’ve had in recent years,” Loughridge said.