Holt, Greenwood roll past El Dorado

EL DORADO — The quarterback cupboard never seems to be bare in Greenwood. Senior Peyton Holt looked like a wizard Friday as he led the Bulldogs past El Dorado 44-27 at Memorial Stadium.

Greenwood improved to 4-1, 2-0 while the Wildcats fell to 2-3, 1-1.

Holt, who started at receiver last season, replaced current Arkansas Razorback Connor Noland as the Bulldogs’ triggerman. He gave the Wildcats fits on Friday, rushing for 111 yards and completing 19-of-27 passes for 272 yards. He threw for two touchdowns and ran for another.

Greenwood totaled 435 yards of offense.

“Our guys keep trying hard. I hate the outcome, I really do,” El Dorado coach Scott Reed said in his postgame interview with KIX 103. “You can’t make mistakes in big ball games. You can’t do it. But, we continue to play hard, and we continue to play together. We have good kids, and they’re going to get better.”

Keonte Larry led El Dorado with 85 yards rushing on 10 attempts and had a 22-yard reception. Alex Hicks had 26 rushes for 75 yards, including 36 yards in losses. He completed 4-of-9 passes for 113 yards and a touchdown.

“Too many mistakes, and we had too many lost-yardage plays to beat a good team like that,” Reed said. “It seemed like they executed better than we did tonight.”

El Dorado’s first possession would be indicative of the evening. Steven Tollette took a jet sweep nine yards on first down. But, Hicks was sacked on second down, and the Wildcats failed to convert on third-and-4.

Greenwood took over and drove 68 yards. Holt had a 58-yard run to set up Hunter Wilkinson’s 1-yard TD plunge. Grant Ennis hit the PAT for a 7-0 lead with 8:23 left in the first.

On the Wildcats’ ensuing possession, Larry ran for six and Hicks nine for a first down. Larry then ran for 11 before Hicks found tight end Alex Boone for a 22-yard gain. Hicks was sacked for a 7-yard loss but then ran for 28 on the next play. A block in the back penalty, however, proved too much to overcome. The drive stalled, and Greysen Hubbard’s 33-yard field goal attempt was wide left.

The Bulldogs would score again on an 11-play drive, converting a pair of fourth-and-1 opportunities before Holt hit Treyton Dawson on a 19-yard fade for the touchdown. Ennis’ kick with 9:48 left in the second pushed the lead to 14-0.

A 13-yard sack spoiled El Dorado’s next offensive possession.

Greenwood didn’t waste any time taking advantage as Holt hit Dawson for a 67-yard TD pass. Ennis’ PAT made the margin 21-0 with 7:30 left in the second.

Dawson had five receptions for 120 yards and two TDs.

El Dorado finally retaliated with an 80-yard drive on 10 consecutive rushing plays. Hicks would score on a 12-yard run. Hubbard added the kick, cutting the deficit to 21-7 with 3:44 left in the half.

Greenwood would add a 28-yard field goal by Ennis on the final play of the half.

The Bulldogs extended the lead when Wilkinson’s 1-yard run capped a 10-play drive, pushing the margin to 31-7 with 4:24 left in the third.

The Wildcats answered when Hicks threw a perfect deep ball to Devunte Kidd, who hauled it in on his way to a 68-yard touchdown reception. Hubbard’s kick cut the lead to 31-14 with 2:43 left in the third.

Greenwood countered with a scoring drive. Luke Leonard’s 40-yard reception set up a 1-yard TD run by Wilkinson with 1:41 left in the third. The lead swelled to 44-14 after Holt’s 2-yard TD run on fourth-and-goal with 8:07 left in the fourth. The PAT failed.

Larry’s 7-yard TD run capped an 80-yard drive by the Wildcats. Hubbard’s kick made the score 44-21 with 4:36 remaining. El Dorado’s final score was set up by the defense. Greenwood’s punter, in his own end zone, dropped the snap and was tackled by Jacoby Hankton, whose hit forced a fumble. Zac Donahue recovered it in the end zone with 2:56 left for the final margin.