GREENWOOD Patience pays off for Presley

Greenwood senior quarterback Jace Presley patiently waited for his opportunity to be a starter, and he is making the most of it so far for the Bulldogs.

Presley has completed 94 of 125 passes for 1,244 yards and 16 touchdowns to help guide unbeaten Greenwood (4-0, 1-0 6A-West).

“He has done a very, very nice job for us,” Greenwood coach Rick Jones said. “Luckily we don’t have the transfer portal. He is sorta like that fifth-year senior in college. He has been our starting quarterback for 7th, 8th, 9th and two years at junior varsity. He has stepped up, taken ownership and a leadership position. We are proud of the progress and think he can get a lot better.”

Presley and Greenwood will get a test this week with El Dorado (1-3, 0-1) traveling to Smith-Robinson Stadium. The Wildcats are looking to bounce back from losing 40-21 at home to Lake Hamilton to start conference play.

“They have a great tradition and really good players,” Jones said. “They’ve played a tough schedule. They played some of the best teams in 7A. It’s going to be a challenge. They are athletes and have good size on the offensive line. They can cause problems on defense with their speed. We’ll have to play well.”

A pair of juniors have stepped up at the wide receiver position to help make plays for the offense alongside seniors Treyton Dawson and Lazaro Angel. Peyton Carter leads the team in catches and yards with 20 for 275 with 2 touchdowns. Caden Brown has 16 receptions for 175 yards with 4 touchdowns.

“Both those guys have stepped up and have made big plays for us,” Jones said. “They are very different. Peyton is taller, has great body control and catches a ball in a crowd well. Caden is quick and can take an 8-yard gain into an 80-yard gain. We want to make plays after the catch in our offense, so he has been helping us do that.”