Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Undefeated Bulldogs aim for continued progress
Greenwood may be undefeated, but that doesn’t mean the Bulldogs don’t have room for improvement.
Even after last week’s 42-20 win at Russellville, coach Rick Jones is quick to credit the Cyclones for hanging tough, but he also said his team needed to be better in certain aspects.
“They got after us,” Jones said. “It’s sort of a crazy thing. We gave up eight sacks and eight explosive plays. But then score to go up 28 and look like we’re gonna run the clock here. But we don’t do that. All of a sudden they make a play and then onside kick and it’s bouncing off about four of our guys and they get it.
“People look at our record and say ‘Oh yeah, right.’ But there’s a ton of stuff we can get better at. But I think we’re taking steps in the right direction.”
The Bulldogs showed improvement running the ball led by junior Hunter Wilkinson. He rushed for a season-high 136 yards and four touchdowns against Russellville.
That’s a good thing since the two teams currently tied for the lead with Greenwood atop the 5A-West conference standings are still yet to come. Benton is one of those teams and will be the Bulldogs’ next opponent on the road.
The Panthers are 4-3 overall but have won four straight games after starting the season 0-3. Jones pointed out losses to possibly the best team in the state in Class 7A Bryant along with defending 4A state champion Arkadelphia makes that record more than a little deceiving.
Jones is still excited about his team’s potential.
“We’re not even close to where we want to be,” Jones said. “It makes it fun to go out and practice when you know you have a chance to be a really good football team. I know they have the potential to do great things. But we’re not there yet.”