Russellville and Greenwood: Round 2 at the Rock

[Pr8hd]

Its not fun at all losing on the big stage by any means. But I'd much rather my season end playing for the championship than 1 to 4 weeks earlier.

I myself was thinking about the margin of our 2 losses as well. We are just a completed 2 point conversion and a score and a 2 point conversion away from a possiblility of Jones being 8-0 at the Rock.
And on the flip side, With the exception of Batesville in 2011, all our wins were close margins as well.

You don't want your season to end in week 13 for sure.

Excellent points on the converse side of the margin of victory compared to the margin of defeat. We have had some games in which we were fortunate to win- 2006 PA and 2010 CF game come immediately to mind. I am not delusional to believe that if GW wins it will not likely be by a bunch. There is a reason why Russellville is where they are. I did not expect the Benton upset of JB, so really expected it to come down on that side to Jonesboro/Russellville but am in no way shocked to see the Cyclones again. I think I said as much after their first match-up and said Russellville could come from that side but would not call them a sleeper pick as #2 seed.

The key to this one may very well lie in who can make the best adjustments not only in preparing for the game, but as the game progresses especially after half. I thought last year against PB, they made the best adjustments and their team came out ,started making plays they had to make. I think to some degree that happened in the first match-up with these two.

GW needs to control the game from start to finish and if they do get behind, show resolve like they did against PB this year.   

[razorcardsfan11]

Russellville wins this rematch

[Lumberjackfan1978]

Should be an excellent game.

[razorsharp94]

Greenwood is 6-0 when playing a team a second time in a season and 10-1 overall, each with one game pending. 3 of which have been the second round while the other 3 have taken/ will take place at the Rock.
05 Morrilton 50-13 W, 35-32 W championship
07 LRC 44-7 L, 27-6 W championship
12 Parkview 34-21 W, 58-21 W second round
13 Parkview 42-0 W, 45-0 W second round
16 El Dorado 49-21 W, 20-3 W second round
16 Russellville 27-24 W, ? championship

If the numbers tell anything, this game will be very different than the previous meeting.

Another not as relavent but still interesting stat is Greenwood is 5-1 in championship rematches that happen the following year.
Wynne- 04 L, 05 W
Morrilton- 05 W, 06 W
PA- 06 W, 07 W
Camden- 10 W, 11 W
Pine Bluff- 12 W, 13 L
Pine Bluff- 15 L, 16 W

3 times Greenwood won both times. Twice we have loss and then got our revenge. And onces we won but weren't able to get the win the next time around.

I could be mistaken but I'll say none of those teams had a coach like Billy Dawson. 

[The Future]

No Dawson. But Bolding and Kelley weren't no pushovers.

[Wonderdog]

No Dawson. But Bolding and Kelley weren't no pushovers.

Or Reed

[Pr8hd]

I could be mistaken but I'll say none of those teams had a coach like Billy Dawson. 

You'd be mistaken.....

Chris Hill (Wynne's coach) was at Morrilton at that time we played them. So, let's see Hill,James, Kelley, Reed and Bolding...they are all pretty salty coaches and almost all have at least 1 title to their name. The last 3 alone have a few more titles combined than Dawson and Jones do by themselves.

Kelley has one less title (5) in Arkansas than Jones and he can push that to 6 this year, but Jones has a chance to push his total to 7.

All those coaches including Dawson, are really good at their craft and within their niche.

[razorsharp94]

I am mistaken on Kelley. I'll take Dawson over all the rest and Dawson is on Kelley's level. What he has done at Russellville, Nashville, and Siloam Springs is nothing short of amazing. Especially at Russellville and Siloam Springs.  I also recognize the greatness of the coaches that were mentioned previously. Taking nothing away from them Billy Dawson is one of the best coaches in the state of Arkansas right now. There aren't many that I would take over him.

[Valleysports]

Cyclones have a chance to put an exclamation point on their own legacy as the best team ever in school history.

I shouldn't say this, but I'm going too.  Not the best team in school history, not even this decade.  This is the best Russellville Team to have ever played in the 6A, bar none.  The last, best team, played in the 7a Semi-Finals and had the horses.  Dawson is building a program - just give him time.     

[johnhickey33]

the bad part is the talent level in Russellville is about the same as it always is.. Coach Dawson is a miracle worker

[Pr8hd]

I shouldn't say this, but I'm going too.  Not the best team in school history, not even this decade.  This is the best Russellville Team to have ever played in the 6A, bar none.  The last, best team, played in the 7a Semi-Finals and had the horses.  Dawson is building a program - just give him time.     

I thought I read record wise (wins/losses) this was their best team ever. It's always a bit subjective at who was a school's really best team ever regardless of record.

[Pr8hd]

I am mistaken on Kelley. I'll take Dawson over all the rest and Dawson is on Kelley's level. What he has done at Russellville, Nashville, and Siloam Springs is nothing short of amazing. Especially at Russellville and Siloam Springs.  I also recognize the greatness of the coaches that were mentioned previously. Taking nothing away from them Billy Dawson is one of the best coaches in the state of Arkansas right now. There aren't many that I would take over him.

He definitely is in the discussion for one of the best, not saying he's not. The only negative with him has been he likes to move a lot sort of like Hill. Now, I am not saying he's leaving Russellville anytime soon, but that would be the one thing he would be dinged on to some degree. I don't think you can build a statue of him in Russ just yet though. One year won't define his tenure or success at the school, but it's a giant step from where they were with Holt.

[Pr8hd]

the bad part is the talent level in Russellville is about the same as it always is.. Coach Dawson is a miracle worker

A little heart, desire, and taste of success can overcome some of the talent gaps especially with quality coaching. Whereas, a bad coach with a lot of talent may not be very successful at all.
Do you think he could have the same sort of success Jones has had at GW?

[Coach Venny Slocombe]

I shouldn't say this, but I'm going too.  Not the best team in school history, not even this decade.  This is the best Russellville Team to have ever played in the 6A, bar none.  The last, best team, played in the 7a Semi-Finals and had the horses.  Dawson is building a program - just give him time.     

He will not be there that long...

[Valleysports]

He will not be there that long...

Yeah, actually he will - unless things change in his personal life for some reason.  He's in the 4th qtr Venny.

[Valleysports]

I thought I read record wise (wins/losses) this was their best team ever. It's always a bit subjective at who was a school's really best team ever regardless of record.

Definitely the best record in school history.  But we weren't playing NLR, Cabot, Central, Southside, Northside, Conway, Fayetteville, and ending with Har-Ber or Bentonville's state championship teams as the only 6A school in 7A conference.  This team has already set records and can be very proud of 2016.  Wouldn't it be something if they upset Greenwood.  BTW, to all those posting stats on GW playing teams twice - Russellville played Benton twice and was much better the 2nd round.

[Valleysports]

Did you know Eddie Meador's (Cyclone, Wonderboy, 6 time Los Angeles Ram's Pro Bowler) grandson plays on this Cyclone Team?  JohnHickey3 hit the nail on the head - Dawson has these kids out performing.  What impresses me is how he's got 7th, 8th, 9th graders excited about being a Cyclone someday.

[PrivateLesson]

He will not be there that long...

You think if  or when Jones ever retires he could possibly go to Greenwood??   I have nothing but respect for Dawson and Jones.   

[PrivateLesson]

I'm going to honest.....this game scares me. 

[Dad of Future Dog]

Two things bother me about this game.

The first, is that this is Russellville's first time on the big stage for all the marbles in the bag.  I know that they are hyped and ready, but once they step foot on that field with that atmosphere what happens?  Will this effect them, and if so to what degree?

The second is the weather.  At the current time, the forecast is looking for temps in the lower 50s to higher 40s with rain.  Is this a disadvantage to both team?  Which team will be at less of a disadvantage in these condidtions.

Third, and I just have to throw this out there.  I know Dawson is a great coach,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, BUT he is no CRJ.  I really think that CRJ has a major advantage on this point.  He has been there, done that, and got the shirt.

Will the coaching advantage be enough to over come the other two areas of concern?   I guess we will know in about 60 hours (dang, that is a longggggggggggggggggg time)

[Wildcat Football]

Weather forecast does not look good for this game, cold and very wet.  I wish the kids didn't have this variable.  So, who plays better in these type of conditions is anybody's guess.   I have seen teams play very differently under harsh weather conditions.  Turnovers looking more realistic for this game, Ned Perme's radar says moving in around 2Pm Sat and downpours very possible for this game. 

[Pr8hd]

Weather forecast does not look good for this game, cold and very wet.  I wish the kids didn't have this variable.  So, who plays better in these type of conditions is anybody's guess.   I have seen teams play very differently under harsh weather conditions.  Turnovers looking more realistic for this game, Ned Perme's radar says moving in around 2Pm Sat and downpours very possible for this game. 

Weather may definitely play a factor on the crowd that attends (especially with TV available) as well as the game itself. In the first one, GW RB (Wood #30) was the main one that did the most damage to Russ. He had 3 TD's 2 on the ground and 1 receiving. GW rushed for almost 300 yards and passed for 175. The 300 yards on ground was right at the teeth of Russ d-line, which is supposed to be a strength. Russ was more reliant on the pass as they passed for more yards, but had one back #20 Woodard that got 125 yards (73 in one chunk) with a big y.p.c. average. So, if it becomes a ground game due to the inclement weather, rushing stats from the first match-up point to advantage GW.  The overall yardage was very close. I don't think Russellville can afford to spot GW 14 points like they did in the first contest and expect to win.

[RiverRunner02]

Two things bother me about this game.

The first, is that this is Russellville's first time on the big stage for all the marbles in the bag.  I know that they are hyped and ready, but once they step foot on that field with that atmosphere what happens?  Will this effect them, and if so to what degree?

The second is the weather.  At the current time, the forecast is looking for temps in the lower 50s to higher 40s with rain.  Is this a disadvantage to both team?  Which team will be at less of a disadvantage in these condidtions.

Third, and I just have to throw this out there.  I know Dawson is a great coach,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, BUT he is no CRJ.  I really think that CRJ has a major advantage on this point.  He has been there, done that, and got the shirt.

Will the coaching advantage be enough to over come the other two areas of concern?   I guess we will know in about 60 hours (dang, that is a longggggggggggggggggg time)

First things first it's time to stop comparing CRJ and CBD because they're both great coaches. Neither one of them has an advantage over the other so there is simply no coaching advantage. Coach Dawson's ability to rebuild football teams is second to none as he has done at Russellville by rebuilding the football team in 2 years. Dawson has been on this stage too btw and actually has 3 rings from 05, 06, and 07 at Nashville. End the discussion of a coaching advantage because there isn't one.

[PrivateLesson]

Bingo!  And that is why this game is scary.   Greenwood only won by...what? 3 pts last time?

[B.S.]

First things first it's time to stop comparing CRJ and CBD because they're both great coaches. Neither one of them has an advantage over the other so there is simply no coaching advantage. Coach Dawson's ability to rebuild football teams is second to none as he has done at Russellville by rebuilding the football team in 2 years. Dawson has been on this stage too btw and actually has 3 rings from 05, 06, and 07 at Nashville. End the discussion of a coaching advantage because there isn't one.

How about head to head? How many years was Dawson @ Siloam?

[Pr8hd]

How about head to head? How many years was Dawson @ Siloam?

1 year 2004 GW won that 14-13 in Jones first year.

End the discussion of a coaching advantage because there isn't one.

So, they are the same...and we should just drop it that no coach has an advantage over the other as our poster would have us to believe.

Let's see:

Overall Career Record:   CRJ 280-70 (80%) CBD 173-56-1 (75%)

Record at School:          CRJ 150-22 (87%) CBD 16-8 (67%) 

Head to Head Record:    CRJ 2-0 (100%)     CBD 0-2  (0%)

State Titles (AR) :         CRJ 6     CBD 3

Titles at Current School: CRJ 6     CBD 0

Titles in 6A:                  CRJ 1     CBD 0

Years Since Last Title:    CRJ 4     CBD 9

3 Peats:                       CRJ 2     CBD 1

Titles in Other States:     CRJ 1     CBD 0

Prev. Title Appearances:  CRJ 8     CBD 3

State Hall of Fames:       CRJ 1     CBD 0

Nat. Coach of Year Awards CRJ 1   CBD 0

Yep, move along nothing to see ......no advantage here 

[Rob Van Winkle]

No doubt Dawson has done an unbelievable job with turning that program around but without the QB moving in they would barely be .500. He's the key to their success.

[PrivateLesson]

It's a one man show?? 

[Rob Van Winkle]

I'm just saying without him they are not where they are now. He was the piece they were missing to get them to this point. Last week GW lost Noland and still won, RV won't have a chance to win without Fulsom.

[Pr8hd]

I was told Fulsom (or some other Russ player) did something that had the GW players a little fired up to play him and the Cyclones the first time. I assume both sides will keep tight lips and sheltered social media accounts before this one is played.

Pretty nice article on him here:

http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2016/dec/01/quiet-catalyst-20161201/?f=sports

[Valleysports]

Are there any Russellville's poster's on this thread or is this all Greenwood Posters, bragging back-n-forth about themselves again?  LOL  Greenwood is definitely the favorite, Russellville isn't even supposed to be here yet.  Dawson's only been at Russellville 18 months. Jones sits on the left hand side of God and whatever else, it's all good...  Hopefully some of you are Greenwood Dad's and have influenced your son's to overlook Russellville. 

Rob Van Winkle? You're right, if a team loses their starting QB it is usually not good. Are you a Greenwood teacher?

[Rob Van Winkle]

No Valley I live up in NWA. Used to live in RussVegas and my son played with several of these players so I know many of them well. Wish them nothing but luck this Saturday.

My point on the QB is that he was the missing piece for this group. If you look at the teams remaining in the state playoffs they all have good to great QB play. The QB makes such an impact on the high school level. The combo of him and Dawson arriving at the same time is what has put them in this position.

This will be a great game and I am glad it will be televised in NWA. Since my son's team spit the bit in their first playoff game this year I guess I will just watch and enjoy some great games this weekend!

[Valleysports]

Do you know where Russellville's young QB (Holt) went? Someone help me get this correct.

[Pr8hd]

DI you know where their QB (Holt) went? Someone help me get this correct.

He's at GW..if talking about the one from Russellville.

[Oldbadger]

Rob Van Winkle you're right about the fact that sometimes one move-in, the missing piece,  can change a team from pretty good to very good, and, it doesn't have to be the QB.  In the fall of 2014 Benton received a move-in from NW Arkansas who did just that.  They were already a good team but this addition at WR helped Benton to an 11-1-1 season and a birth in the finals of 6-A at LR. They lost to PB in the finals after having beat them in the regular season, but had their best season since 1967. 

[Rob Van Winkle]

DI you know where their QB (Holt) went? Someone help me get this correct.

Yep Holt is a sophomore at GW now. Moved there at the end of his 8th grade year. Same time as we moved to NWA. Great kid and athlete.

[PrivateLesson]

Aren't they originally from Greenwood?   Seems like I remember attending ATU with a Holt back in the 90's.  Could be mistaken. 

[Rob Van Winkle]

Aren't they originally from Greenwood?   Seems like I remember attending ATU with a Holt back in the 90's.  Could be mistaken.

Yes the dad is a GW alum and played baseball at ATU.

[Pr8hd]

Holt QB'd the freshman team last year and this year he is playing receiver. He is one of the top pass catchers and all around good athlete. I said this once previously, but I think he has been rated top 3 prospect in state for his class for baseball. Rob hit the nail on the head basically in his assessment and really his generalized comment about Fulsom/Dawson's arrival coinciding.

As far as move ins, they can definitely help or make a difference for sure - a few notables for GW in the last few years are Conner Noland (came in middle of Freshman year) and the Morgans (Drew and Grant). They came in Drew's 7th or 8th grade year if I'm not mistaken. Russellville is not the only one to get "lucky" if that's what you want to call it. PB had their QB transfer in this year. OB mentioned Harris coming to Benton, I believe. HarBer benefited last year when the Springdale QB starter from 2014 left the Bulldogs for the Wildcats and then the Fayetteville QB left there to go to Springdale because he was behind Powell.

It happens in lots of schools. It's still up to the athlete to perform/execute and a good coach to get that performance out of him at a high level. 

[TTofGreenwood]

I could be mistaken but I'll say none of those teams had a coach like Billy Dawson.

You get a feel for the caliber of posters on here when NO ONE mentioned "The General" Don Campbell at Wynne.  Carry on.

[Brian G]

You get a feel for the caliber of posters on here when NO ONE mentioned "The General" Don Campbell at Wynne.  Carry on.

Yeah TT, he was pretty solid.

It was great when he posted here.

[The Future]

Well Fayetteville and PA dominated their games.
At least this one will be a good close one.

[AirWarren]

Miserable conditions.

[Deuceswild]

Happy to say I will enjoy this one from the comforts of my home up north, tried to brace the conditions earlier but since it was a dominant game, we checked out early, hope this ones a closer matchup

[AirWarren]

This Russellville team has Billy Dawson all over it. Nice drive.

[AT]

I will now start doing drive by drive updates.

Russellville faces a 2nd and 6 on the Greenwood 41. QB throws it incomplete. 3rd and 6. False start makes it 3rd and 11. Russellville QB finds the 1st down on his feet on the scramble.

1st and 10 run on the Greenwood 34. 2 yard run to the 32. A first down pass from the Rville QB to the Greenwood 22.

2 yard run to the 20. 7 yard pass. 3rd and 1 and Russellville hits the 13 yard pass for a touchdown! PAT Good.

Russellville - 7

Greenwood - 3

4:22 1st Quarter

[Deuceswild]

Thanks Trackster guess I dont get coverage online

[AT]

Greenwood starts on their own 20. 6 yard run by Wood and then a 3 yard run. 3rd and 1. GW QB picks up the first with his feet.

GW hits a receiver for a 8 yard pass on 1st. On the Gwood 41. They pick up the first down on the next play.

GW QB gets stuffed on the next play. 2nd and 10. Greenwood RB gets 4 yards on a stretch run play. 3rd and 6. GW QB hits receiver on a slant and he breaks a tackle for a touchdown reception! Long run by the GW receiver. PAT Good.

Greenwood - 10

Russellville - 7

1:24 1st Quarter

[AT]

Russellville QB hits his receiver for 5 yards on 1st down to the Greenwood 38. 2nd and 5. Another completed pass to the 50. That's a 1st down.

On the run, the RV running back gets maybe one yard.

Greenwood - 10

Russellville - 7

end of 1st Quarter

[AllStarSportsFan]

CRJ this, CRJ that, blah blah.