5th Grade White Dominates a Bigger Opponent
Article by Shawn Shaffer
Saturday September 27th, the 5th Grade White Pittbulls stepped onto the gridiron prepared to do battle with a much bigger and more physical opponent. Van Buren White came expecting revenge from an early defeat in the season. However, Coach Shawn Shaffer had other plans for his Pittbulls.
On Van Buren’s opening drive, they marched down the field with a 
smash mouth running game and scored the first points of the night, leaving the score 0-6. Not letting that drive take their heart out, the Pittbulls opened their first drive with a tempo that would set the tone for the rest of the game. On the Pittbulls second play of the game, #25 Ryan Padilla hooked up with #14 Noah Basham for a 25-yard pass. The Pittbulls fell short on this scoring opportunity. The defense came out fired up and stuck it right to Van Buren for only a 2-yard gain forcing a punt to the Pittbulls. The next drive was capitalized by a 55-yard touchdown run by Andrew “The Thrill” McGill. The same fired up defense came out again and held Van Buren to negative yardage. The next drive was set up with a beautiful 25-yard run by # 21 Quinton Marrone followed by a 20-yard run by #25 Ryan Padilla, assisting in another Pittbull touchdown by #32 Andrew McGill. With just a few seconds to go in the half and Van Buren knocking on the door for another touchdown, the Pittbulls stood strong and firm as #14 Noah Basham intercepted a pass right at the buzzer. To start the second half, the Pittbulls used an awesome ground and aerial attack, which ended with a 35-yard touchdown run by #25 Ryan Padilla. Van Buren gets the ball back on 
their own 40-yard line and the drive was quickly ended with negative yardage, again, resulting in yet another Van Buren punt. Early in the fourth quarter #25 Ryan Padilla airs out a beautiful pass to #14 Noah Basham for a 30-yard touchdown.
Also contributing to the score was #28 Alex Elmore for 6 points on PAT kicks. #21 Quinton Marrone led the defense with 14 tackles followed by #64 Brian Pullen with 8 tackles. Other Pittbulls contributing on defense were: Ryan Padilla, Noah Basham, Zac Childress, Mason Archer, Alex Elmore, Travis Freeman, Andrew McGill, Dustin McGowen, Sheldon Vargas, Bailey Rogers, and Gabe VanBrunt.
The offensive player of the week is #32 Andrew McGill and the defensive player of the week is #64 Brian Pullen. Congratulations on a dominating victory!!!
Game Photos (Click Here)
(Below says John is the author only because John posted the story. Thanks to Shawn Shaffer for writing the article.)
4th Grade Blue Beats White
“They’re big, they’re mean, they’re nasty… They have blue uniforms.” said Coach Richie Taylor before the 4th Grade matchup. Coach Taylor was right.
Saturday, September 27th at Smith Robinson turned out to be a display of Blue power when Brian Clay’s 4th Grade team ‘visited’ the 4th Grade White. What has been called Coach Clay’s “most talented group ever” showed their might, winning a lopsided game against a valient effort from the White Squad.
Defensive Player of the Game for Blue, Solomon Gross
had another outstanding effort. Gross spent most of the game in the White backfield, containing the White’s standout runningback Peyton Taylor.
The White Squad had a few bright moments, pulling out all the stops to try and generate some offense. Quarterback Michael Panis conected on some downfield passes, and a sure touchdown was dropped on a halfback pass attempt.
In the end, the Blue team simply outperformed it’s foe. Quarterback Luke Hales managed the game effectively with runs and passes.
Players of the Game:
Blue – Luke Hales and Solomon Gross
White – Michael Panis and Jackson Gregory
Blue Game Pictures
White Game Pictures
6th Grade White Pittbulls Foiled by Van Buren
Article by Denny Bland
The 6th Grade White team returned home Saturday night and lost a heartbreaker in overtime 6 to zip against a tough Van Buren White team. The Pittbulls and Pointers played a hard nose game of field position all night long.
At the onset of the game, it look as if the Pittbulls might take it to the Pointer 
team as the tough defense would hold Van Buren to negative yardage and force a three and out. Big plays by Nick Houston and Reid Wheeler set the tone early on. After a Van Buren punt, the Pittbulls would take the ball almost the entire length of field. Greenwood would come out with a nice mix of run and pass with hard running by Tanner Cooper, Brandon Tolbert and Ty Wyckoff. Quarterback Reid 
Wheeler came out on fire passing by completing his first four passes. He hit Kyler Watson for 12 yards, Seth Bland for 20 yards and Tolbert & Watson again for shorter gains. It appeared Greenwood would score after a run by Cooper for ten yards but there was dirty laundry on the field and the play was nullified by a penalty. The drive stalled on a turnover on downs as Wheeler’s fourth and long pass attempt was dropped.
The battle continued into the second quarter which would see Greenwood’s defense rise up strong against a potent running attack of Van Buren.
Trey Hamilton 
was a monster most of the night on defense and he combined with rest of the defense would hold on fourth down and short several times. Greenwood would get another shot right before half after Van Buren was again held on downs deep in its own territory. Greenwood would go for it all on the opening play but Wheeler’s nice pass fell just short. Greenwood would fumble on the next play and Van Buren would try to capitalize. Van Buren would get its longest run of the night and set up shop Pittbull territory before half. Hamilton and Wyckoff would make key stops. Van Buren was held on fourth down again and the half would end scoreless.
The second half was much of the same as the first. Van Buren used an onside kick and recovery at the start of the half to seize momentum. They could not sustain a deep drive and neither could Greenwood. Greenwood used smothering pass defense by its corners Copper and Wyckoff, who made a great interception, and tough run stoppers like Tyler Cox, Ty Faust, Garrett Millerand Kolton Hughes. Greenwood suffered key injury losses to Wheeler and Hamilton, arguably the team’s offensive and defensive leaders, late in the game.
The game clock expired still without a score so the teams headed to overtime. Greenwood would win the toss and play defense first. Van Buren got its first crack from ten with four downs. Greenwood would hold Van Buren to fourth down and one to go on the goal line and appeared to have stymied them and forced a fumble into the end zone which initially Jordan McKinley appeared to have but in the end Van Buren was credited with a touchdown recovery. The PAT kick would fail. Greenwood would get its turn with Watson filling in for Wheeler at quarterback. Cooper would make a hard run for six only to be smothered on the next play and a final pass attempt would be batted away to preserve the Van Buren win. The loss was a tough one but the loss of the players was more heartbreaking. The Pittbulls hope to bounce back next week at home against the Van Buren Black team.
Players of the Game: Nick Walton and Nick Houston
Game Pictures (Click Here)
(Below says John is the author only because John posted the story. Thanks to Denny Bland for writing the article.)
3rd Grade Blue vs. White
A Thriller at Smith Robinson Saturday afternoon…
…under clear skies and 70 degrees at kickoff. Tate Cole’s Blue Squad lined up against Bart Murdock and the White for a defensive battle. The White squad came out motivated by a visit from injured Caleb Thomas. Thomas signed autographs on the helmets of his teammates.
Yards were tough to come by for both teams. Both squads traded punts back and forth for most of the game, but Blue maintained better field position 
keeping White on their own side of the 50.
Quarterback Zane Harmon scored on a 30 yard run for the Blue, and with the extra point, took a 7 – 0 lead into the 4th Quarter.
White Runningback Ethan Escalante was bottled up for most of the game, but broke loose in the 4th Quarter for a 70 yard touchdown run right down the Blue sideline. The White extra point attempt failed, leaving the final score 7 – 6 Blue.
With a rematch looming, both teams look forward to the next chapter. If the White can pull off a victory, it will set up a winner take all rubber match on November 1st, the final game of the season.
Players of the Game:
White – Trea Harrison and Wyatt Manes
Blue – Zane Harmon and Lucas Quenga
Game Pictures of White
Game Pictures of Blue
5th Grade White Team Loses in Overtime at Sallisaw:
By: Tim Van Brunt
Head Coach Shawn Shaffer took his team into battle that came down to extra point kicks in overtime.
The Greenwood 5th grade White Team lost 14-16 in overtime late Saturday night. After what seemed like an eternal delay due to an injury during the 3rd grade game, the game began 1 ½ hours late and soon developed into a defensive battle for the Pittbulls.
The Sallisaw Black Diamonds won the toss and opted to receive first. After the opening kickoff, the tempo of the game was set when #27 Gabe Van Brunt opened up with a big hit on the Diamond Back ball carrier. Gabe was assisted on the tackle by #68 Jacob Burch. The Pittbulls brought the crushing and dominating defense they are known for. On Sallisaw’s opening drive, #28 Alex Elmore penetrated the front line and tackled the Black Diamonds in the backfield for a loss.
The game quickly setup as a true defensive battle by the volley of drives ending in punts for both teams. But the Pittbulls had glimmers of hope as late in the 2nd quarter, #25 Ryan Padilla hooked up with #14 Noah Basham for a big 12 yard gain. However, the half ended before the Pittbulls could inflict any damage.
The Pittbulls got the ball to start the second half and the ball was fielded by #64 Brian Pullen. He gave the Pittbulls good field position at midfield to start the drive. The Pittbulls drove the ball down the field and on 2nd and short, #14 Noah Basham took the ball from center and rolled out to the right. #25 Ryan Padilla started right and what looked like a screen pass setup, turned into an option play. As Basham rushed for the end zone, Padilla turned, squared up to a Sallisaw defender and delivered a hit that was heard round the world.
In a surprising change, the Pittbulls opted to kick the 2 point conversion and #28 Alex Elmore kicked his first career points. In true smash-mouth style, Sallisaw scored on their next drive and also kicked the 2 point conversion tying the game.
In the 4th quarter, on 1st and 10, the Pittbulls fumbled the ball to which, Sallisaw recovered. The ball was in Pittbull territory. Again the Pittbull defense stepped up and a huge 2nd down stop was made by #21 Quinton Marrone, with a succeeding 3rd down stop made by #25 Ryan Padilla. These stops resulted in a Sallisaw punt. So after four quarters of a defensive gridiron battle, the game ends in an 8 – 8 tie. Due to league rules, Overtime is played.
The ball is placed on the 10 yard line with each team getting 4 downs to score. Greenwood got the ball first and #14 Noah Basham scored for the Pittbulls in their O.T. possession, however, the 2 point conversion failed, leaving the score 8 – 14 Pittbulls. Sallisaw also scored in their O.T. possession, and they was also able to kick the 2 point conversion, leaving the score 16 – 14 Black Diamonds.
The Pittbulls, again out sized, left it all on the field Saturday night and lost the game on a procedural element. Emotions were high, and a mistake was made. The Pittbulls have a lot of promise and continue to improve as the season wears on. Sallisaw was able to only get two first downs the entire game compared to the Pittbulls ten.
As mentioned previously, the Pittbulls recognize individual effort above and beyond, in the form of naming an offensive and defensive player each week. This week’s defensive player is Quinton Marrone. This week’s offensive player is Sheldon Vargas. As the Pittbulls play each week, they get better and better. It’s not the fall that matters, everyone falls. What is really important is not that you’ve fallen, but how fast you get back up. Keep it up Pittbulls, you are appropriately named.
5th Grade White Pictures
( Below says John is the author, only because John Posted the story. Our thanks to Tim Van Brunt for the great write up. )
6th Grade White v. Sallisaw
Article by Denny Bland
The White Pittbull teams traveled to Sallisaw over the weekend and found the Black Diamonds up for the challenge. In the late game, and we do mean late, the sixth grade dogs were grounded by a physical and oversized Sallisaw team in an 8 to zip shutout. The kickoff had been delayed nearly two hours due to an earlier injury as well as overtime in the previous game. Sallisaw used tough defense and intimidating size to thwart the Pittbulls but Greenwood proved that they would “not go gentle into that good night.”
The opening kick was received by the diamonds and smash mouth football ensued. The hosts took their opening possession and went to work quickly using a punishing running game. Sallisaw would use a little over three minutes of the drive and despite some big time hits by Trey Hamilton, Tanner Wiley and Tanner Cooper, the defense 
gave way to one big play on a 35 yard touchdown run. A conventional PAT kick worth two points in this league would make the score 8 to nothing. Greenwood’s opening possession would include some tough running by Cooper, Wiley and Ty Wyckoff as well as a pass and catch 
from Reid Wheeler to Kyler Watson. The drive ultimately would stall and be forced to punt.
The remaining first half was a battle of wills and field possession with no sustained success on either side. Sallisaw put the ball on the ground multiple times all night and except for one recovery by Greenwood’s Nick Walton; they could not seem to make Sallisaw pay for their mistakes. The Pittbull receivers had some opportunities as well but were unsuccessful even though they often got open. Wheeler was either under pressure or they were not in sync on passes or routes. The dogs did get one good chance before half to score after a Wiley to Wyckoff connection good for a long gain, however, the dogs could not capitalize in Sallisaw territory.
The second half featured much of the same with bone jarring hits on both sides of the ball. Several Pittbulls suffered thru injuries like lost teeth, possible concussions and hurt appendages not to mention some new terminology by game officials. Greenwood would not quit and battled to the end. Kolton Hughes was active all night on defense and Garrett Miller made a touchdown saving tackle as well that set up a furious goal line stand. Ultimately, Greenwood would get the ball back with 99 yards to go in just over two minutes but just did not have the horses to get it done. The game’s final drive was cut short when a Kyler Watson to Seth Bland deep pass was intercepted by Sallisaw. Sallisaw would take over and run out the clock.
The loss was disappointing but the team gained valuable experience in the test. Greenwood dropped to a 1-1 record in league play and the sixth grade will play host to Van Buren White Saturday at Smith Robinson Stadium at 7:30 pm.
6th Grade White Pictures
3rd Grade White v. Sallisaw
Sallisaw Stops 3rd Grade White…
…with a huge offensive line and a strong running game, the Sallisaw Black Diamonds proved to be too much for the Pittbulls. Sallisaw had a “kid” playing running back who looked liked he could prove his age with a driver’s liscence instead of a birth certificate.
The Pittbulls put out a great effort, and had some highlights from Ethan Escalante and Jake Smith running the ball on offense. Jonathan Dunn, Brayden Cullen and Levi Hicks lead the efforts on defense, but could not stop the Sallisaw attack.
Before going down with a leg injury, Caleb Thomas was running the ball well. Speeding to the outside and about to turn the corner for a big gain, Thomas was tackled awkwardly and had to leave the game by ambulance. The team awarded Caleb with the Player of the Week honors, and everyone hopes he’ll be back on the field soon.
The Pittbulls played hard throughout the game and never gave up even when the game was out of reach. It was a fine effort from the 3rd Grade White.
3rd Grade White Pictures
All Pittbull Pictures
3rd Grade White Vs. UCA
Saturday Evening 3rd Grade white hosted Hurricane Ike and a UCA team made up of 3rd and 4Th grade kids. Even with being younger and smaller the third grade team showed a lot of heart and determination and never gave up.
The defense was lead by Ethan Escalante and Trea Harrison, with Jonathan Dunn clogging up the middle on the line. You could tell that UCA has played together for a while, they were fast and quick getting to the corners.
After being down by more than 20 points in the 4Th quarter the kids were still out there trying there best. With every game I see improvement with this team, Keep up the good work guys, and maybe you wont be playing 4th graders the next game.. Go Pittbulls!
I will be adding some pictures tonight!
The kids all did great, but the players of the week are:
Offense: Jonathan Dunn
Defense: Khristian Lawson
6th Grade White Pittbulls Weather Storm
Article by Denny Bland
Saturday night at Smith Robinson Stadium, the senior white Pittbulls outlasted two storms in the form of the remnants of Hurricane Ike and the Union Christian Eagles. Both blew in like a lion but left like lambs. The 6th grade team used a punishing ground attack in the torrential rainstorm to notch a 13 to 6 victory in its opening game of 2008 campaign.
The Pittbulls would take the game’s opening kickoff and march down the field to score its first touchdown. The drive guided by quarterback Reid Wheeler took a little over 2 minutes and was highlighted by long runs by Tanner Cooper, Ty Wyckoff and Tanner Wiley. It would be Wiley who would get the call around right end for a 20 yard score and Cooper would add the PAT to make the score 7 to zip. After a deep kick by Drew Ulmer the Eagles initial possession was quickly snuffed out by some tenacious defense led by Nick Houston and Trey Hamilton. Union would be forced to punt after a three and out series.
The remainder of the half and quarter would be a battle of field position with a slick track and pigskin. The two teams had drives stall out either due to miscues or stout defense. It was a testament of wills that would check the Pittbulls as right before half the Eagles threatened but once again the defense stiffened up. Houston would force a fumble and Cooper got the recovery to prevent a score. The second half was much of the same as first as both teams would grind out yards in the running game due to inability to get a passing game going in high winds and rain.
The defense held tough all night with key contributions by Nick Walton, Tyler Cox, Jordan McKinley and Garrett Miller. The stalwarts were spearheaded by Houston, Hamilton, and the “two Tanners.” However, late in the game Union would find a chink in the armor and take one to the house for 55 yards making the game 7 to 6. Greenwood’s defense would snuff the PAT to preserve the win margin. The offense then went to work again with a good return on the kickoff by Wiley over the 50 to start on the Eagle end of the field. Long runs by Wiley, Cooper and Wyckoff would set up the final score with a Reid Wheeler touchdown sneak and the PAT would fail. The Pittbulls would kick back to the Eagles but the stout defense held them to nothing on four attempts making this one in the books, a 13 to 6 win.
The ground attack amassed around 150 yards while the passing game had 4 attempts and no completions. Wiley led the rushers with 10 carries for 76 yards unofficially and 1 score. The Pittbulls will next travel to Sallisaw, Oklahoma to face the Black Diamonds in hopefully more ideal conditions. Hats off to the Greenwood cheerleaders, coaches, family and faithful for their unwavering, albeit wet support Saturday night.
(Below says John is the author, only because John posted the story. Our thanks to Denny Bland for writing and submitting the article.)
5th Grade White v. UCA
The Greenwood 5th grade White Team had their home opener Saturday Night…
…with a loss against Union Christian Academy 0 – 25. In the shadow of Hurricane “Ike”, the team faced off against a much bigger, more athletic UCA squad. Through the driving rain and gusting winds, the game quickly turned into a defensive struggle for the Pittbulls.
While they were unable to prevent UCA from scoring on big plays during the drives, they were able to stop PAT’s on all but 1 of the 4 attempts. All is not lost, though. There was plenty of promise in the Pittbull squad. Albeit, VERY OUTSIZED, they maintained poise and control and squared off well.
PAT’s were stopped by #99 Dustin MGowen, #82 Zac Childress, #14 Noah Basham. Again, this was a defensive battle waged against opponents that towered up to a foot over the Pittbull players.
One play that truly demonstrates the heart of the team was on an offensive play in the 4th quarter when #14 Noah Basham pump faked to #25 Ryan Padilla, tucked the ball and ran. Truly inspiring was the cutback Ryan Padilla made and the smash mouth hit, that could be heard all the way into next week, he delivered to a UCA player, to allow Noah Basham to get a first down. The hit was textbook and worthy of a Sports Center highlight reel.
As the 5th grade game ended in a loss, it was interesting to watch the next game setup, as the exact same UCA team that had just played the 5th grade team, prepared to square off against the 6th grade White team.
The Pittbulls have a system of recognizing offensive and defensive players of the week. Last week’s Offensive Player was #99 Dustin McGowen. Last week’s defensive player was #27 Gabe Van Brunt; he made a touchdown saving tackle during the Van Buren game.
The offensive player for this week is #82 Zac “Gladiator” Childress. The defensive player of the week goes to #45 Bailey “Conan” Rodgers. Congratulations Pittbulls, keep up the good work.
This article submitted by Coach Shaffer.
Thanks coach!
6th Grade Blue v. Westville
What a game for the Pittbulls!
The television show is called “Friday Night Lights”, but the real show last week was played under Saturday Night Lights at Smith Robinson. 6th Grade Blue put on a performance, with a huge cast of stars.
Coach Climer took the field for the 7:30
kickoff at about 8:20. The late start allowed the stadium light to fully take effect, giving the game a high school feel, and the players did not dissapoint. These “Pittbull Seniors” playing in their last season of the Pittbull program were very impressive.
The list of stars for the game is so long, it’ll have to be put numerically:
#2 Kevin Jones – The quarterback scored on a run and a pass, managed the game well, and did a great job protecting the ball.
#27 Chris Sunde – What a heads up play from Sunde, picking up a loose fumbl
e and returning it 70 yards for a touchdown.
#34 John Sisco – Two rushing touchdowns on the night, which was basically only a half for Sisco.
#42 Max Gross – A kick return for 65 yards and a touchdown, several great receptions and huge gains in the YAC stats.
#51Landon Roberts – A dominant force on defense, flying around the field and causing chaos in the Westville backfield.
And, are you kidding me, #99 Brody Mizell at Runningback? Westville had eight defenders riding on the back of Mizell like he was a pick-up truck heading for the endzone.
Final Score: Pittbulls 40, Westville 8. And it wasn’t that close. The 6th Grade Blue heads for Van Buren to take on the Black squad, Saturday, Sept 13th at 7:30.
Players of the Game:
Max Gross and Landon Roberts
6th Grade Blue Pictures
Team Photos
Check out the Team Photos for this year…
As you can see, no more cardboard frames to throw away. Team photos are 8×10 glossy print (which is much better looking than this degraded internet view). Also included is 2 5×7’s and 2 4×6’s of your kid. Base price is $20. You’ll get a discount if you have more than one kid, and you can buy extra’s of whatever you want from this site.
GO PITTBULLS!
5th Grade Blue Blows out Westville
5th Grade Blue Under the Lights…
There were a lot of talented players that took the field at Smith Robinson Stadium for the 6:30 kickoff Saturday night. A lot of talent, with due respect to the Westville team, mostly wearing Pittbull Blue.
As the stadium lights began to take effect under the setting sun, 5th Grade Blue offense lined up after the opening kickoff on their own 35 yard line. Ten 
seconds later, #6 Dillon McBride scored his first touchdown of the season. D-Mac was hardly touched running to his right and down the sideline for a 65 yard touchdown. (That’s 19 more yards than the other D-Mac ran for on Monday Night for the Raiders!)
The Pittbull defense was having some trouble stopping the Westville running game until #22 Hunter Pogue took on the assignment of blowing up the Westville lead blocker. Pogue filled the running lanes like a wrecking ball, stopping the Westville advance.
Later in the game, the Pittbulls had a long drive, moving the chains downfield methodically, capped off by a 2 yard touchdown on a quarterback sneak by #11 Jax Burgess. Linebacker #8 Bryce Allen sealed the victory with a one handed interception, retuned for a touchdown, making the final score Pittbulls 25, Westville 8. That win brings Coach Griffith one step closer to a nice blue hair-do!
The offensive line; including Hayden Holmberg, Remington Griffith, Lucas Mundy and Blake Bailey were the strength of the Pittbull machine.
Coach Griffith praised his linemen in an interview, “It takes 11 kids giving it their all on every play, but nothing works without the offensive line. Those kids that play on the line don’t get enough appreciation sometimes, but they’re the most important part of our offense.”
Behind that powerful line are also some great players. Wide Receiver, #10 Blaise Lohman is a down field threat with good hands and an eye for the ball. #80 Jacob McClure has burning
speed getting to the corner, ( and a great Heisman Trophy pose ). Hunter Pogue #22 is a speedy weapon out of the backfield.
Players of the Week:
Hunter Pogue and Jax Burgess
5th grade Blue Pictures
4th Grade Blue Dominates
Opening Day for the 4th Grade Blue brought a battle to Smith Robinson Stadium.
The Westville Yellow Jackets showed up ready to play, on a beautiful day for football. The sky was clear and the afternoon sun was setting behind the home crowd who filled up the stands. The cheerleaders primed the crowd, a hint of autumn in the air, it just felt like football season.
Greenwood Coach Brian Clay lead his Pittbulls onto the field, full of high hopes to start the season, along with assistant Coaches Wes Sadler and Dane Burgess.
Quarterback Luke Hales took charge of the 4th Grade offense, managing the 
game with timely runs and downfield passes. Hales was impressive throughout the game, made good decisions, and protected the ball well.
Runningback #27 Matthew Marquet took most of the hand-offs and ran well behind the blocking of his offensive line and Fullback Solomon Gross. The Pittbulls stalled on a few drives, but scored the games only touchdown on a quarterback keeper around the left side by Luke Hales.
Westville’s chance to win basically ended when Solomon Gross took the field for the Pittbulls. #43 Gross spent most of the game in the Westville backfield, eating up quarterbacks and runningbacks, causing fumbles and wreaking havoc. It was an impressive day for #43.
Greenwood shutout Westville, 8 – 0, but the game wasn’t that close. Next week the 4th Grade Blue travel to Van Buren to take on Sallisaw, 5:30 kickoff.
Players of the Week
Matthew Marquet and Solomon Gross
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