From 8×10 to a wall size  – We’ll make whatever you want!

The undefeated Sallisaw Black Diamonds 3rd Grade team woke up Saturday morning, shaved their chins, had coffee, chopped up a few ricks of firewood and went lion hunting with bowie knives before they drove to Greenwood.  No parents showed up.  The kids just drove themselves.  One kid got pulled over by Greenwood Police, but the cop wasn’t big enough to arrest the kid, so he just let him go.

Sallisaw was big.  Get it?  BIG.

(The Pitbulls looked good in photos though!)

Coach Tony Griffin’s blood pressure seemed to be a bit higher than normal Saturday night at Smith Robinson Stadium, as he looked across the field at a very strong Sallisaw Black Diamond squad.  His 5th Grade Blue Pitbulls had a serious challenge ahead of them.

Throughout this undefeated season we have become accustom to Jax and Hunter and D-Mac being recognized, but Saturday night was highlighted by the big boys up front, and some smaller boys who really stepped up.

#53 Remington Griffith and beside him, #52 Hayden Holmberg had great performances on the offensive line.  Speedy #10 Blaise Lohman had a break out game carrying the ball. 

The big hit of the night came from #8 Bryce Allen.  Allen punched through the running lane and met helmet to helmet with the charging Sallisaw running back.  The pads popped as Bryce Allen drove the runner into his own backfield.

#35 Zach Burch and #18 Braxton Ketter also had great performances on patrol at the linebacker and defensive end positions.

The victory was still in jeopardy late into the 4th quarter until the Blue Squad sustained a long pounding drive, running time off the clock, and finding the endzone on a 4th down run of 10 yards by Quarterback Zac Burgess.

The Pitbulls took the victory in a hard fought contest, and remain undefeated.  Coach Griffith refused to take credit for a well coached game saying afterwards, “These kids are my heroes.”

The victory sets up what many believe will be the game of the night next Saturday, when Blue faces White in the finale of the season for the 5th Graders. 

Game Photos

The Sallisaw Black Diamonds rolled into Greenwood on cattle trucks because a bus was too small to hold the massive 6th graders.  During pre-game warm ups Greenwood’s monster players, Korban Waldemar and Shawn Youngwolfe even said, “Dang those guys are big!”

After the game it was Sallisaw’s turn to comment when one Black Diamond player was heard saying, “Dang those guys hit hard.”

The mighty 6th Grade Blue kept their perfect season in tact on Saturday night, rolling over a very good Sallisaw team at home in the friendly confines of Smith Robinson.

Max Gross lead the offensive scoring, highlighted by a 65 yard sprint to paydirt around the left side of the offensive line.  Chris Sunde and Kevin Jones also added to the scoreboard with touchdown runs of their own.

The Pitbull defense held Sallisaw to a shutout until late in the 4th quarter when the Black Diamond mounted a good drive for a confidence building touchdown, but it was nothing more than that as far as the game score.

Several players who have not seen much playing time this year stepped up and made some big contributions to the game, particularly on special teams and defense.

Number 12, Pierce Evans turned in a great performance, hustling on every play and laying a huge hit on the Sallisaw running back late in the game.

Next week the Blue Squad faces their final test, and probably their toughest opponent of the year against Greenwood White.  It will be the battle of the “Pitbull Seniors” that we’ve been waiting for.

Game Photos

Richie Taylor’s 4th Grade White welcomed Mansfied to Smith Robinson for a Thursday Night Scrimmage under the lights.  Greenwood jumped on the visiting Tigers on the opening drive, and never let off the gas pedal until the Tigers called the game with 4 minutes of regulation to go.  Although no scoreboard was used to keep track, Mansfield knew they had had enough, and the Tiger coaches called it quits with the score somewhere around 30 – 6.

Play of the Game:

It was first and goal for Greenwood on the six inch line.  In an attempt to motivate his team, Coach Taylor announced to the entire stadium that the play would be a “Quarterback keeper, up the middle, and it’ll be on one!”  he shouted for all to hear.  The Pitbulls looked at the coach as if to say, “Uh, Coach?  They heard that.”  Taylor repeated the play even louder and added, “Get up there and whip somebody!”  Both teams crowded the center of the field.  The Mansfield Coaches shouted to the Tigers “He’s not kidding!  Plug the middle!”   The teams approached each other and lined up like lions vs. hyenas over a fresh kill.  Zac Bodirsky knew what was at stake…

…the pride of Greenwood was on the line.  Mansfield was up to the challenge, sending a flood of red jerseys through the middle of the Greenwood line.  On second down the Pitbulls lined up as if to go for the same play, but ran a toss right for a wide open touchdown.

The victory made two wins in a row for the 4th Grade White beating Hartford on Tuesday and Mansfield on Thursday.  Saturday the team travels to Westville to resume conference play.

See All Game Pictures Here 

6th Grade Blue: If you can’t run with the Big Dogs, Stay on the porch!

On a beautiful night at Ramsey Jr high in Fort Smith the 6^th grade blue team shows Union Christian who the big dogs are.

From the opening kick off things looked great for the 6^th grade team, Union makes its first mistake of the night by kicking the ball right to the red shoed lightning quick Max Gross.

Max took the opening kickoff back for a score to totally stun the Union team.

With Quarter Back Kevin Jones and RB’s Chris Sunde and John Sisco, clicking on all cylinders the 6^th grade blue rolled over Union all night on offense scoring several times and having to punt very few times.

The Defense looked great the linebackers were led by Tanner Chapple and the D line was led by a big hitting Alik Cooper.

          The defense only allowed 12 points in the game and one touchdown was late in the game when the Blue already had the win in the bag.

This 6^th grade blue team looked very though to beat, and Union put up a great effort but fell well short of making the game close.. In the end the Pittbull defense was just too tough, and with an Offense clicking on all cylinders looked to be unstoppable.

On Saturday night at Ramsey Jr. high the 3rd grade blue team took on a team of Union Cristian made up 3rd and 4th graders.

The game didnt start off great for our 3rd grade team when the first play from scrimage went the distance when the Union quaterback went on the snap count of down and took the Defense off guard.

But after that the 3rd grade blue settled down and started playing some defense. Although the score may say different these kids never quit and they never slowed down for coach Tate Cole.

The offense seemed to never hook up and get very far with this big and quick defense that Union fielded, seemed they knew the snap count.

Got to give it to the 3rd Grade Blue they faced a bigger and older Union team, but it was a great learning experince for all the kids. That will make them better down the road.

Good luck this Saturday Guys! See ya there…

Players of the week:

Offense: Dalton Quick

Defense: Hunter Elmore

5^th Grade White Pittbulls are champions for their community.

Not only are the 5th Grade White Pittbulls champions on the field, they are also champions for their community off the field.  On Saturday Oct. 04, 2008 the 5^th Grade White Pittbull football team showed up in force to support the community at the Prudential Global Volunteer Day benefiting the South Sebastian County Boys and Girls Club in Greenwood. 

The main focus was facility maintenance, beautification and some new equipment upgrades.  The interior of the field facilities were painted and trash and debris was removed by players: Justin Simon, Dustin McGowen, Zac Childress, Gabe Van Brunt, Alex Elmore, Andrew McGill, Ryan Padilla, Tobias Fuller, Sheldon Vargas, Sara Childress, Emmi Childress and parent, Charlene Simon.  All of the landscaping around the Gymnasium was removed and replaced by: Rose Elmore, Donna Childress, Sara Childress, Emmi Childress, Beth Childress, Michele McGowen and Dustin McGowen. Mike McGowen was the heavy equipment operator, which helped facilitate the manual labor.  The assembly of the new donated playground equipment was started by: Justin Simon, Danny Childress, Ralph Elmore, Tony Padilla, Larry McGill, Tim Fuller and Frank Atkins.  Donna Childress and various other volunteers updated the exterior of the concession stand. 

The Pittbull players, parents, and numerous volunteers are to be commended for their selfless contribution to the community.  The improvements are wonderful and much appreciated.

The game started quick with Greenwood Blue being led by Gavin Heller and Kevin Jones.

Both offenses had several big runs during the game, But in the end this Van Buren team although larger didnt have what it took to compete with the 6th grade Blue.

Kevin Jones and Gavin Heller kept the VB Defense on there heels all game, with the run pass threat. With all the long runs and time to pass during the game I would say the Offensive line came up big in this game.

On the Defensive side the Blue only allowed 12 points but the Van Buren Offense had a big line trying to make holes for there lightning quick running back. But he wasnt fast enough to out run one of the top defensive players on the 6th grade Blue team, Will Tedford. It seemed like

he was everywhere on the field. The D-line played tuff even though they seemed out sized, but in the end, the lines quickness was to much for the VB line.

Overall VB didnt have anything for our 6th grade Blue team, with the final score being 32-12.

Great job guys, see you in Ft. Smith Saturday

night.

5th Grade Blue Shuts Out Van Buren

On a perfect night for football The undefeated  5th  grade Greenwood Blue team totally dominated  From the opening kickoff.

            The offense moved the ball up and down the field all night, behind the great O line of the 5th Blue. Dillon “D-mac” Mcbride  and Jax Burgess kept the VB defense out of sync all night, with quick hitting up the middle runs and sweeps to the outside.

The Defensive side,  was led by Kyle Rector and the run stopping D Line.

            Kyle Rector stepped in and picked off a for sure first down throw from the VB quarterback and returned in for about 50 yards for a touchdown.

            The D Line stepped up big.  They made the VB offense look like they hadn’t played all year. Overall the 5th grade blue team looked very good against a very good VB opponent.

Blue Dominates! 19-0

Players of the Week Sponsored by Dirty Deeds LLC

Offense:  Dillon “D-Mac” McBride

Defense:  Kyle Rector

The 6^th Grade White rebounded from last week’s overtime loss with a shutout victory over the

injuries Van Buren Black team 8 to 0 at Smith Robinson Stadium. The Pittbulls overcame key personnel and scratched out a hard fought victory in a game that was a battle of field position.

With quarterback ,Reid Wheeler, sidelined, Tanner Wiley moved up from his tailback spot to fill in admirably while Jordan McKinley and Brandon Tolbert platooned at the tailback position along with always rock solid Tanner Cooper. The first half was highlighted by the two defenses as neither offense ever really got in a rhythm. Greenwood was led by Trey Hamilton who was playing thru an injury but still bringing the wood like a lumberjack. Also, the front line of Drew Ulmer, Tyler Cox, Nick Houston, Nick Walton and Seth Bland controlled the line of scrimmage. The men on the islands, the corners of Cooper and Ty Wyckoff, were diligent as always. While Greenwood, could not manage a serious threat in the first half. Van Buren did get one chance deep in Pittbull territory following a long penalty, but the Pittbulls resiliently kept the score knotted scoreless in the first half.

Due to a failed onside kick to start the second half, Van Buren enjoyed superior field position around the 50 yard line while Greenwood was held around inside the 30 yard line. Neither could manage a first down and the two teams traded punts all thru the third quarter. The game appeared to be headed to overtime for a second straight week. However, the fourth quarter belonged to Greenwood. Following a Van Buren, the Pittbulls went to work. Cooper took a handoff around the end for 4-5 yards and the Wiley would connect with Bland on a nice pass for a long gain. After a run was stuffed for a loss and an incomplete pass to Wyckoff, Wiley would dial up Bland again to overcome a long third & thirteen and would be enough to move the sticks. Greenwood was well across midfield and driving. Van Buren’s defense stiffened and after a big loss. The Pittbulls flipped the ends of the field after a punt with 4:03 to play in regulation. The Pointers took over.

Van Buren lined up with a deep pass but Hughes stepped up from his safety position to snag the interception. The Pittbulls were in business around the 29 yard line. After a four yard loss, Cooper would gain back five and Wiley wisely threw one away on third down. The drama was thick as the Pittbulls lined up with 2:24 and facing a fourth and nine. Coach Clint Watson signaled in the play and Wiley dropped back and threw a strike to a streaking Bland down the middle resulting in a first down and goal on the seven yard line. Cooper would take the next one in over the left side and make a brilliant run to the corner of the end zone. Drew Ulmer immediately added his first P.A.T kick and make the score 8 to nothing with 1:58 left. Van Buren would get the ball back with last chance around the 45 yard line but the Pittbulls were too much. Van Buren could not get a pass complete and Kyler Watson and Tyler Cox combined to make a big sack to preserve the win.

The Pittbulls moved to 2-2 in conference play and got back to their winning ways. The Pittbulls will host the Van Buren Green Saturday at 7:30pm.

Link to Game Photos

]]> http://greenwoodpittbulls.com/white-sixth-grade-pittbulls-win-battle/feed/ 0 http://greenwoodpittbulls.com/5th-grade-white-pittbull-defense-proves-to-be-too-much-for-the-pointers/ http://greenwoodpittbulls.com/5th-grade-white-pittbull-defense-proves-to-be-too-much-for-the-pointers/#comments Tue, 07 Oct 2008 15:51:29 +0000 John http://greenwoodpittbulls.com/?p=654 Saturday October 4th, the Greenwood White Pittbulls hosted Van Buren Black at Smith Robinson Stadium. The Pittbulls were poised to get yet another victory over a Van Buren opponent.

The Pittbulls get the coin toss and elect to receive the ball first. With excellent field position the Pittbulls start marching down the field with an awesome display of pass and run plays that seem to have Van Buren’s defense confused from the start. Not giving up, the Van Buren coaching staff got the Pointers fired up in the red zone and stopped the mighty White Pittbulls from scoring on the opening drive.

After a brutal display of defensive power the Pointers are forced to punt the ball back to the Pittbulls.

  Starting the 2nd quarter with a score 0-0 the Pittbulls made up some huge yardage with passing and running plays from #14 Noah Basham, #25 Ryan Padilla, and #21 Quinton Marrone. The Pittbulls squared off for another scoring attempt, when Ryan Padilla hooked up with Noah Basham for a 26 yard touch down pass bringing the score to 6-0.

On the ensuing kickoff the Pointers achieved great field position, and came out ready to march the ball down the field to try to even the score before half time. Unfortunately, for the Pointers, the Pittbulls quickly put pressure in the backfield and #25 Ryan Padilla forced a fumble which was quickly recovered by #21 Quinton Marrone.

Starting the 3rd quarter the Pittbulls, once again went to an aerial attack and ending up in the red zone, ready for yet another Pittbull touchdown. The Pointers made a strong defensive stand and took the Pittbulls to 4th and 10. Not giving up Noah Basham made a huge run up the middle for a first down, setting up a 6 yard Ryan Padilla touchdown run. Following the touchdown Alex Elmore made the PAT kick leaving the score 14-0.

With the look of desperation in the eyes of the Pointers they went to the air to try gain big yards, however Alex Elmore had other plans sacking the quarterback for an 8 yard loss. The 4th quarter was highlighted by a perfectly executed interception by Ryan Padilla.

The defense was led by Ryan Padilla with 6 tackles and 1 forced fumble and 2 interceptions, followed by Noah Basham and Quinton Marrone with 4 tackles each. Also contributing to the defense was Brian Pullen, Travis Freeman, Dustin McGowen, and Zac Childress.

Defensive players of the week are Ryan Padilla and Alex Elmore. Offensive players of the week are Noah Basham and Travis Freeman.

Article Written By Shawn Shaffer.
Thanks Coach!

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.)

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

The 6^th 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.)

…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

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. )

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

…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

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 fumble 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