After a two-year absence, Greenwood High School’s football team is back in the playoffs.
The 2020 season was canceled because of the pandemic, and the Bulldogs didn’t qualify in 2021 as they finished last in Region 3-4A.
Friday at 7 p.m., Greenwood takes on an old rival in Louisville High School in the first round of the North 4A playoffs.
“They are a very athletic and disciplined program with a lot of leadership on the team,” said GHS head coach Clinton Gatewood. “They are a solid team, but they are beatable if we do what we need to do by controlling the game and making them play the way we want them to play.
“I told the guys Monday that records are out the door. It’s the playoffs. I only have three or four guys who were on the 2019 team as freshmen, and they didn’t play much with the group we had then. This is all new to this team. We are back in the playoffs and building for the future. We have to go out and take care of this week.”
Greenwood went 5-4 overall and finished 1-3 in Region 3, securing the fourth seed with last Thursday’s 38-26 win over Yazoo City.
Louisville is the top seed from Region 4 as it went 9-1 overall and 5-0 in league play. The Wildcats beat Kosciusko 28-0 last week and have outscored their opponents 347-76 on the season. Louisville has won six in a row after dropping a 21-20 decision to Starkville in September.
The Bulldogs and Wildcats have met nine times on the gridiron. Their last meeting was in 2019 in the third round of North 4A, a 14-6 Greenwood win. They played twice in 2018 as Louisville won the regular-season meeting 21-0 and again in the North 4A semifinals, 17-14. The Wildcats swept GHS in 2017, winning 34-18 in the regular season and 21-13 in the playoffs. Greenwood had wins in 2015 (13-12), 1954 (53-13) and 1947 (27-6). Louisville took the 1975 contest, 7-0.
“The coaches have to prepare to give the kids an opportunity to win, but in the end, the kids have to go out and play,” said Gatewood. “We have to go out and show we want this game more than they do. The past is in the past. This is our time to start something new.”
In last week’s win over Yazoo City, the Bulldogs had a very balanced offensive scheme. They threw for 189 yards and ran for 249 yards on 39 carries (6.4 yards per carry).
“That’s what we have been shooting for all season,” added the veteran coach. “We want to be balanced on offense and play defense the way Greenwood has been known for. We have a lot of young kids on that side, but they are beginning to believe in what we are teaching them.”
The winner of Friday’s game moves on to the second round to face the victor of the Ripley-Corinth game on Nov. 11. The 4A quarterfinals are Nov. 18, the semifinals are Nov. 25, and the state championships are Dec. 2-3 in Hattiesburg at USM.
-Contact Calvin Stevens at 662-581-7234 or cstevens@gwcommonwealth.com.
