Heaps of misty rain billowed down from the sky upon Bulldog Stadium Friday night, making the spectacle of the rivalry battle between Greenwood High School and Leflore County a slippery one.
The Bulldogs recovered three Tiger fumbles and broke through a third-quarter 8-8 tie with two touchdowns for a 24-16 win that halts Leflore’s win streak over Greenwood at one.
“You know, we pulled it off,” Greenwood head coach Clinton Gatewood said. “Bad weather can play a big part in a lot of things. We left a couple touchdowns on the field. There were some things we wanted to do but couldn’t do them in the rain. I’m not going to make excuses.”
Leflore head coach Eric House said he thought the weather didn’t affect the game’s outcome.
“This is football,” House said. “The game was developed to be played in all elements. Greenwood was the better team tonight.”
Before the rain really began to fall, Leflore’s Demarius Dunham scampered in for a 31-yard touchdown run on the game’s first drive. Maurice Edwards bulldozed his way in for the two-point conversion and the early 8-0 lead.
Greenwood stalled on its opening drive but forced a Leflore fumble and recovered it on the Tigers’ 26-yard line. Utilizing the good field position, quarterback Javion Meeks fired a 26-yard scoring pass to Ramone Tate, who then ran in the 2-point conversion.
Penalties, timeouts and a drenching downpour stalled drives for the remainder of the first and second quarters as neither team could sustain momentum or hold onto the ball. Greenwood lost a fumble to Leflore, the Tigers picked up a Bulldog fumble and a pass slipping through the hands of an open receiver was a common sight from both squads.
A 31-yard rush from Jawuan Gideon early in the third quarter left the Bulldogs on the Tigers’ 5-yard line. The Meeks-to-Tate connection was summoned once more as the sophomore lobbed a scoring toss to the speedy senior. Gideon ran in the 2-point conversion for the 16-8 lead.
Leflore responded immediately on its next drive of eight plays that culminated with Edwards bruising and diving his way into the end zone for six points and the 2-point conversion.
Leflore County’s Maurice Edwards (64) dives into the end zone in the second half as Greenwood linebacker Trenton Smith (41) attempts to make the tackle. Edwards came into the game at fullback for the Tigers on the play. (By Jared Conerly, Copyright 2024 Emmerich Newspapers, Inc)
Gideon provided Greenwood’s scoring dagger, a 35-yard burst of a run and the 2-point conversion to separate from Leflore once more.
The Tigers could not find any offense, punting on most drives or turning it over, and a long Greenwood punt left the Tigers on their own 14 with 2:24 left to play. On fourth down, Dereous Martin’s pass slipped through the hands of his intended receiver.
Up next, Greenwood (5-0) hosts Starkville, and Leflore (3-2) hosts Riverside.
-Contact Jared Conerly at 662-581-7237 or jconerly@gwcommonwealth.com
