In its matchup with defending state 4A champion Lafayette County, Greenwood looks totally outmatched on paper.
Matter of fact, the numbers for Lafayette are downright intimidating:
• The Commodores return 15 starters from last year's 16-0 team.
• They rolled past Class 6A Tupelo, 40-11, last week.
• Do-it-all quarterback Jeremy Liggins (6-4, 255), who accounted for 2,847 yards and 37 touchdowns last year, is one of the most highly recruited players in Mississippi.
• Tailback DeMarkus Dennis (5-9, 205) ran for more than 120 yards last week after gaining more than 2,600 yards and scoring 26 TDs in 2010 — giving Lafayette perhaps the most explosive 1-2 punch in the state.
Second-year GHS head coach Clinton Gatewood is well aware of all that, but he doesn't care to make a big deal about it.
"We're not thinking about all that. Lafayette County is just another team standing in the way of where we're trying to go," Gatewood said. "This means a lot because the No. 4 team in the state is coming to our house. We've got to defend our house.
"I've said it from the first day I took this job, we're not going to back down from anybody. They will know they've been a fight."
Making this week's game even tougher is the fact the Bulldogs are trying to get past a disappointing fourth-quarter collapse against rival Leflore County, which scored 14 points in the final three minutes for a 26-22 comeback victory last week.
"Our kids just got too comfortable up 22-12 in the fourth. We also had some young kids make some key mistakes late in the game. They just hadn't been in that position before. By the time we hit district play, we will be rolling," Gatewood said.
But for now, the Bulldogs must brace for what will be their toughest opponent this season. Gatewood hopes to slow down the Commodores' explosive offense by keeping the ball away from them as much as possible. "We've got to execute better and cut way down on penalties to get our offense going," Gatewood said.
• Contact Bill Burrus at bburrus@gwcommonwealth.com.
