Greenwood and Louisville have been major players in the North 4A playoffs in recent years.
The Bulldogs made it to the North 4A title contest in 2014 and 2015. The Wildcats won a State 3A crown in 2013 before moving up to 4A. They lost 13-12 to GHS in the second round in 2015.
Both teams exited the playoffs in the second round last season with young teams. Both have hopes for a state championship run this year.
Greenwood and Louisville will square off Friday night at Bulldog Stadium at 7 in what could be a postseason preview. The Wildcats (4-1) are ranked No. 2 in the Clarion-Ledger’s 4A poll, while the Dogs (4-1) are fifth. In the Associated Press poll, Louisville is fourth and Greenwood is unranked.
“This will be our toughest game to date,” GHS coach Clinton Gatewood said, “but we are looking forward to the challenge. We started the week off Monday with our best practice in a long time. Our kids are ready to prove they can matchup with the best teams in our classification.”
Louisville coach M.C. Miller brings his team to town riding a three-game winning streak. The Wildcats defeated 6A foe Grenada 22-17 last week and whipped Ripley (49-6) and Kemper County (42-12) before that.
“This is a pretty good road trip,” Miller said. “They have been trying to break the ice and get into that state championship game. They should have one of the better offensive and defensive fronts in the state. If you are good up front, you can basically do whatever you want.”
The Wildcats’ lone loss came in a 28-8 decision to one of the best teams in the state, West Point. They are averaging 28.8 points a contest while allowing just over 12 points per game.
“They have athletes all over the field. On defense, they will play man coverage and blitz you,” Gatewood said. “Offensively, they have talented guys at the skill positions, especially at receiver, and a bruising power back.”
The Bulldog defense has been vulnerable to the pass at times this season, but that unit will get a big boost this week with the return of sophomore safety Travor Randle, who hasn’t played since the second game of the season against Holmes County Central.
“His return will give our secondary a jolt that we badly need,” Gatewood said.
The Bulldogs will try to keep the ball away from the Wildcats as much as possible with its run-heavy attack — led by Walter Ivory. The 5-foot-9, 175-pound junior has a team-high 726 yards on 102 carries. He is averaging 145 yards per contest.
Mississippi State commit Kwatrivous Johnson is one of the guys up front paving the way for all those yards. The 6-foot-8, 360-pound four-star offensive tackle has been selected to play in the Under Armour All-America Game.
Before the season began, this game was supposed to pit the state’s top offensive lineman against the state’s No. 1 player in the junior class — defensive end Charles Moore (6-4, 240), who was lost for the year to a knee injury in a preseason jamboree. In his sophomore season, Moore had 35 tackles, nine sacks, two forced fumbles and 10 quarterback hurries.
All Greenwood fans are asked to wear white to support the school’s white-out.
nContact Bill Burrus at 581-7237 or bburrus@gwcommonwealth.com.
