CLARKSDALE — Get off the track if you don’t want to get run over. That was Greenwood’s message to Clarksdale.
The Wildcats had no answer for the Bulldogs’ ground-and-pound attack as GHS rolled up 232 rushing yards en route to a 26-13 victory here Thursday night to claim its fifth straight Region 3-4A championship.
“I can’t tell you how proud I am of my guys. I can’t really find the words to express it,” said Greenwood coach Clinton Gatewood, whose team hasn’t lost a region game since 2013. “We have reached our first goal, but we’ve got more work to do.”
GHS (8-2) will play at home Nov. 3 in the first round of the playoffs against the No. 4 seed from Region 1. Clarksdale (5-6) will also be at home next week in the playoffs.
The Bulldogs set the tone early by holding the ball the entire first quarter with a 20-play, 76-yard touchdown drive that ended with quarterback Jaylen Stanley diving into the end zone from three yards out. GHS overcame five penalites on the drive and threw the ball just three times.
Stanley finished with 63 yards rushing on 12 carries, but it was junior running back Walter Ivory who was the workhorse. Ivory had 27 carries for 145 yards — eclipsing his season average of 119 yards per game by 26.
“(Ivory) runs hard with a low-center of gravity. He can be a load for defenders to take down,” Gatewood said. “We also got a big game my quarterback who has really grown up this season. He understands his role as the leader of this offense.”
GHS senior tackle Kwatrivous Johnson said the plan was for the offensive line to establish its dominance early.
“We came in knowing we had to push them around, and I guess you can say we did just that,” said the 6-foot-71/2, 361-pound Mississippi State commit. “We take pride in our play upfront. Our guys run so hard behind us that it makes our job easy.”
Greenwood scored on its first three possessions to take a 20-0 lead despite drawing eight penalites in the first half.
Stanley hit sophomore receiver Kobe Chambers for a 37-yard scoring strike. The third touchdown came when Carldaryl Johnson picked up a teammate’s fumble and went 15 yards for the score. Chambers added the two-point run.
The Wildcats made it 20-7 late in the first half on a 5-yard run by Cameron Matthews. They opened the second half with a 58-yard TD drive that ended with a 1-yard run by Matthews.
But the Bulldogs responded with a 61-yard scoring drive, capped off by a 12-yard TD jaunt from Ivory.
The two teams played a scoreless fourth quarter.
Stanley completed 5-of-7 passes for 80 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions. Chambers had two catches for 60 yards.
Defensively, senior tackle Jalen Bedell had nine tackles, including for a loss. Maquivius Williams all had eight tackles had nine stops, two of which were for a loss.
Carl Jones, R’Tavis McGee and Quiontavious Lymon all had eight tackles.
Greenwood won’t know its first-round opponent until after tonight’s games are concluded. It will be the eighth straight postseason appearance for Gatewood and his Bulldogs.
nContact Bill Burrus at 581-7237 or bburrus@gwcommonwealth.com.
