Greenwood has a little pep in its step after back-to-back blowout wins, but the Bulldogs can’t get too high with their toughest test of the season coming up Friday.
Greenwood (4-1) travels to face Louisville (4-1), the top-ranked team in Class 4A, on Friday in a rematch of last year’s third-round North 4A playoff contest. The Wildcats beat the Bulldogs 34-18 in the regular season and 21-13 in the playoffs.
“It’s a test to see where our program is right now. We’re trying to see how we stack up to the best,” GHS coach Clinton Gatewood said. “Louisville is one of the best teams in 4A along with us, Noxubee County and Pontotoc. We are going there to knock them off.
“Yes, it’s in their back yard, but I can promise you we won’t back down. This group of 75 players I got believe they will win.”
Louisville’s only loss came at the hands of the top-ranked 5A team in the state, West Point, in a 21-10 decision in Week 2. The Wildcats are coming off a 33-14 victory over Grenada in which running back Kevin Jackson ran for 100 yards and two touchdowns. The 5-foot-11, 205-pound senior has 380 yards and seven touchdowns on 59 carries.
Louisville lost its staring quarterback, Deontae Yarbrough, in a season-opening 14-6 win over Navarre (Fla.).
Jackson and the Wildcat offense will face a Bulldog defense that is coming off a shutout performance — its second of the season — against crosstown rival Amanda Elzy. The Panthers’ only points came on a safety.
Greenwood is allowing 15.75 points per contest.
Louisville also has a nasty defense, allowing a mere 9.75 points a contest, the second-fewest among all North 4A teams. That unit is led by defensive tackle and Mississippi State commit Charles Moore, who returns after missing all of last season with a torn ACL. He anchors a veteran front seven along with linebacker Ashanti Cistrunk, who leads the team with 45 tackles and three interceptions.
GHS freshman quarterback DeAndre Smith and the Bulldog rushing attack led by Walter Ivory and Jamarron Addison will be tested by the stingy Wildcat defense. Gatewood will need his relatively inexperienced offensive line to step up against their biggest challenge so far this season.
“It could certainly be a defensive game where points are at a premium. Their defense is playing better than their offense right now, and I feel like that’s the same for us,” Gatewood.
