Greenwood nearly made it through the first half of the season unblemished.
Now GHS sets out to accomplish its second goal — win a third straight Region 3-4A championship.
For the Bulldogs (4-1), that starts Friday night against Yazoo City (2-4). Kickoff is set for 7 in Yazoo City.
“This is the start of a new year for us because district play is here. Our goal is to win every district game and be at home in the first round of the playoffs in November,” Greenwood coach Clinton Gatewood said. “Yazoo City is the first team in our way, and we plan to go right through them.”
The Indians are coming off a 20-0 win over South Delta. Their only other victory came three weeks ago in a 13-2 decision over Humphreys County.
Yazoo City has struggled mightily on offense, averaging just 9.4 points a contest while giving up 26 per game.
Gatewood said the Indians are young, but the Bulldogs won’t take them lightly.
“We are going in with the mindset that we’ve got to play hard going into their backyard and coming away with a win,” said the GHS coach.
The Bulldogs were off last week after hammering crosstown rival Amanda Elzy 60-0.
Gatewood guided the Dogs to a Region 3 crown in his first season in 2010 and then back-to-back titles in 2013 and 2014. He says it would be special to make it three in a row, and that’s why he expects his team to be fully focused Friday night.
“My wish from the start was never for a winning team but for a winning program. A chance for a third straight district title would prove that’s what we’ve done,” Gatewood said. “But before we can even think about all that, we have to beat Yazoo City.
“If you slip up and lose one early, you are playing from behind and hoping for help the rest of the way.”
The last time out for GHS, senior quarterback Damarius Ray completed 13 of 23 passes for 294 yards and three touchdowns and added 58 yards rushing on eight carries as the Bulldogs won their sixth straight against Elzy and improved to 22-6 all-time in the 28-year series.
Ray, who played at Leflore County High School as a sophomore, has completed 39 of 72 passes this season for 767 yards, 10 touchdowns and one interception. His favorite targets are seniors Tyler Glass and Jemarcus Weatherall.
Glass has 11 catches for 195 yards and four TDs, while Weatherall has 10 grabs for 221 yards and three TDs.
