RUSSELLVILLE — The 2016 Russellville High School football team has set the bar high for future squads.
The Cyclones set a school record for victories with 12 and won the school’s first state football championship.
Russellville avenged its only loss of the season by beating Greenwood 37-23 to win the Class 6A state championship Dec. 3 in front of 4,348 fans at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. The Cyclones have one other state title recognized by the Arkansas Activities Association — in 1933 — but the playoff system wasn’t instituted until the late 1960s.
This year’s state title came in coach Billy Dawson’s second year with the program. He came from Nashville, where he won three consecutive state titles from 2005-07.
In 2014, Russellville finished 2-8. In Dawson’s first season, the Cyclones were 5-7, advancing to the second round of the Class 6A state playoffs.
“It’s been unbelievable,” Dawson said. “This year’s senior class, when in the ninth grade, were a combined 1-17 between the two teams. To see where these guys have come from and to win it as seniors is pretty remarkable. It’s the first winning season that this group has ever had, seven through 12. It’s really amazing what they’ve accomplished and overcome. I’m proud of them. … It took us a hundred years to win this one, so we’re going to celebrate it a little while and see where we go from here.”
Dawson said the seeds for a run at success came in Week 7 during the 2015 season. At that point, Russellville was 1-5 but beat Van Buren 32-31 in overtime by successfully completing a two-point conversion. Including that game, the Cyclones won four of their last six games.
“At that point, we had been harping on playing to win and not playing not to lose,” Dawson said. “So when we went for two and got it, I think a bell went off. Our kids from that point on thought, ‘We can do this.’ It gave us a little confidence, a shot in the arm.”
Dawson said his players went into the offseason program “with a good taste in their mouths.”
“We had a belief that we could compete at this level,” he said. “We had a fantastic offseason and fantastic spring and summer. Then we just started out hot.”
Russellville opened the 2016 season 6-0, beating Morrilton, Rogers Heritage, Springdale, Benton, Sheridan and Lake Hamilton.
“We won some games early and got more confident as we went along,” Dawson said.
The Cyclones then met Greenwood in Week 7, falling to the Bulldogs 27-24 after trailing 21-3. Russellville had a chance to tie or take the lead late but failed to recover an onside kick.
“In the first half, we didn’t know if we belonged or not,” Dawson said of his team’s play against Greenwood in Week 7. “We played a little timid and didn’t play like we had played up until that point all year. At halftime, we think we realized that we can compete. We relaxed a little bit and played a lot better in the second half.
“I think coming away from that game, our guys thought, ‘We can get in the middle of this.’”
Dawson said the team’s battle cry was, “Let’s do our part to see if we can play those guys again.”
The Cyclones closed out the regular season with routs of El Dorado and Siloam Springs.
Russellville entered the playoffs with a bye week, having finished second in the 6A-West.
“It was really good,” Dawson said of having the week off. “Our kids aren’t used to playing with so much on the line this late in the year. The mental grind was definitely upon us. Our kids were tired. I think the week off from preparation was really good for our guys. I think it refocused us and gave us a chance to get back some fundamental stuff. It gave us a chance to compete within ourselves.
Dawson said he didn’t think his team had played as well after Greenwood beat the Cyclones. “After the bye week, we turned it on to a new level,” he said.
Russellville opened postseason play with a 34-7 win over West Memphis.
The Cyclones hosted Benton in the semifinals after Benton upset top seed Jonesboro 56-52.
“That was big for our kids,” Dawson said of playing at home in the semifinals. “At that point, we’d won six in a row at home this year. Going back to last year, it was nine in a row, and we had done a nice of job of protecting the home field.”
Russellville defeated Benton 45-15.
Going into the title game, Dawson said, he knew his players could compete with Greenwood.
“We had talked all week about how it was going to come down to something — a turnover, special-teams play,” he said. “Going in, I thought it was a pretty evenly matched game.”
Dawson said he heard how Greenwood had “been there before,” but that didn’t stop his team.
“We impressed upon our kids that once we kick it off, it’s a football game,” he said. “It’s just a football game. We’re prepared, and let’s go play.”
During the title game, it was cold and raining most of the contest, which lasted two hours and 40 minutes. Dawson said the weather didn’t bother his squad.
“At the end of the week, we did most of our practice with wet footballs,” he said. “Our quarterback (senior Cale Fulsom) is so calm and has huge hands. He never missed a throw in our wet-ball drills. Our receivers did a nice job. I think we did enough with the wet ball that we were confident with the weather going in.”
In the championship game, Greenwood took a 3-0 lead on a 23-yard field goal by Grant Ennis with 8:59 left in the first quarter. Russellville took a 7-3 lead on a 14-yard pass from Fulsom to Caleb Stokes with 4:22 left in the first quarter. Nate Turner kicked the extra point.
Greenwood reclaimed the lead at 10-7 when Connor Noland threw a 52-yard touchdown pass to Drew Dundee with 1:24 left in the first quarter.
Russellville took a 14-10 lead when Bryland Young scored on a four-yard run with 6:49 left in the first half. Greenwood led 16-14 at halftime after Dundee caught a 53-yard pass from Noland with 2:50 left.
The Cyclones scored the only points of the third quarter to lead 20-16. Drake Adkins scored on a one-yard run with 5:31 left in the quarter.
Russellville outscored Greenwood 17-7 in the final 12 minutes to secure the victory.
Turner kicked a 19-yard field goal. Josiah Woodard scored on a 15-yard run, and Stokes caught a 77-yard touchdown pass from Fulsom.
Greenwood’s only points of the second half came on a nine-yard run by Kenny Wood with 7:18 left in the game.
Fulsom, the game’s most valuable player, completed 18 of 24 passes for 249 yards and two scores. He also rushed for 75 yards on 18 carries.
Stokes caught eight passes for 160 yards. Ryan Meador caught four passes for 53 yards. Rhett Adkins caught three passes for 23 yards.
Woodard rushed for 99 yards on 22 carries.
The Cyclones finished with 188 yards rushing and 249 yards passing.
Nolan completed 12 of 25 passes for 207 yards to lead Greenwood. Wood rushed for 100 yards on 11 carries.
Woodard, Jake Hogue and Ryan Talley led Russellville with six tackles each. Tallying four each were Seth Plummer, Paul Chilling, Jason Collins and Matt Campbell.
Talley also had an interception.
Dawson said this year’s state championship is special to him.
“Nashville was pretty good when I got there,” he said. “We just kept the ship afloat. Here, everything was brand-new. They had never tasted victory. They didn’t know how to win and didn’t know what it meant to win.
“To watch that transformation, attitude and mentality, to watch this community — it’s been pretty remarkable.”
Staff writer Mark Buffalo can be reached at (501) 399-3676 or mbuffalo@arkansasonline.com.