A pullover sweater that Greenwood Coach Rick Jones wore Monday features a Greenwood logo with the word "undeniable" under it.
Since Jones arrived in Sebastian County in 2004 to lead the Bulldogs, the program's success in the state has been just that.
Greenwood has won six state championships under Jones and is in its second consecutive state championship game Saturday against Russellville in the Class 6A final at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. between the two 6A-West Conference teams.
"It's awesome to be back," Jones said. "You never take it for granted. It's a lot of hard work. It's hard to get here. It looks easy in the rear-view mirror, but on a week-to-week basis, there's a lot of hard work, and our kids have sacrificed a lot to get to this spot."
Greenwood (12-0) has averaged 40.6 points per game while allowing 17.2 points defensively. The Bulldogs have scored at least 20 points in each victory this season, including a 31-30 victory over Pine Bluff in Friday's Class 6A semifinal at Smith-Robinson Stadium in Greenwood.
"Our kids have played really well," Jones said. "We try to make progress every day. We don't look long term. We don't talk about championships. We just talk about getting better today. That's been our focus. I'm proud of our kids. It's hard to get here."
The quarterback duo of junior Connor Noland and senior Luke Hales have the Bulldogs back at War Memorial Stadium.
Noland, who has orally committed to Arkansas, has passed for 1,886 yards and 16 touchdowns while Hales has 992 passing yards and 10 touchdowns.
On the ground, senior running back Kenny Wood has rushed for 1,063 yards and 17 touchdowns.
In the teams' first meeting Oct. 14, Greenwood held off Russellville 27-24. The Bulldogs had a 21-3 halftime lead, but they had to recover an onside kick with less than a minute to play to preserve the victory.
Russellville (11-1) is led by Billy Dawson, who is in his second year as the Cyclones' coach. He led Nashville to three consecutive Class 4A state championships from 2005-07.
Dawson has the Cyclones in their first state championship game, which has the attention of Jones.
"We know it's going to be a 48-minute battle," Jones said. "They have too many good players and are too well coached. He's got his staff going. They're doing a good job of coaching football. It's going to be a challenge."
With Jones at the helm, Greenwood has played in a state championship game eight times, winning six of them (2005, AAAAA; 2006-07, 2010-11 Class 5A; and 2012 Class 6A).
The realization of playing in the final game of the season is not lost on Jones or his players.
"In the finals, it's the last first quarter of many of those kids' lives," Jones said. "It's the last second quarter. You have to play every play. They understand that when you're in War Memorial Stadium in December playing your last game."
State championship schedule
At War Memorial Stadium, Little Rock
FRIDAY
CLASS 7A
Fayetteville (11-1) vs. North Little Rock (12-0), 7 p.m.
SATURDAY
CLASS 5A
Wynne (13-0) vs. Pulaski Academy (12-1), noon
CLASS 6A
Russellville (11-1) vs. Greenwood (12-0), 6:30 p.m.
Sports on 11/30/2016