Wilkinson feels, runs well for Greenwood

GREENWOOD -- Hunter Wilkinson is fully healthy, and that is bad news for the rest of the 6A-West Conference.

The Greenwood senior rushed for 188 yards on 31 carries and scored 4 touchdowns to lead the Bulldogs to a 42-28 win against Benton in Smith-Robinson Stadium on Friday night.

"It's amazing to finally be healthy," Wilkinson said. "I can't believe I'm back to 100%. I feel great."

Wilkinson scored a pair of first-quarter touchdowns to help Greenwood (8-0, 4-0 6A-West) get out to an early lead, but it was his bullish 48-yard touchdown run with 2:20 left in the first half that gave the Bulldogs separation.

The play that broke him loose was a play that Wilkinson said the team put in just last week.

"We knew it was going to work," he said. "The offensive line executed it, and when I saw that hole, I just hit it."

Greenwood quarterback L.D. Richmond rushed for 116 yards on 15 carries, many of those on designed quarterback draws. He was even better with his right arm, completing 23 of 35 passes for 203 yards and 2 touchdowns.

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The Bulldogs had six scoring drives of 67 yards or more, including five that covered 70-plus yards, as Greenwood amassed more than 500 yards.

First-year Greenwood Coach Chris Young said his team had been keyed up to play Benton after losing to the Panthers last season.

"We have a ton of respect for them," Young said. "We were excited tonight to get out and play. I think both teams made a lot of mistakes, and we have a ton of things we need to work on, but it was a great win. We're going to celebrate it."

Greenwood took its opening possession 70 yards in 10 plays with Wilkinson scoring from a yard out with 8:58 left in the first quarter. Richmond was 5 of 6 on the drive for 48 yards.

Benton answered after a 23-yard Greenwood punt gave the Panthers (5-3, 3-1) the ball near midfield. Garrett Brown hit Cameron Harris in the left corner of the end zone for a 29-yard touchdown with 5:35 left in the first quarter to tie the game.

Greenwood then moved 72 yards in 11 plays. Wilkinson found seams in the Benton defense to rip off runs of 4, 6 and 5, before barreling into the end zone from 3 yards out for a 14-7 lead.

The Bulldogs were in the end zone again early in the second quarter. Richmond hit Peyton Carter for 18 yards to key the drive. Greenwood also overcame an illegal block from the Benton 19 with a pass interference penalty, setting up Richmond's 14-yard scoring strike to Carter, who fought his way into the end zone for a 21-7 lead with 10:04 left in the half.

Benton responded with a 16-play drive from its own 27. Casey Johnson had 12 carries on the drive, including the final one from a yard out to pull the Panthers within 21-14.

Greenwood had the answer, driving 70 yards in six plays. Richmond ripped off runs of 11 and 16 yards on designed draws, then Wilkinson did the rest, scoring his third touchdown on a 48-yard burst with 2:20 left in the half.

The Bulldogs came out in the third quarter by driving 72 yards in 12 plays. Richmond hit Jase Strozier on an 8-yard scoring pass to cap the drive for a 35-14 advantage.

"That was huge," Young said. "We talked at halftime about that. They are such a good team and can score so quick that you have to go put points on the board, especially when they gave us the wind. That's why we were so aggressive on a couple of fourth-down calls because we thought we had a shot at getting some points."

Brown finished 25 of 47 for 293 yards for Benton. Andre Lane caught 9 passes for 103 yards, and Harris finished with 7 catches for 114. Johnson rushed for 122 yards on 28 carries.