GREENWOOD – The Greenwood Bulldogs scored the grand slam of touchdowns on Friday.
They scored offensive touchdowns rushing and passing, scored on special teams and scored on defense as they rallied to a 63-21 win over Van Buren to win their third-straight 6A-West game.
Jake Glover and Carson Hobbs ran for touchdowns, Hunter Houston threw five touchdown passes, Evan Williams returned an interception 90 yards for a score, and Grant Karnes returned a kickoff 84 yards for a touchdown.
Halftime was sandwiched in between Williams' return that ended the first half and Karnes' return that opened the second half that started the landslide victory and led to four third-quarter touchdowns by the Bulldogs.
PLAY OF THE GAME Greenwood linebacker Evan Williams returned an interception 90 yards with 1:35 left in the first half that lifted the Bulldogs to a 28-21 halftime advantage. With the game tied at 21-21 and Van Buren at Greenwood's 18, Williams stepped in front of a pass at the 10, made the interception coming across the field to the Greenwood side then cut it up and sailed for the score.
"It was perfect place, perfect timing," Williams said. "I saw his eyes look left and I worked back left. He tossed the ball and it happened to hit my fingertips. I saw open field and took it to the house. I saw there was only two Pointers there, the quarterback got blocked so there was only a lineman and all I had to do was two-step him and he was out."
PLAYER OF THE GAME Greenwood quarterback Hunter Houston continues his torrid pace of accurately throwing the ball for the Bulldogs. Houston was 15-of-17 passing for 303 yards and five touchdowns on Friday. His only two incompletions were throwaways near the sideline after his receivers were covered.
INJURY REPORT Senior Sam Shepherd, a two-way starter on the offensive line for Van Buren, remains out for at least the next two weeks. Greenwood defensive back Braden Skaggs could return from a shoulder injury in early October.
NOTABLE Greenwood won its third-straight 6A-West play and is 51-3 over the past nine years in conference play. ... Greenwood has scored at least 60 points in two consecutive games for the first time in school history. ... Houston has completed 77.4 percent of his passes this season and eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark on Friday, and has now thrown for 1,272 yards and 17 touchdowns with no interceptions in the last four games. ... Friday's 96-yard kickoff return was the fifth different way in which Van Buren playmaker Malachi Henry has accounted for a touchdown in his career to go with passing, receiving and rushing touchdowns along with an interception return for a score as a sophomore.
UP NEXT Greenwood continues 6A-West play at Greenbrier on Friday. Van Buren hosts Lake Hamilton.
THAT FIGURES
3 Straight games in which Greenwood has applied the AAA Sportsmanship Rule
53 Straight wins at home for Greenwood
173 Points scored in three conference games by Greenwood