GREENWOOD — It wasn’t stress-free, but Greenwood’s 56-18 victory over Siloam Springs on Friday was a lot less terrifying than usual.

Spencer Harris caught three touchdowns as the Bulldogs (7-1, 5-0 5A-West), ranked No. 1 in Class 5A, won their seventh consecutive game and their fifth in a row by at least 21 points. The 38-point margin of victory was nearly twice that of Greenwood’s past five victories over Siloam Springs combined.

The Bulldogs won all five matchups against the Panthers between 2004-2008, by 21 total points. None were decided by more than 7 points.

The Panthers (3-5, 0-5) pulled within 28-18 midway through the third quarter, but Greenwood scored the game’s final 28 points in posting a season-high point total.

“They came out and they battled us,” Greenwood Coach Rick Jones said. “We got a few breaks at the end, but the score is not indicative of how tough those guys played us tonight.”

Greenwood had trouble shaking off Siloam Springs in the first half. The Bulldogs scored on their second possession, when Harris took a short pass from Tony Sandifer and sprinted 35 yards for a touchdown.

The Panthers called a halfback toss-andpass on the opening play of the second quarter, scoring on a 23-yard pass from running back Braden Pippin to Stuart Cifuentes, tying the score at 7-7.

The tie lasted all of one play. Sandifer ran the ensuing kickoff back 93 yards for atouchdown, and he scored another touchdown on a 1-yard sneak later in the second quarter, two plays after connecting with Seth Parker on a 35-yard pass.

But Siloam Springs pulled within 21-12 by halftime, scoring a safety when a scrambling Sandifer fumbled out of the end zone and then getting a 45-yard field goal from Pablo Castillo in the half’s final seconds.

“We were just fighting, scratching, clawing,” Siloam Springs Coach Bryan Ross said. “When you’re playing a team that’s that good, you’ve got to take advantage of every break you get. We just weren’t able to capitalize, and then we let it get away from us.”

After trading third-quarter touchdowns, Greenwood put the game away. A 3-yard touchdown reception by Harris made it 35-18, and after the Bulldogs stopped the Panthers on three plays, Harris scored again ona 68-yard pass from Sandifer.

Harris caught five passes for 150 yards. Shook was 11 of 15 for 241 yards and 3 touchdowns. Travis Green and backup quarterback Hayden Smith scored on touchdown runs in the fourth quarter, enacting the sportsmanship rule and ensuring Siloam Springs’ largest defeat of the season.

“We just executed a little bit better,” Jones said. “That was the key. We were just doing what we’re supposed to do. We weren’t calling better plays; we were just doing a better job.”

Greenwood intercepted Siloam Springs quarterback Bryan Adair four times, three times in the second half. The most significant interception came early in the half, when linebacker Josh McCutcheon picked off a pass two plays after Greenwood lost a fumble on its 42.

Sports, Pages 13 on 10/25/2009

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