The Greenwood football team knows it doesn’t have much time to dwell on last Friday’s loss to Lubbock-Cooper Liberty.
The Rangers (2-1) continue their tough non-district schedule on Friday when they host Class 5A Division II opponent Wichita Falls Legacy (3-0) at J.M. King Memorial Stadium.
Greenwood is coming off a 56-25 loss to the Patriots, who are ranked No. 6 in the latest Class 4A Division II poll by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football.
The Patriots jumped out to a 21-0 lead and had a 42-8 advantage at the half.
The Rangers also didn’t help themselves with two key turnovers in the red zone that led to Liberty touchdowns.
Greenwood coach Bryan Hill said the youth of his team showed at times going against a senior-heavy team like the Patriots.
“I was really proud of our effort. I was not proud of our execution,” he said. “When you turn on the film, our kids are running to the ball, the effort was definitely there, but you can’t spot any team that number of points, especially a top-10 opponent.
“There were at least three 14-point swings, two of which were inside the opponent 5-yard line, going into score. When you dig yourself a hole like that so early in the game, it’s almost insurmountable. All the credit in the world has to go to Lubbock Liberty, especially their defense. We were able to move the ball, but they really tightened up when we got in the red zone. If we could take some of their scores off the board and replace them with Greenwood touchdowns, it’s a much better game.”
Hill added that he believes that his kids learned a lot from that experience and is confident the Rangers can grow from it.
“We’re humbled for sure, but we’re also hungry to prove that we can execute at a much higher level on Friday night,” he said.
“I think with our young team, there were several of our sophomores on varsity that this was their first time losing a football game in a Greenwood jersey. They won in seventh grade, won in eighth grade, won their freshman year, so this was a new experience for them, albeit negative. They know how to win, they expect to win. If anything, it will humble us, refocus us. I think there were a lot of lessons that we learned on Friday night that will pay big dividends as we make our way through the district schedule and into the playoffs.”
Legacy is coming off a 42-14 victory over Lubbock Monterey as the Leopards had 522 total yards. Junior quarterback Knox Hodges, who’s the son of former Texas Tech wide receiver Slade Hodges and nephew of former Tech quarterback Cody Hodges, threw for 343 yards and five touchdowns in the win.
Hill said the Leopards also have a lot of speed, especially in the receiving corps. He added that Hodges also seems to have command of the offense and has a lot of rhythm in his throws and doesn’t put the ball in harm’s way very much. Defensively, Hill said the Leopards also have a lot of speed on that side of the ball, and they don’t make many mistakes.
“They’re coming in as a young, confident, talented team, so we’re going to have our hands full, especially on the defensive side of the ball,” Hill said. “I’m excited at a chance at redemption. I think we were exposed a little bit, but the good thing about it is there’s another one coming Friday night. It’s another opportunity to prove ourselves and I’m confident we’re going to put a better product on the field this week.”