Speed and the ability to catch passes are among the key attributes for a wide receiver. What may also get lost in the shuffle is a receiver’s ability to block. For one Greenwood senior, blocking is just as valuable as catching and running.
Cooper Bland says he takes a great deal of pride in his ability to block. He pointed out blocking is a necessary skill for the Bulldog receivers.
“It’s a big role for me to block,” Bland said. “About 70 percent of our offense relies on the receivers to block, so it’s a huge role. A lot of times, I feel like I’ve done my job if I block the right guy.”
Bland definitely enjoys the glory that comes with hauling in a pass and being able to take it to the house. He caught 15 passes for nearly 300 yards and six touchdowns last season for a Greenwood squad that repeated as Class 6A state champions, and started all 13 ballgames. Now, entering his senior season, Bland is ready to improve on those numbers and has spent all offseason working diligently to better himself as a receiver.
“For the most part, I feel like I did my job,” he said. “I think this year, I’ve improved a lot on route running, so that’s been a big part of my game this year. I feel like one of my better strengths is catching the ball; I feel like I can catch it pretty good.”
And of course, improving on his blocking skills, which meant a lot of time spent in the weight room.
“I’ve definitely been in the weight room a whole lot, trying to get stronger,” Bland said. “I’m mainly a blocking receiver, so I’ve got to do my job, and blocking and all of that helps.”
It also helps Bland and his fellow Bulldog receivers to have arguably the best quarterback in Arkansas to throw them the ball. Senior Kane Archer, a University of Central Florida commit, has started for the Bulldogs since his freshman year and has thrown for nearly 7,000 yards in his career and has led the Bulldogs to back-to-back Class 6A state titles. As a junior, Archer threw for 3,880 yards and 57 TDs.
“He puts the ball in the right spot, probably about 90 percent of the time,” Bland said of Archer. “He’s always throwing it in the right spot, so it helps me a lot being able to catch the ball.”
Bland believes a fantastic camaraderie has developed between him and the other Bulldog receivers.
“I love my fellow receivers; we all rely on each other, we have a pretty good connection with everybody,” Bland said. “They rely on me to block for them, I rely on them to block for me, and it all makes a difference.
“Our jobs in the receiving core is very crucial to our game plans usually. We run a lot of hitch screen, quick outs, and by doing that, we’ve got to rely on our other receivers to block for us and make plays. So I think all the receivers are pretty crucial to the offense because we have to rely on each other.”
Bland grew up wanting to be a Bulldog, watching his older brother Seth play. Seth, who also was a receiver, played at Greenwood in the early 2010s, and was part of a team that won 50 straight games, a streak that began in 2010 and ended in 2013, with the Bulldogs claiming three state titles along the way.
And now he’s part of a Bulldog team enjoying another lengthy winning streak. Going into the 2025 season, Greenwood had won 26 straight games.
So while Bland and his fellow seniors have won back-to-back championships, another title before their Bulldog careers end would be the proverbial cherry on top.
“We’ve got a lot to play for; it’s my senior year and we’ve got a streak going on,” Bland said. “I think all of our expectations are to go win another state championship. I mean, we’re not satisfied with the last one and with me being a senior, I think I can speak for all the seniors we want one more before our time’s up.”