West Greene traveled to Providence Academy on Friday evening searching for its first win of the season. The Buffaloes battled the Knights from the opening kickoff and actually finished with more total yards of offense, but they could not capitalize when it mattered most, falling 19-6.
“We’re still a couple of plays away from having a win,” said West Greene coach Caleb Slover. “We opened it up in the second half and did a much better job running the ball very effectively, along with finally hitting some deep plays down the field and getting into the red zone a couple of times, but we just could not seem to capitalize. We just got to keep fighting and keep clawing. I know it’s not going our way right now, but the kids are playing really, really hard right now, and eventually we are going to fix it and get it right.”
The Buffaloes took the opening kickoff and appeared to get off on the right foot, but back-to-back holding penalties quickly put their offense in a deep hole. Facing a fourth-and-19 situation, West Greene was forced to punt. Providence broke through the middle and blocked the kick, taking possession at the Buffaloes’ 7-yard line.
On the first play from scrimmage, Ty Puhr, who finished the game with 18 yards on three carries, went straight up the middle for the score. The PAT was good, giving the Knights a 7-0 lead with 9:28 remaining in the first quarter.
Both teams exchanged punts before West Greene took over at its own 27. The Buffaloes flipped the field behind the running of Aiden Thompson and Caden Archer, moving the ball down to the Providence 38-yard line as the first period came to an end.
The second period began with Thompson losing two yards on the opening play and losing his helmet in the process, forcing him to come out for one play. Freshman Blake Arnott came on and attempted to keep the drive moving, but a Providence defensive back stepped in front of Arnott’s only pass attempt of the game for an interception.
West Greene’s defense, which played strong for most of the night, held firm on a fourth-down play, forcing Providence to turn the ball over on downs.
The Buffaloes, unfortunately, were unable to capitalize, fumbling at their own 31-yard line for their second turnover in as many possessions.
West Greene once again forced a turnover on downs and began its best drive of the half from its own 33. Thompson picked up a 20-yard gain before connecting with Hunter Franklin on a 27-yard completion, moving the ball all the way down to the Knights’ 10-yard line. A sack, followed by a false-start penalty, moved the ball back to the 20, where the drive stalled, sending the teams to halftime with Providence still holding a 7-0 advantage.
Providence Academy extended its lead to 13-0 when Cameron Blanton connected with Puhr on a 29-yard touchdown strike with 9:25 remaining in the third quarter. Blanton finished the game 11-of-20 passing for 91 yards and a touchdown.
The score remained 13-0 until the opening play of the fourth quarter. Kahler Oggero, who finished with 68 yards on nine carries, broke loose for a 20-yard touchdown run. The PAT was blocked, leaving the Knights with a 19-0 lead.
The Buffaloes refused to quit.
After being backed up to their own 5-yard line following a holding penalty on the kickoff, West Greene embarked on a 95-yard, 19-play drive to finally break through and erase the shutout. Shawn Bailey capped the lengthy drive by plunging into the end zone from one yard out with 3:35 remaining in the game. The two-point conversion failed, leaving the Buffs trailing 19-6.
Following an unsuccessful onside-kick attempt, the teams exchanged turnovers on downs before Providence ran out the clock to bring the contest to an end.
West Greene, now 0-4 on the season, finished with 247 yards of total offense, while Providence Academy improved to 2-2 despite managing just 193 yards.
West Greene quarterback Aiden Thompson struggled through the air, completing 6-of-19 passes for 84 yards, but once again turned in a strong performance on the ground, rushing for 106 yards on 22 carries.
Things don’t get any easier for the Buffaloes as they return home next Friday night to host Eagleton for Homecoming before traveling to Rebel Hill in two weeks for the annual Battle of the Milk Can with South Greene.
