North Greene had not won back-to-back games against West Greene since claiming three straight victories from 2004-06. According to first-year West Greene head coach Caleb Slover, this one was going to be “a good four-quarter football war.” Both teams battled through what North Greene coach Eric Tilson described as an “up-and-down roller coaster,” but in the end, the Huskies held on for a 34-20 victory. The win not only gave North Greene its first victory of the season but also marked its second straight win over the Buffaloes.
“We gave up some big plays early,” said Tilson, “but our kids battled back and kept punching and punching until we finally delivered some knockout blows. We had to fight through a four-quarter battle tonight and give a lot of credit to West Greene. They played hard until the final snap, creating problems for us and giving us fits.”
West Greene started the game moving the ball from its own 12-yard line to the North Greene 40 behind the arm and legs of quarterback Aiden Thompson, but the drive stalled when a North Greene lineman recovered a loose ball.
North Greene, however, returned the favor and handed the ball right back to the Buffaloes when Kenneth Deboard intercepted a Jared Swatzell pass and returned it to the 6-yard line. After a false-start penalty pushed the ball back to the 11, it took the Buffaloes just two plays to get on the board, as Rylan Miller plunged in from the 1-yard line for the game’s first score. The extra-point attempt was blocked, leaving West Greene with a 6-0 lead with 6:55 remaining in the opening quarter.
The Huskies responded on the ensuing drive, moving the ball from their own 43-yard line to the West Greene 11 behind the legs of Leon Johnson, who finished the game with 115 yards rushing on 31 carries. Tilson admitted there were several times throughout the game when there were a few bad play calls, but added, “I’m glad we’ve got 20.”
A holding penalty pushed the Huskies back to the 21, but Swatzell found Levi Gray in the end zone to knot the game at 6-6. Juan Soto’s PAT put North Greene ahead 7-6 with 4:20 remaining on the clock.
The Huskies gained some momentum late in the first quarter when Turner Collins came up with an interception at midfield. Collins appeared headed for a pick-six before being dragged down at the 2-yard line. Johnson finished the scoring drive on the next play, and Soto’s PAT made it 14-6 with 1:26 remaining.
The score remained that way until Thompson found Alexander McMurray for a 21-yard touchdown completion with 10:22 left in the second quarter. The 2-point conversion tied the game at 14-14.
North Greene tried to respond, but the West Greene defense stood strong and forced the Huskies to punt, with the ball traveling into the end zone.
The Huskies, however, quickly regained possession after recovering a fumble at the Buffaloes’ 33-yard line. Five plays later, Swatzell, who finished with four touchdown passes, connected with Gray for a 17-yard scoring strike. Soto’s PAT put North Greene back in front 21-14 with 4:10 remaining in the half.
Neither team could mount another scoring drive through the remainder of the half and into the third quarter. That changed when Swatzell found Parker Collins for a 29-yard touchdown pass with 3:09 remaining in the third, making it 28-14 after Soto’s PAT.
West Greene held the ball for the remainder of the third quarter and into the fourth, but the drive ended on downs when one of Thompson’s passing attempts was broken up.
North Greene took over and began moving the ball in an effort to extend its lead, but Lucas Winstead came up with an interception with 8:02 remaining in the game.
Thompson then looked to put the Buffaloes on his shoulders, orchestrating a five-play drive that took approximately two minutes off the clock and ended with him punching it in from 5 yards out. The 2-point conversion was unsuccessful making the score 28-20, but West Greene appeared to have momentum on its side with 6:22 remaining.
North Greene, however, answered with another scoring drive to extend its lead to 34-20. Swatzell connected with Kelson Estepp for the 18-yard touchdown with 2:08 left to play.
The Huskies put the game away moments later when Turner Collins came up with his second interception of the game with 1:54 remaining. From there, North Greene used Johnson’s legs to continually run time off the clock before eventually turning the ball over on downs with 51 seconds remaining.
Swatzell finished the night completing 17 of 29 passes for 187 yards and four touchdowns, helping the Huskies accumulate 292 yards of total offense. Estepp was his leading target, hauling in six passes for 70 yards, while Gray added four catches for 44 yards and two touchdowns.
Thompson continued to put up impressive numbers through the air for West Greene, completing 19 of 32 passes for 251 yards and rushing 11 times for 37 yards. The Buffaloes finished with 354 yards of total offense. McMurray hauled in six passes for 91 yards and a touchdown, while Hunter Franklin added six catches for 71 yards.
North Greene (1-1) will host Hancock County next week, while West Greene (0-2) will travel to Lower Afton to face Chuckey Doak. Both games are scheduled for Thursday evening with kickoff set for 7 p.m.
