GREENVILLE – The Greenville seventh grade football team defeated the visiting Piqua Indians 16-14 in dramatic come from behind fashion Wednesday night at Harmon Field.
“Kids played hard, they didn’t quit,” said Co-Coach Ron Kerg. “It was a team effort. We had a lot of good parts and they all play together.” They made mistakes but yet they seemed to dig deep and they came back and they did what they had to do.”
“We did a pretty good job controlling that most of the night,” Co-Coach Karsyn Fender said of Piqua’s large front line. “We didn’t quit whether they were bigger or not but we just kept fighting – just have to have a bigger heart.”
The Green Wave got on the board first with 5’7” 136 pound Kilven Williams, Jr. scampering 31 yards for a Greenville score at 5:40 showing on the first quarter clock. The Piqua defense stopped the Wave 2-point conversion attempt giving Greenville an early 6-0 lead.
Greenville’s Ryker Marshall intercepted a Piqua pass at the 40-yard line at 2:02 in the first quarter turning the ball over to the Wave.
The teams headed to second quarter play with Greenville clinging to a 6-0 lead only to have the Indians take advantage of a 22-yard touchdown pass to knot the score at 6-6. The Wave defense stopped Piqua short of the goal line on its 2-point conversion attempt keeping the score tied at 6-6 where it would stand with the teams heading to the halftime break.
Defense was the name of the game in the third quarter with both teams going scoreless sending the game to the fourth period with the teams tied 6-6.
Piqua quickly hit pay dirt early in the forth with a 52-yard scoring pass play to lead 12-6 with 7:01 on the fourth quarter board. The Indians converted its 2-point pass conversion to lead 14-6.
Unable to sustain a drive, Greenville turned the ball over to Piqua. The Wave defense dug in with Marshall getting a tackle good for a safety giving Greenville 2-points and possession of the ball trailing 14-8.
“We made mistakes but yet they seemed to dig deep,” Kerg stated. “They came back and did what they had to do.”
The Greenville seventh graders went straight to work moving the ball down the field with Williams and Marshall moving the ball down to the 14-yard line where the 5’8” 152-pound Marshall would tie the game at 14-14 with a 14-yard touchdown run. Marshall made good on the 2-point conversion run giving Greenville a 16-14 advantage with 1:24 remaining in the game.
“Marshall keeps working just like the rest of the guys and the rest of the team compliments that – helping them out,” said Fender. “Williams, same thing there. Just kept going, kept going. Everybody played until the very end.”
Piqua went to the air moving the ball down the field only to have Williams intercept an Indians pass with 0:46 showing on the fourth quarter clock to seal the MVL victory for the Green Wave seventh graders.
“Our kids definitely fought through adversity and played to the very end,” Fender stated. “It worked out for us.”
“Our main goal down here is to build the program from the ground up,” added Coach Fender. “All four of us coaches (Fender, Kerg, TJ Powers, Ryan Eldridge) all work together in practice. That’s our main goal, getting them developed, teaching them the right things and teaching them to love the game of football.”
