GREENVILLE — Greenville battled injuries and costly mistakes Friday night as the Green Wave fell 21-12 to visiting Stebbins in MVL varsity football.
Despite the loss, Greenville finished with a 20-11 advantage in first downs and nearly matched Stebbins in total offense. The Indians totaled 273 yards compared with the Green Wave’s 269.
“The effort is there,” Greenville coach Steve Channell said. “As long as the kids keep making the effort, I don’t have any complaints. At times, we just don’t execute. It’s a simple matter.”
Stebbins opened the scoring in the second quarter when quarterback Devin McCormick connected with Roger Newton for a 23-yard touchdown. The extra point gave the Indians a 7-0 lead.
The visitors stretched their advantage to 14-0 later in the quarter by returning a Greenville fumble 94 yards for a touchdown.
Greenville responded before halftime. Rylyn Frazee scored on an 8-yard run with six seconds remaining in the second quarter. A mishandled extra-point attempt left Stebbins up 14-6 at halftime.
The Green Wave received a boost from the unexpected return of senior captain Gage Denham, who had missed two games with an injury initially expected to keep him sidelined until later in the season.
Denham saw action on defense during the first half before returning to the Greenville backfield. He capped a third-quarter drive with a 3-yard touchdown run with 3:45 remaining in the period.
Greenville attempted a 2-point conversion, but the try failed, leaving Stebbins with a 14-12 advantage.
“We had to go for two because we mishandled an extra point, and the 2-point conversion didn’t convert,” Channell said. “We were still in a one-score game.”
The Green Wave remained within two points until McCormick connected with Anthony Harris for a 69-yard touchdown with 4:30 remaining in the fourth quarter. The extra point gave Stebbins its final 21-12 margin.
Greenville rushed for 139 yards while holding Stebbins to 73 yards on the ground. The Indians made the difference through the air, passing for 200 yards compared with Greenville’s 130.
The Green Wave’s defense limited Stebbins for much of the game, but three explosive scoring plays — the 23-yard touchdown pass, 94-yard fumble return and 69-yard touchdown pass — proved decisive.
“We just find the most inopportune time to have a mistake, whether it’s a penalty or a lack of execution,” Channell said. “At times, we become our own opponent. When we stop being our own opponent, then we can start focusing on who we’re actually playing.
“We’re being competitive. We’re out there competing,” he added. “We just make mistakes at the wrong time and in the wrong situations. Three plays tonight — take those out, and you win.”
