INMAN – What began as just another blowout victory for third-ranked Greer turned into as much of a nail-biter as the Yellow Jackets can find in Region II-3A.
After scoring four straight touchdowns in the first half, Greer had to hold of a second-half Chapman rally for a 35-21 win Friday night.
Capitalizing on a couple of uncharacteristic Greer turnovers, the Panthers scored 21 unanswered points to cut the Yellow Jackets' lead to 28-21 with just over 10 minutes to play.
But Greer finally answered with a 15-play, 96-yard drive that lasted nearly eight minutes – the bulk of the fourth quarter – and ended with Adrian McGee's 1-yard touchdown plunge. McGee finished with a game-high 149 yards rushing.
That was the cushion the Yellow Jackets needed with 2:30 to play.
"Being able to take that drive down there, that was a good way to end it," Greer Head Coach Will Young said.
Young said it was also the reality check his team needed.
"We go so long sometimes scoring 40 or 50 points a game, and that's not realistic. It's not what's going to happen in November," Young said, looking forward to the playoffs. "It's not realistic for November."
The Yellow Jackets (8-0 overall, 5-0 region) had outscored region opponents 150-20 in their three prior games.
Chapman (5-3, 3-2) would not go as quietly.
Panthers quarterback Colton Bailey passed for two touchdowns and ran for another as Chapman nearly erased the four-touchdown half-time deficit.
The Yellow Jackets struck quickly behind quarterback Mario Cusano, who exploited Chapman's defense with his legs, rushing for 123 of his career-high 147 yards in the first half and scoring from 5 yards out on a quarterback draw.
Cusano also completed 16 of 24 passes for 287 yards and three touchdowns.
Troy Pride took a screen pass from Cusano 80 yards to open the scoring with 5:14 left in the first quarter. Cusano and Pride connected again late in the first quarter on a 28-yard strike. Pride had six catches for 141 yards.
Dorian Lindsey, who had eight catches for 124 yards, finished the first-half scoring barrage with a 40-yard touchdown catch from a Cusano pass with 1:24 left before halftime.
But the final, time-consuming scoring drive that delivered the victory gave Cusano particular satisfaction after being intercepted for the first time all season and fumbling the ball away in the third quarter to help set up a Chapman score.
"We live for these moments," Cusano said. "We live for the teams who think they can hang with us. When they think they've got the momentum, we have to take that momentum back."
| SCORE BY QUARTERS | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | TOTAL |
| (V) Greer | 14 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 35 |
| (H) Chapman | 0 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
| Scoring Summary: | Plays | Yards | TOP | Score | |||
| 1 | 05:14 | GHS | Mario Cusano Passes to Troy Pride COMPLETE TOUCHDOWN, clock 05:14 80 yds PAT Kick by Nicholas Roberson GOOD. | 1 | 70 | 00:36 | 7 - 0 |
| 1 | 01:27 | GHS | Mario Cusano Passes to Troy Pride COMPLETE TOUCHDOWN, clock 01:27 28 yds PAT Kick by Nicholas Roberson GOOD. | 7 | 60 | 02:35 | 14 - 0 |
| 2 | 06:15 | GHS | Mario Cusano Carries(QB Keeper) TOUCHDOWN, clock 06:15 5 yds PAT Kick by Nicholas Roberson GOOD. | 2 | 94 | 00:25 | 21 - 0 |
| 2 | 01:24 | GHS | Mario Cusano Passes to Dorian Lindsey COMPLETE TOUCHDOWN, clock 01:24 40 yds PAT Kick by Nicholas Roberson GOOD. | 1 | 40 | 00:07 | 28 - 0 |
| 3 | 10:07 | CHS | Colton BAILEY Passes to Richard TUCKER COMPLETE TOUCHDOWN, clock 10:07 41 yds PAT Kick by Carlos MONTAVO-CORRALES GOOD. | 8 | 80 | 01:53 | 28 - 7 |
| 3 | 04:37 | CHS | Colton BAILEY Carries(QB Keeper) TOUCHDOWN, clock 04:37 12 yds PAT Kick by Carlos MONTAVO-CORRALES GOOD. | 4 | 30 | 01:13 | 28 - 14 |
| 4 | 10:10 | CHS | Colton BAILEY Passes to Tim BEACH COMPLETE TOUCHDOWN, clock 10:10 6 yds PAT Kick by Carlos MONTAVO-CORRALES GOOD. | 12 | 66 | 03:36 | 28 - 21 |
| 4 | 02:30 | GHS | Adrian McGee Carries(Hand Off) TOUCHDOWN, clock 02:30 2 yds PAT Kick by Nicholas Roberson GOOD. | 15 | 96 | 07:40 | 35 - 21 |
| TEAM | GHS | CHS |
| (VISITOR) | (HOME) | |
| Score | 35 | 21 |
| First Downs | 23 | 20 |
| Rushes / Yards (Net) | 38 / 296 | 37 / 181 |
| Passing Yards (Net) | 287 | 142 |
| Passes -- Att / Comp / Int | 24/16/1 | 32/20/1 |
| Total Offensive Plays / Yards | 62 / 583 | 69 / 323 |
| Fumble Returns / Yards | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 |
| Punt Returns / Yards | 2 / 16 | 1 / 3 |
| Kickoff Returns / Yards | 3 / 45 | 1 / 25 |
| Interception Returns / Yards | 1 / -6 | 1 / 19 |
| Punts (Number/Average) | 2 / 32.5 | 6 / 31.5 |
| Fumbles / Lost | 2 / 2 | 0 / 0 |
| Penalties / Yards | 10 / 120 | 5 / 35 |
| Possession Time | 25:45 | 22:15 |
| GHS | INDIVIDUAL LEADERS | CHS |
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Statistics by Red Watson of Yellow Jackets Sports Network