Julie McCombs
Head Coach Will Young on Greer's most prolific running back after Quez Nesbitt rushed for 344 yards and 4 TDs at Pickens Friday night: "I’ve seen twenty of these." Nesbitt is shown creating some distance between him and Greenville defenders in an earlier game.
Julie McCombs
Emanuel Kelly's 99-yards, 2-feet, 11-inch return of a kickoff for a touchdown Friday at Pickens doesn't quite describe his feat. His over the shoulder catch of the ball before it appeared to be going in the end zone, was all the more miraculous. Kelly, above, is shown in a runback, against Riverside, earlier this year.
Julie McCombs
Mario Cusano, a sophomore transfer from Connecticut, has started every game since coming to Greer High School. He is a star in the making, according to Head Coach Will Young.
Julie McCombs
Malek Johnson, senior defensive back, has six interceptions, averaging one a game this season. He missed two games with an injury.
“If you’re a fan of football, and I’m a big one, it’s fun watching players like Quez (Nesbitt), Malek (Johnson) and Emanuel (Kelly). Mario (Cusano) is going to be an outstanding quarterback.” Will Young, head coach of the Greer Yellow Jackets said as he described what it was like coaching with skill players that can, and often times, provide a thrill a play.
“I was asked Friday night what it was like to see Quez (344 yards rushing, 4 touchdowns) play,” Young said. “I said, ‘I’ve seen twenty of these.’”
Greer (5-0, Region II-AAA, 7-1 overall will play Southside (3-2,6-2) Friday in its last regular season home game at Dooley Field at 7:30 p.m. It will be Senior Night. A win by Greer and a Blue Ridge loss to Pickens guarantees the Yellow Jackets the region championship with one game remaining.
Nesbitt has a school record of more than 4,300 yards rushing with at least three games remaining. He is averaging 220 yards per game that puts him at the cusp of 5,000 yards and considerably more, depending how deep Greer goes into the playoffs.
Emanuel Kelly, in Greer’s biggest game of the season to date, had a remarkable 99-yard, 2-feet, 11-inch return of a kickoff for a touchdown. The talk after the game wasn’t of Kelly’s run, that is not surprising. It was the way the senior all-around performer caught the ball over his shoulder to prevent it from going into the end zone just so he could return it.
“It’s on the (video). His foot is on the inch line. “I’ve never seen that in high school. He saved the ball from going into the end zone and went all the way,” Young said. “Nobody I’ve ever seen did that before at Greer. Maybe somebody behind me has.”
Kelly, 6-1, 190 pounds of muscle, rarely sits out a play. “He knows we need him in there,” Young said. “We try to get him breaks when we can.” Kelly also plays on all the special teams.
Kelly’s runback will join Nesbitt in the 2013 record book as benchmarks. Kelly’s will be impossible to break unless the South Carolina High School League changes its rule allowing runbacks from kicks going into the end zone.
Nesbitt’s rushing record is all the more unimaginable when considering his size (listed 5-7, 150 pounds) is atypical of the modern day high school running back of nearly a half-foot taller, and 40-plus pounds heavier with comparable speed.
Young, routinely asked about Nesbitt, has run out of adjectives to describe the mental and physical abilities of Greer’s game breaker and opponents’ heartbreaker.
Interestingly, Nesbitt has allowed Cusano, a transfer sophomore from Connecticut, to meticulously develop as an effective quarterback. Cusano has completed 84 of 141 passes thrown with a 2-1 ratio of touchdowns (12) to interceptions (6) through eight games. He has thrown for 1,192 yards, averaging 149 yards a game. That includes a 14-yard per game dip after the Pickens game where he was 9 of 13 for 47 yards with no TDs or interceptions.
Young can game plan to throw the ball. If Cusano and receivers don’t connect, as they didn’t in the first two series at Pickens Friday night, Nesbitt patiently waits for his number to be called. He has an astounding 10.3 yards average per carry – virtually a first down every time he touches the ball.
“Sometimes our game plan evolves that way,” Young said, acknowledging the enviable ability to turn the game over to Nesbitt.
Malek Johnson has been a starter since the first game of his freshman season. He was touted by Young as one of the state’s best defensive backs entering the season. A shoulder injury sidelined him for two games but he has returned with a vengeance to lead an often-overlooked defense, thanks to Nesbitt’s starring status.
Johnson has intercepted six passes, run one back for a touchdown, and has stabilized a defense.