Julie McCombs
Quez Nesbitt needs 25 yards to reach the 1,000-yards rushing mark and 4 more points scored to hit the 100 mark. Greer is at Eastside at 7 p.m..
Quez Nesbitt needs 25 yards to reach the 1,000-yard rushing mark in this season’s sixth game. One touchdown will give him enough points to accumulate over 100. It’s not hard to imagine that Nesbitt will achieve both of those feats early in the game.
Greer and Eastside meet at 7 p.m. with Greer Head Coach Will Young putting the pieces of the puzzle together to have a more diversified offense with multiple ways to get the ball to Nesbitt, Emmanuel Kelly, leading receiver with 18 catches and 275 yards, and Brook Chapman. Chapman, who is a solid defensive end, has only carried the ball 7 times for 72 yards (10.3 yards per carry) and two touchdowns.
Last week’s 56-17 win over Travelers Rest pleased Young more for the team’s explosiveness on offense. “We executed better than we had been, particularly with our skilled positions,” Young said. “We ran better using players in motion, we made Kelly more of an offensive player and Quez did well.”
The Yellow Jackets’ first offense and defense were given some rest in the second half. Underclassmen got to see action as both coaches agreed to have a running clock.
Former reserve Greer quarterback Jonathon Adkins transferred to Eastside over the summer but has seen limited action lately. Young is hoping his players don’t go out of their way to concentrate almost entirely on one player. “I hope the players don’t get consumed on focusing on a player instead of a goal,” Young said.
“We need to focus on the direction we want to go. Our focus remains on number 20 (Nesbitt), Brook (Chapman), (Emmanuel) Kelly, D’Anta (Fleming) and all the players. Offensively, there is so much more we can do.”
Against TR, Young emphasized getting Gentry extra work on his passing game. The senior quarterback accomplished that goal completing 8 of 10 passes for two touchdowns and 154 yards.
“It feels like we’re moving in the right direction,” Young said. “We got the ball to Emmanuel in three different ways and he’s seeing how important his role is on offense. Corbin (Nesbitt) had two chances at passes in the end zone – one was overthrown and the other underthrown.”
Week 6 is the second region game of the season for the Peach Blossom Conference teams. It has been Greer’s first region game in the past. The Yellow Jackets are 1-1 in the region and will be listening closely to the outcome of tonight’s Blue Ridge at Greenville game. Both teams are unbeaten in the region.”
Regardless how other schools finish Young has a one-track mind on the playoffs this year. “The big thing is to get into the playoffs,” Young said. “I don’t want to be home on the second week of the playoffs like I was last year.”
