Nesbitt scores 5 TDs, as Greer pounds Southside

Yellow Jackets hold Southside to 107 total yards

By Jim Fair, Editor
Published on Saturday, October 20, 2012

Mark Tucker

Quez Nesbitt is in full stride as he heads toward the goal line against Southside tonight. Nesbitt scored 5 touchdowns, one of them on a pass play.

Enlarge photo

Mark Tucker

Marquis Lyles (54) and Tim Ballenger make a Yellow Jackets sandwich as they smother this Southside runner on this place.

Greer Head Coach Will Young said he’s never coached a player like Quez Nesbitt. But at least Young has Nesbitt on his team.

Nesbitt, a junior, scored five touchdowns, all in the first half, – 4 rushing and one by pass reception – to lead Greer to a 41-7 win over Southside in a Peach Blossom Conference 3A game. “(Quez)” is such a great player and he is so smart. He can stop, redirect and stop better than anyone I’ve seen,” Young said.

Nesbitt’s four touchdown runs were short yardage for him He scored on 8-, 15, 5-, and 8-yard runs. And he’s enjoying every yard he gets. “I can feel everyone coming for me,” Nesbitt said.

Thirty touchdowns have been scored by Nesbitt, 28 on the ground.

His 28-yard reception from a ball thrown by Josh Gentry was another of Nesbitt’s patented escape artist moves. Nesbitt caught the ball over the middle of the field, inside the 15-yard-line and stutter-stepped, hopped, juked, changed speeds and eventually scored after another dazzling run. “It’s mostly reaction. I don’t want anyone tackling me,” Nesbitt said.

Nesbitt had 148 yards rushing, 134 on 20 carries in the first half. “Offensively, we did a lot of good. But we also have No. 20,” Young said.

Gentry had a solid night passing, completing 11 of 19 passes for 197 yards. He did not throw an interception.

Greer’s defense played its best game of the season. The Yellow Jackets held Southside to 127 yards – minus 20 yards rushing on 28 attempts. “The defense played great and played physical,” Young said.

John Hicks, Greer’s outstanding linebacker, was disappointed Greer didn’t record a shutout. “They did exactly what we thought they would do,” Hicks said. “We knew this game would set the tone for next week (against Blue Ridge).”

That sets up next week’s matchup with Blue Ridge, unbeaten at 9-0 overall and 7-0 in Region II-3A. A win by Greer and Greenville will set up the use of the tiebreaker to determine the region’s champion and state playoff seedings.

Emmanuel Kelly scored the only touchdown Nesbitt didn’t when he got into the end zone for a 6-yard run with 7:16 to play.

Nesbitt’s first touchdown, an 8-yard run up the middle, culminated a 10-play 81-yard drive. Gentry had a 14-yard run, threw a 24-yard completion to Kelly and Nesbitt added a 15-yard run to set up the score on the next play. Nick Roberson’s extra point kick gave the Yellow Jackets the lead.

Nesbitt’s 15-yard run with 10:31 left in the second quarter and Roberson’s kick gave Greer a 14-0 lead.

Nesbitt added his third TD on a run up the middle and slipped left untouched into the end zone. Thomas Sullivan tried to run it in for two points and was stopped short.

Southside’s Tyrique Palmer stopped a Greer drive when the Jackets tried to reach a first down on 4^th and 12 at Southside’s 37. He sacked Gentry but Southside fumbled the ball on its first play from scrimmage with Tim Ballenger recovering at the 47. Nesbitt added a 17-yard run on Greer’s possession and with 1:30 left in the half he added his fourth touchdown on another 8-yard run.

The final score before the half was the result of a Greer interception one play after the kickoff. Gentry found Nesbitt to make the halftime margin 34-7.

GAME SUMMARY