Nesbitt scores 5 TDs, gains over 200 yards in loss

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Mark Tucker

Quez Nesbitt only has the end zone in front of him on this touchdown run. Nesbitt scored 5 touchdows.

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Mark Tucker

Greer's defense tries to bottle up Seneca's vaunted running game.

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Mark Tucker

Tay Woods of Greer jumps to reack a pass that is overthrown to him.

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Mark Tucker

The defense takes a break during tonight's game. 

Not tonight.

Nesbitt did all that and Greer statistically had a better result than Seneca. But the Seneca Bulldogs beat Greer 46-45 in overtime in both team’s first football game of the season.

“Quez is probably the maddest person on the field right now,” Greer Head Football Coach Will Young said.  “I’m proud of our team and they kept fighting back. We just weren’t expecting some of the things they (Seneca) through at us.”

Nesbitt’s fourth TD of the night, with 1:52 left in the game, and Thomas Center’s point after kick, gave Greer a 38-38 tie and forced the game into overtime.

Greer scored on its OT possession with Nesbitt’s 1 yard run and Center’s PAT giving the Yellow Jackets a 45-38 lead.

But Seneca’s Dorrian Raines’ 10-yard run and Dakari Morris’ catch in the back of the end zone from a Spencer Brothers pass gave the Bobcats the two-point conversion and the win.

Nesbitt appeared to take the wind out of Seneca’s sail with a 91-yard run from scrimmage with 3:22 left in the third quarter and the PAT moved Greer to a 31-17 lead. It was Greer’s second touchdown in 16 seconds.

Marquis Arnold, the workhorse for Seneca, took the ensuing kickoff back 93 yards to trim the lead to 31-24.  Quan Holden scored a touchdown and the extra point brought the teams to a 31-31 deadlock.  Holden and Nesbitt each scored to send the game into overtime at 38-all.

“A lot of credit goes to our kids,” Young said. “It’s not the way we wanted to start our season. We were a hair away from a couple of more touchdowns. This is a tough way to lose.”

Nesbitt scored on runs of 45-, 51-, 91-, 2-, and 1-yard. He only carried the ball 12 times and averaged 16.6 yards on the ground.

Josh Gentry completed half of his 20 attempts for 181 yards. He was intercepted twice. Gentry scored Greer’s other touchdown with 58 seconds left in the first half on an 11-yard run to give Greer the lead at halftime, 21-17.

“On offense we played good in spurts,” Gentry said. “I made a couple of bad reads but the first game felt good. We still have a long way to go.”

Marquis Arnold carried the ball 31 times for 142 yards and Raines ran the ball twice for 94 yards.

Young said Seneca did a good job disguising its offense. “Seneca did a good job and forced our defense to adapt,” Young said. “We were caught a little off guard. They didn’t show anything they did tonight in their scrimmages,” Young said.

Nesbitt scored his second touchdown on a 51 yard run up the middle and Center’s PAT pulled Greer within 14-17. Greer started the drive at the 18 and six plays later came to within three points of Seneca. Gentry’s 13-yard pass to Emmanuel Kelly on third and five gave Greer a first down at the 36 and Nesbitt mirrored that two plays later for a 13-yard gain to give the Yellow Jackets a first down at Seneca’s 49-yard line with 1:14 to go.

Nesbitt took a handoff from Gentry and a wide hole over right tackle set him free for his 51-yard gallop for his second TD.

Greer took the halftime lead when John Hicks grabbed a fumbled return at the 11-yard line.  Gentry took the snap one play later and ran untouched to the left and into the end zone to give the Jackets their first lead of the night.  Center’s third PAT put Greer ahead 21-17 at halftime.

Malek Johnson intercepted two passes in the first half for Greer. He stopped a Seneca rally by intercepting quarterback Spencer Brothers at the 18-yard line. Johnson’s second interception of Spencer Brothers ended the first half when he picked off a desperation throw at the Seneca 30.

Seneca built a 10-0 lead with 2:24 remaining in the first quarter when Anela Menin kicked a 24-yard field goal at 8:07 and running back Marquis Arnold scored on a one-yard run with 2:24 remaining. Menin’s point after put Greer down by 10 points.

Arnold’s 28 yard scoring run with 10:19 left in the third quarter and Menin’s PAT gave Seneca a 17-7 lead.

Seneca ran more plays 71-49 than Greer and gained more yardage 423-393. Most telling was Seneca having possession for 43:52 minutes to Greer’s 16:08. “We knew they would run the ball more than pass,” linebacker Johnathan Hicks said. “We couldn’t get a good tempo going. We knew they were a rising powerhouse offense. All they did was run, run, run. One play they would run eight yards and the next would be three.”

Greer was penalized 9 times for 77 yards and they proved to be costly.

Three  penalties  – unsportsmanlike conduct (15 yards), offsides (5 yards) and a personal foul penalty (15 yards) kept Seneca’s scoring drive alive with Arnold scoring on a 1-yard run with 2:20 left in the first quarter.

Raymond Booker made a solid hit on a Seneca player on another drive but his extracurricular celebration was considered worthy of a 15-yards unsportsmanlike conduct that kept the Seneca drive alive. An encroachment penalty on Greer’s defense gave Seneca a first and goal and three plays later the Bobcats scored a touchdown.

An illegal motion penalty on Chapman’s run cost Greer five yards and the drive fizzled with Josh Cooke punting for only the third time in the game.

Greer travels to Riverside next week for a 7:30 p.m. game.

Center of attention: Thomas Center, a sophomore, kicked Greer's extra points and field goals. It was Center's debut on the varsity. He made all six of his points after touchdown and kicked a 29-yard field goal to build Greer's lead to 24-17 in the third quarter.

Captains: Seniors Alex Waters, John Hicks, D’Anta Fleming and Josh Fleming were game captains tonight.

Injured: Jalen Stokes and Eddie Ballenger, junior and sophomore wide receivers respectively, did not dress out. Both were injured against Gaffney in the first scrimmage of the summer.

Change of pace: Greer’s Emmanuel Kelly was at quarterback on one play and lost four yards on a keeper.

New rule: When Chaz Henry’s helmet popped off he had to leave the game for one play. That is a new rule. 

TEAM STATISTICS

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
RUSHING

SENECA

GREER

PASSING
SENECA

GREER

RECEIVING
SENECA

GREER

PUNTING
SENECA

PUNT RETURNS
SENECA

GREER

KICKOFF RETURNS
SENECA

SCORING SUMMARY

First quarter

8:07. Seneca 3-0: Angelo Menin 24 field goal.

2:24. Seneca 10-0: Marquis Arnold 1 run. (Menin PAT).

1:25. Greer 7-10: Quez Nesbitt 45 run (Thomas Center PAT)

Second quarter

10:19. Seneca 17-7. Arnold 28 run. (Menin PAT)

1:14. Greer 14-17. Nesbitt 51 run. (Center PAT)

:58. Greer 21-17. Josh Gentry 11 run (Center PAT)

Third quarter

9:03. Greer 24-17. Center 29 FG.

3:22. Greer 31-17. Nesbitt 91 run. (Center PAT)

3:06. Seneca  31-24. Arnold 93 kickoff return (Menin PAT)

Fourth quarter

11:00. Seneca 31-31. Quan Holden 1 run (Menin PAT)

7:47. Seneca 38-31. Holden 2 run (Menin PAT)

1:52. Greer 38-38. Nesbitt 2 run (Center PAT)

Overtime

Greer 45-38. Nesbitt 1 run (Center PAT)

Seneca 56-45. Dorrian Raines 10 run (Dakari Morris pass from Spencer Brothers)

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