Tigerville S.C. – North Greenville bounced back in a big way on Saturday, clipping the Shorter Hawks in Gulf South Conference action.

The Basics

• Score: Crusaders – 41 | Hawks – 7
• Records: North Greenville 4 – 2 [3 – 1] | Shorter 0 – 7 [0 – 4]
• Location: Tigerville, South Carolina (Younts Stadium)

Quick Facts

• North Greenville is now 2 – 0 on the season in games following a loss the previous week.
• The win over Shorter tips the series in NGU’s favor which now holds a 2 – 1 lead in the win column.
• Bobby Foos only punted twice in Saturday’s victory, but his second one was a booming 72 – yard blast. The punt is the second 70+ yard kick for the senior and was just three yards short of setting a new record after his own 74 – yard punt in 2015.

How it Happened

• The offenses traded interceptions on their first drives. The Hawks picked off a Will Hunter pass on their own two-yard-line. Aaron Watson returned the favor a couple plays later to give NGU offense the ball at the Shorter 45.
• Will Hunter found Demajiay Rooks five plays later for the first score of the game. A missed extra point would give NGU the 6 – 0 lead with 6:03 left on the first quarter clock.
• NGU’s special teams came up big in the second quarter when Jordan Helms blocked a Shorter punt. The blocked kick landed in the end zone and was covered by Adrian McGee for the touchdown as NGU went up 13 – 0.
• EJ Humphrey added a rushing score late in the second period, capping a 9 – play 85 – yard drive for the Crusaders (20 – 0).
• Shorter was able to put up a touchdown before intermission as Elijah Gilbert reeled in a 22 – yard pass from Tyler Pullum to cut North Greenville’s edge to 13 – points.
• Jacob Harper would cut Shorter’s opening drive of the second half short as he picked off the second Pullum pass of the game, giving NGU possession at the 30.
• The Crusaders would cash in quickly as Will Hunter found Ken Drummond form 34 – yards out. Kyle Belack would add the second big play of the quarter when he broke away from two Shorter defenders, taking it 75 – yards to give NGU a four-score advantage.
• NGU’s defense would keep the Hawks scoreless for the entire second half, recording a third interception in the process.
• Dashonnell Wright tacked on one more score for the Crusaders later on in the fourth, taking it in from 17 – yards. Jeremy Hart’s extra point made it 41 – 7 with 9:07 left to play.

Inside the North Greenville Box Score

• It was a big day for NGU’s offense as it put a season-high 580 – yards including 378 through the air and another 202 yards on the ground. Both of which were season highs.
• Will Hunter led the charge with 350 – yards and three touchdowns, completing 20 of his 29 – passes.
• Dashonell Wright led the ground game with 90 – yards and a touchdown while Humphrey also added a score and 38 – yards. Jarvion Norman put up 58 – yards on six carries.
• Kyle Belack finished the day as the team’s leading receiver with 98 – yards on three catches and a touchdown. Lucas Catalfomo had 78 – yards while Rooks had 41 – yards and a touchdown.
• Defensively Aaron Watson led the charge with two interceptions on the day to go along with 3.5 tackles.
• Azende Dixon finished with three tackles for a lass while Seth Laughter had 2.5 stops in the backfield. Both finished with four tackles on the day.
• The NGU defense held the Hawks to 258 – yards of total offense, allowing just six yards to the hawks on the ground.

Next Time Out

• The Crusaders hit the road again, this time heading to Valdosta Georgia to take on #8 Valdosta State at 3 PM.