Newberry – North Greenville led from start to finish on Saturday evening in Newberry in a dominant 24-14 win over the Wolves at Setzler Field.
The Wolves received the opening kick and were quickly turned away by NGU's defense, forcing a Newberry punt. NGU's offense wasted little time capitalizing on the its first opportunity as
Dylan Ramirez hooked up with Dre Williams from 58 – yards out on the second play from scrimmage to make it 7 – 0 after
Colin Karhu knocked through the point after.
North Greenville's defense was once again up to the task on Newberry's second drive. The Wolves picked up a first down but
Fred Billy broke up a pass on third down to force NC's second punt of the game. It took North Greenville just three plays to score on the second drive, this time a Cam Walker receiving score catching a pass from 75 – yards to make it 14 – 0.
Newberry scored its first touchdown of the the game in the second quarter while
Colin Karhu added a 30 – yard field goal to make it 17 – 7 at halftime. North Greenville finished the first half with 285 – yards while defensively the Crusaders stifled the Newberry offense, allowing just 129 total yards and a score.
The Crusaders added some insurance in the third quarter on
Dylan Ramirez's third passing touchdown of the night. He found
Corey Watkins out of the backfield for a 32 – yard score to extend the lead to 24 – 7 with 11 seconds left in the frame. The Wolves scored their second touchdown of the game in the fourth quarter, taking advantage of a short field on one of NGU's three turnovers on the night.
NGU's defense kept Newberry in check all night, allowing just 253 total yards of offense for the Wolves. Newberry was just 3 of 13 on third down.
Fred Billy led the Crusaders with seven tackles and an interception while
Deandre Moss had six tackles and led the team with a pair of tackles for a loss.
Offensively NGU piled up 393 yards of offense including 258 through the air and another 170 yards on the ground.
Yavin Smith led the rushing attack with 71 – yards while Dre Williams finished with 102 yards receiving and a touchdown.
North Greenville's next game will be the home opener for the Crusaders as they host West Alabama next Saturday at 7 PM.
