URBANA – Greenville senior running back Jarrad Crist was Urbana’s worst nightmare in a non-league contest Friday night at Hillclimber Stadium.
Urbana lost the game, 35-14, as Crist rushed for 247 yards before leaving the game with an injury in the third quarter.
Despite an early-game fumble recovery by UHS’s Isaac Craft, the Hillclimbers’ ensuing offensive drive stalled and ended in a botched punt, setting up the Green Wave at the UHS 40.
A set of passing plays put Crist within 2 yards of paydirt, and he wasted no time plowing into the end zone at the 6:37 mark of the first quarter. Ethan Flanery’s extra-point kick was accurate, giving Greenville a 7-0 lead.
The Hillclimbers struggled to move the ball and punted, giving Greenville field position at its own 44. Crist was tormenting Urbana again, and Greenville was all set to score when Urbana’s Kaleb Bowdle intercepted a tipped Green Wave pass in the end zone at 4:23 of the first quarter.
Starting at the UHS 20, a strong passing performance from quarterback Bowdle to receiver Devin Trent helped churn the home team deep into Greenville territory. At the 11:49 mark of the second quarter, Nic Dorsey plunged into the end zone on a 7-yard run to put UHS on the scoreboard. A Bowdle conversion pass attempt to Logan Rooney failed, and Greenville retained the lead, 7-6.
Greenville scored again on a Crist 2-yard run at 7:23 of the second quarter. Flanery’s PAT was good, and the Green Wave led, 14-6.
The Hillclimbers were unable to answer on their next drive, but Greenville was pinned at its own 5 after a penalty on the punt return. On the first play of the drive, Crist exploded on the run and worked his magic again, jolting 95 yards up the left sideline for a touchdown at the 5:08 mark of the second quarter. Flanery’s PAT was true, and Greenville led, 21-6 – a margin that held up until the intermission.
Greenville (1-2) took its opening possession of the third quarter 81 yards, the drive culminating on Micah Light’s 8-yard TD run. Flanery’s PAT was good, and Greenville owned a 28-6 lead that held up through the entire quarter despite having four turnovers at that point in the game.
After a 50-yard interception return by UHS’s Marion Krebehenne, Dorsey scored in the fourth quarter on a 10-yard run. Bowdle ran in the two-point conversion with 11:30 left in the game to narrow the Greenville lead to 28-14.
Light added a TD run late in the fourth quarter to provide the final margin.
Light and Crist combined to rush for more than 400 yards.
Greenville will return home on Sept. 15 to host Stebbins in the Green Wave’s Homecoming game.
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