GREENVILLE – The Greenville Green Wave improved to 5-2 on the season with a Friday night homecoming shutout victory over the visiting West Carrollton Pirates by a 7-0 score.
“Offense did just enough and defense played a whale of a game,” said Greenville coach Bart Schmitz. “We have our defense flying around the field playing like a bunch a maniacs right now – and I love it.”
With the rain holding off until after the crowning of Homecoming Queen, Riley Hunt escorted by Marcus Wood, the rain and wind settled in for the MVL varsity football game.
Wave senior Ethan Flanery kicked off to the visitors to open play on the night only to have Greenville quickly take over with the Pirates going three-and-out.
Greenville was forced to punt on their first possession setting up the Pirates second three-and-out of the day.
With the Wave again unable to sustain a drive, the Pirates took over on downs at their own 33-yard line. For the third consecutive West Carrollton possession of the night, the stubborn Green Wave defense held the visitors to a three-and-out setting up the games lone touchdown of the game.
“Our mentality every week – we want to control the flow of the game and a big part of that is we possess the ball more than the other team,” said Schmitz. “If we can limit their possessions, that means we limit how many times they can score and offensively we just have to capitalize on the times that we get the ball.”
Greenville used an 8-play, 59-yard scoring drive capped off with a 30-yard touchdown pass from Tyler Beyke to Marcus Wood using 3:59 on the game clock. Ethan Flanery’s PAT kick split the uprights out of the hold of Beyke to give the home team a 7-0 lead at 0:53 on the first quarter clock.
The Green Wave went into the fourth quarter heading into a strong wind with a cold rain falling.
“Not to make a big mistake to where it could cost us the game,” Coach Schmitz said of the team’s fourth quarter plan. “Do just enough to continue.”
The Greenville offense managed to move the ball on occasion in second half play while the defense was keeping the visitors in their own end of the field the second half to hand Greenville’s defense its first shutout of the season.
“The second half I don’t know if they crossed our 50-yard line,” said Schmitz. “We got pinned back on our 20 once. We hit big plays and flipped field position right back on them and that was big. We just never let them get out of their own area.”
A big second half Greenville play was a fourth quarter 32-yard pass completion from Beyke to Haydn Sharp with under seven minutes to play.
“Our motto all year – ‘we’re proud of where we’re at…we’re not satisfied’ – this team knows that and they continue to work hard,” Schmitz state. “Our practices have been phenomenal, it shows out here. We are doing some really nice things right now. Proud of our kids and the way that they play, how they handle themselves, the discipline that they show – we won this game because we did the little things.”
“At the end of the day we are 5-2,” concluded Coach Schmitz. “Proud of where we are at and continue to get better.”
Greenville won the battle of the stats on the night.
First Downs Greenville 14 – West Carrollton 5
Rushes / Yards (Net) .. Greenville 50/186 – West Carrollton 20/41
Passing Yards (Net) .. Greenville 91 – West Carrollton 102
Total Offensive Plays / Yards .. Greenville 63/277 – West Carrollton 44/143
Penalties / Yards Greenville .. 4/50 – West Carrollton 12/120
Tyler Beyke led Greenville and all rushers on the night with 106-yards on 22-carries. Connor Mills 72-rushing yards on 20-carries, Marcus Wood 7-yards on 5-carries and John Butsch 1-carry for 2-yards.
Greenville pass receiving had Wood with 3-receptions for 47-yards, Butsch 2-catches for 12-yards and Hayden Sharp 1-catch for 32-yards.
Brennen Siefring led the Wave with 5-tackles, Terry Miller 4-tackles and Connor Mills and DJ Zimmer each with 3-tackles.
Time of possession went to Greenville with 27:54 and the Pirates 20:06.
Greenville was 6-of-15 on third down conversions while West Carrollton was 0-of-11.
