North Greenville grips with adversity to begin the season
Brayden Allen, Sports Editor
The coming of fall means one thing on a college campus, the start of football season. The North Greenville Football looks to start 2022 on a high note but face a tough test, taking on the strongest rated schedule in the Gulf South Conference.
The season officially got underway on September 1 as the Crusaders traveled across town to take on Furman. Nicknamed the “Battle for Greenville” the game marked the first ever matchup between the Crusaders and the Paladins. It also served as North Greenville’s single yearly Division I matchup.
The experience made a huge impact on the North Greenville players.
“It’s always great getting the opportunity to play up a level,” senior quarterback Bryce Fields said. “Being able to experience the facilities and atmosphere that a D1 school brings is always cool.”
“It was exciting, the feeling was unbearable because they were right down the road,” junior De’Ievon Donald said. “The fact we took them on meant a lot to everyone on the team.”
The game was a tough challenge for the Crusaders as the team faced many struggles on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. The Paladins would open the score on a 56 yard interception in addition to a second interception and fumble which led to later touchdowns. In the first half, Furman racked up a total of 456 yards and led 45-0 going into halftime.
In the second half, the Crusader defense began to show some life. North Greenville would hold Furman to just under 200 yards of offense, leading to only one score.
Unfortunately for Fields, he suffered an arm injury that would end his season but the loss brought some positivity to the team.
“They have a really good team that will make a run at winning the Southern Conference this year,” Fields said. “Getting to play against a team of that caliber will hopefully bode well for us as we head into conference play.”
The following week, the team returned home to once again face another tough test as the Newberry Wolves, rated at number 14 in the nation, came into Tigerville.
This was the third matchup in a three game series between the Crusaders and the Wolves. North Greenville won the previous two in 2019 and 2021 with the 2020 season put on halt due the Covid-19 pandemic.
Newberry would open up the game with a touchdown on their opening drive following a three and out by the Crusaders. North Greenville would respond later in the first on a 89 yard touchdown from freshman Dylan Ramiez to junior Doug Washington.
The Wolves tacked on a touchdown and a field goal in the second quarter as the score sat at 17-7 going in the half.
The second half once again saw improvement for the Crusaders. North Greenville stopped Newberry on their opening drive leading to a touchdown of their own from Ramirez to sophomore Tyree Funnye.
Newberry would add a field goal later in the third leading 20-13 going in the fourth.
The fourth quarter saw the toughest fight of the game as both teams would score. Following a PAT return score for the Wolves, Newberry would go on to take the victory 29-22.
Like game one, the loss did bring a positive light to the team. Ramirez set a North Greenville freshman record throwing for 329 passing yards with three touchdowns. Washington would also set a career high with 183 receiving yards.
Following his injury against Furman, Fields, who is a captain on the team, has been proud of the way young guys have filled big roles.
“So far this year there have been a lot of different guys stepping up and making plays,” Fields said. “I’ve noticed, a lot of different guys have made an impact on games which is really great to see,” Field said.
Fields also says the team has faced a lot of adversity this year but will be interested to see how the team responds.
North Greenville is back in action on Saturday as the team travels to Mississippi College to open play in the Gulf South Conference.
