By MARY JEAN HALL
Special to The Press
Greenfield saw both positives and negatives during a jamboree Friday night.
The Yellowjackets scrimmaged Fulton City and Gibson County during the Pioneer Quarterback Club Football Jamboree in Dyer. Greenfield’s offense scored twice against the Fulton City defense but lost a fumble and interception to Gibson County’s defense.
“I think we’re playing well,” said new head coach Don Pitt. “The breaks and stuff were helpful to us to get everybody’s feet under them. There at the last we got a little flat but, overall, we played pretty good tonight.”
The jamboree was structured with each session lasting 12 minutes. Each possession started on the 30-yard line.
With all fourth-down situations, the teams could go for the first down or punt the ball. If the team failed to make the first down, they would start over with possession on the 30-yard line.
Greenfield’s offense was off to a slow start during the seventh session against Gibson County’s defense.
In just the second play of the session, junior running back Austin Pence had a lost fumble, but he came back on the next play and carried the ball 48 yards.
Four plays later, the Yellowjackets found themselves 4th-and-1 at the 13-yard line, only to fumble the ball again. Greenfield had three drives after that, and the team ended the session scoreless.
Greenfield’s offense found its stride in the eighth session against Fulton City’s defense and managed to score twice in the 12-minute session.
Junior quarterback Jeffrey Johnson proved to be effective on his feet by having two carries for a total of 28 yards.
Miles Cavitt also had a productive session with 53 yards on just three carries. Cavitt scored with a 15-yard pass from Johnson with 5:46 left in the session and with a 24-yard pass from Johnson at the end of the session.
Greenfield’s defense kept the Fulton City offense from scoring in the fifth session by allowing only 43 yards of total offense. The defense couldn’t hold off the Gibson County offense, though, in the 10th session at the end of the jamboree.
It took Gibson County’s offense 14 plays to make a touchdown with just under two minutes left to play. Gibson County caught the Yellowjackets off guard with a quarterback keeper on the first play of the second drive and ran it downfield for a 70-yard touchdown.
Greenfield also had a few team members who competed in the individual competitions do well. Senior kicker Zach Grebe placed first in the kickoff competition by sending the football flying past where the other kickers’ results would later land.
Pence finished second in the fastest running back competition, and sophomore linebacker Jeremy Lannom placed second in the fastest lineman competition. Both were close to finishing first in the competitions.
According to Pitt, Lannom stood out during the scrimmage.
“Jeremy Lannom is playing offensive guard and linebacker,” he said. “He played very well at the middle linebacker spot.”
The Yellowjackets have until Aug. 24 to make any improvements before the first game of the season.
“We’re going to work on coming out every day and getting better,” Pitt said. “On the defensive side of the ball, we’ve got a lot of mistakes that we’ve got to correct on film.”
The Yellowjackets will begin its 2012 season 7:30 p.m. Aug. 24 at Gleason. Published in The WCP 8.14.12