Green rallies for scrimmage win

BLACKWATER DRAW — As Kamal Cass plunged into the end zone for the second time in a shade over three minutes, the Green team — or was it the Greene team? — knew it had to respond.

It did just that, with Roswell native Ryan Greene leading the squad back to a 22-20 victory in what was an efficient Green-Silver Game for both squads Wednesday at Greyhound Stadium.

link Staff photo: Kevin Wilson

Silver running back Kamal Cass plunges into the end zone for the first of his two second-quarter touchdowns at the Green-Silver Game. Cass had 99 yards on 14 carries in the 22-20 setback for the Silver.

Greene completed 5-of-10 passes for 76 yards and ran for the go-ahead 10-yard score early in the fourth to help the Green team rally from a somewhat self-inflicted 12-0 deficit in the symbolic end to the spring football season for ENMU.

The Greyhounds go into offseason mode Monday with weights, and will start two-a-day practices in August leading into their Sept. 3 opener against New Mexico Highlands.

The sides are picked via draft in the days leading up to the game, with restrictions that keep the teams as evenly-matched as possible. The teams alternate who picks first each round, but the second pick of each round must be the same position as the first pick.

“Just have fun (is the goal),” Greyhound coach Josh Lynn said. “When you split up your 1’s and your 2’s, you aren’t going to have the same chemistry. But this was the best Green-Silver Game I’ve seen where we had the offense move the ball up the field, we didn’t have any fumbles on the center-quarterback exchanges and we didn’t have bad turnovers.”

Greene said the teams are playing for bragging rights even though the Green and Silver teams really only exist for a few hours on a Wednesday night.

“Definitely, you go out there wanting to win, just like a real game,” said Greene. “But we also realize we’re teammates out here. We’re not as hostile as we’d be in a real game.”

link Staff photo: Kevin Wilson

Green running back Jeremy Doucette escapes a tackle in the second quarter of the Green-Silver Game Wednesday night at Greyhound Stadium. Doucette had 123 yards on 19 carries in the Green’s 22-20 win.

After a scoreless first quarter, the Silver team got on the board with a 1-yard plunge from Cass, a Clovis native. Cass was back in the end zone on an 8-yard burst just seven plays later, when the ensuing kickoff was fumbled back to Silver.

Other than that special teams miscue — and a Greene interception where the defender was also wearing a green jersey — both squads did well keeping control of the ball.

“I can’t really say (who had an edge); it was pretty even for everybody,” said defensive back Jerrel Bradford, who was tied for tops on the Silver squad with six tackles. “Both offenses were very good at taking care of the ball; they didn’t make any dumb passes.”

With an injured punter, Lynn opted to have punts and kickoffs handled by throws instead of kicks. The teams went for two-point conversions on all six touchdowns and went for fourth downs inside the 40.

Playing quarterback for the Silver, Jeremy Buurma was 4-of-12 passing with 47 yards rushing, and had plenty of help in the ground game between 139 yards for Hobbs product Tyler Wilson, 99 for Cass and 52 for Cameron Mikell. Wilson had a 51-yard carry on a Silver drive that fizzled late in the second quarter and a 42-yard score in the third.

link Staff photo: Kevin Wilson

Dakota Montoya of the Silver team celebrates a sack in the second quarter of the Green-Silver Game Wednesday night at Greyhound Stadium.

Jeremy Doucette, who missed last year with a broken leg and ankle suffered during August scrimmages, led the Green team with 123 yards on 19 carries with a 15-yard run to get Green on the board. Tayshaun Gary had an 18-yard run in the third quarter to give Green its first lead, 14-12 on the two-point conversion.

Aaron Johnson had three catches for 67 yards to lead the Green, while Adrian Horton caught three passes for 44 yards for the Silver team.