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“I was more concerned going into the game just because I didn’t know what I didn’t know,” Haines said. “That was the first time I really ever had to manage the clock. I had to manage the clock to kick a field goal. We were trying to get it in for the touchdown, obviously, and we had all three timeouts. But I never had to do that in a game before.”
Haines wasn’t the only rookie to experience success. First-year quarterback Nick Clevenger completed 5-of-7 passes for 119 yards and a touchdown, a 54-yarder to senior Jacob Green. His five completions went to five receivers. Clevenger, a junior, also ran for a team-high 93 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries.
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“That’s kind of who Nick is. We’re probably never going to ask Nick to stand back there and throw the ball 35-40 times a game,” Haines said. “That was his first start at quarterback, even through junior high when he was a receiver.”
Sophomore Nick Wolfe replaced graduate Isaiah Harding — the Division V Southwest District defensive player of the year last season — at nose guard and recorded eight tackles.
“For him to be able to step up in his first start, he wreaked a lot of havoc for us,” Haines said.
Sophomore middle linebacker Clay Payton led the Rams with nine tackles in his first varsity start and juniors Bryce Seigfried and Coy Payton solidified the offensive line.
“It seemed like the longest game of my entire life, but I’m happy with it,” Haines said. “It was good to get the first one out of the way for myself, selfishly. I try not to think in those terms obviously. Every head coach wants that feeling. It’s kind of a culmination. When that fourth quarter had zeros on the board it was a culmination of 10 years as an assistant taking the weight off my shoulders.”
Prior to the game, the Greenon High School football team was honored with a standing ovation. The Knights canceled their opening night game after senior David Waag and sophomore Connor Williams died in a car accident Aug. 20. The visitation and memorial service was held on Greenon’s football field last Friday and the funerals followed hours later.
The Knights football team planned a team activity that night and several players suggested going to a football game. Greeneview’s student section posted on social media it planned on wearing black shirts in support of Greenon, so the Knights suggested seeing the Rams. The Greenon players were welcomed into the Greeneview student section.
Greenon travels to Greeneview in Week 6.
“Our districts are close and apparently it made sense for them to come to our game,” Haines said. “It was one of those atmospheres or situations where you can step back and realize there are things bigger than football. Our kids handled it extremely well. I thought our student section was classy and was great at a moment (when Greenon) really needed it.”
Greenon returns to the football field at Fort Loramie on Friday. The district said the game with Pleasant will not be rescheduled.
Braves on schedule: Few teams can boast a tougher start than the Shawnee Braves' first three games.
Shawnee opened with Thurgood Marshall at Welcome Stadium, hosts rival Tippecanoe on Friday and travels to Clinton-Massie on Sept. 6. To put that in perspective, Marshall is likely the biggest and most athletic team Shawnee will face this season, followed by two teams that have reached the playoffs 12 (Tipp) and 15 (Clinton-Massie) straight seasons.
Though Tipp is no longer in the Central Buckeye Conference, the Red Devils are still considered rivals after some classic clashes. Tipp won last season 35-7, but Shawnee has won five of the past seven games.
Shawnee’s defensive line of seniors Billy Forbes, Ka’rell Knox, Cole Vasileff, Billy Lord, Jackson Smith and junior Treyvaughn Whitaker held Marshall to 100 yards rushing and 194 yards in total offense in the 19-16 win.
“Those guys really stood out,” Meeks said. “Thurgood was way bigger than us and tried to pound the ball. They couldn’t run on us.”
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