After falling behind by two touchdowns, Green and No. 6 Burke County rallied to beat No. 2 Statesboro, 35-14, Friday night. Green rushed for 245 yards, but that was just part of the Bears’ 381-yard ground total.
“When (Green) gets tired, it’s our time to step up,” said Reginald Grubbs, who ran for 38 yards and a score.
Though the Blue Devils powered their way to a 14-0 lead, Burke County scored on its next three possessions, with the first drive going 95 yards.
Green was Burke County’s primary gainer, juking and speeding – even jumping – his way down the field. He needed only 13 carries to get more than 100 first-half rushing yards, and with Grubbs and Malik Lee assisting, the Bears had almost 200 rushing yards in the first half.
Burke County’s three second-quarter scores happened in just over seven minutes of action, with a Statesboro turnover on a mishandled short kickoff handing Burke County the opportunity to lead at halftime.
After Grubbs found the end zone for a 9-yard score in the third, Green delivered his third touchdown of the night.
At the Statesboro 47 in the fourth quarter, Green initially went to the right before going left to fool defenders for the long run that put him past the 200-yard mark in the game.
“He puts a lot of pressure on the defense because of the way he plays,” Burke County coach Eric Parker said.
Besides Green, three other players rushed for at least 30 yards. Untorrey Thomas also added 45 receiving yards.
On defense, the Bears toughened up against the run after Sherrodric Rawls and the other running backs did some damage early. Rawls finished with 78 yards, but 54 came in the opening half.
Before Burke County’s comeback, Statesboro was up 7-0 when it went to the air for a huge 36-yard touchdown pass to add another score.
The Bears then scored the next 35 points.
“Coach was walking on the sideline and he kept saying, ‘Keep your heads up. Keep your heads up ... it’s coming,’ ” Grubbs said.
