H.S. Football: Turnovers prove decisive in Greenfield’s 24-14 win over Mahar

ORANGE — Losing a fumble on the first play from scrimmage and then falling behind by a touchdown barely two minutes in wasn’t exactly how Greenfield drew up the start of Friday night’s game.

Turnovers soon became the Green Wave’s best friend, however. Greenfield picked off Mahar quarterback Freeland Ringer three times, with DaSean Carter taking one to the house just before halftime, and the visitors pitched a shutout over the final 2 1/2 quarters to post a 24-14 Intercounty League North victory over the Senators at the Woodward Complex.

Greenfield improved to 2-1 within the IL North and 2-4 overall, while Mahar (also 2-4) remained winless in league play at 0-3.

“A lot of agita to start the game, but I feel really good about how we finished the game,” said Green Wave coach Mike Kuchieski. “I hope some kids grew up. We played well enough to win, we’re just not great starting the game for some reason. We made some plays defensively. I’m happy overall, it’s nice to get a win.”

Angel Politis ran 31 times for 149 yards and a late third-quarter score that put the Wave ahead by 10 points. In addition to the three interceptions and a fumble recovery, the Greenfield defense limited Mahar to only 33 yards of offense after halftime.

“You cannot win a game if you lose the turnover battle. That was the biggest thing that separated us,” said Mahar coach Percy Eady. “We were plus-one in the turnover category in the first quarter, and then we gave it away. Without some of those momentum shifters, this is a different result tonight.”

Lee Cruz recovered Politis’ fumble at the Greenfield 30 to give Mahar the ball just 22 seconds into Friday’s action. On fourth-and-14 from the 34, Ringer hit Carter Hardy on a crossing pattern for an immediate Senator lead, and Ronnie Stone ran in the two-point conversion to make it 8-0.

Greenfield’s next drive featured a 26-yard keeper by Gavin Arsenault and a 16-yard gain by Politis as the Wave reached the Mahar 7, but lost the ball there on downs. The Wave then benefited from a short punt to take over at its own 49 and got it right from there, with Politis running off consecutive gains of 12, 16 and 12 yards before Arsenault fired an 11-yard scoring strike to Kymel Ramsey. Arsenault’s two-point run lifted Greenfield into an 8-8 tie with 10:04 to go until halftime.

Ringer had completions of 33 yards to Hardy and 15 yards to Cruz during the Senators’ next drive, which Stone finished with a 4-yard TD run. The Wave broke through to block Danny Quigley’s extra-point kick, putting the Senators ahead 14-8 with 6:18 remaining.

The Senators took over after a Greenfield punt but went backwards to their own 9-yard line. On third-and-23, Carter jumped in front of Ringer’s pass and ran it back 27 yards to tie the game, and Politis untied it with his two-point run at the 58-second mark.

Ramsey then picked off Ringer on the final play of the half and returned it 10 yards to the Mahar 43.

A two-point halftime margin was also reflected in the first-half total offense stats, with Greenfield outgaining Mahar 114-112.

Mahar then received the football to begin the third quarter but couldn’t hold it for long. Arsenault recorded Greenfield’s third interception of the evening with a 23-yard return to the Wave’s 39, and the 10-play, 61-yard drive that followed featured seven carries by Politis. The last, a 1-yarder for the score, came with 2:40 left in the third and Arsenault ran in the two-pointer for a 24-14 advantage.

The teams then exchanged fumble recoveries, with Greenfield’s Alvin Richardson covering a fumble on the ensuing kickoff and Jason Coleman getting the ball back for Mahar three plays later. The Senators then punted and lost the ball on downs in their final two possessions.

Greenfield ran for 225 yards in all, with Brayden Slaunwhite (36) and Arsenault (32) backing up Politis’ big night.

Ringer completed 5-of-16 passes for 95 yards. Hardy had two catches for 67 yards and Cruz three receptions for 28, while Stone led the Senators’ ground gainers with 36 yards on eight tries.

Greenfield hosts IL North leader Ware on Friday night at 7 p.m., while Mahar travels to Palmer Thursday for a 6 p.m. game.