GREENFIELD — This was RJ Byrd’s coming out party.

The sophomore running back scored on runs of 19 and 60 yards the first two times he carried the ball, then scored a third touchdown Friday night as Greenfield High School defeated Smith Vocational & Agricultural High School, 36-13, at Veterans Memorial Field.

Byrd showed the ability to shed would-be tacklers and made big gains with some shifty running.

“This was my best game and my line did a great job,” Byrd said. “We looked at them (Smith Voke) like they were Turners Falls and that’s the game (Thanksgiving Day) we want to be motivated for.”

Both teams fought hard and each had to work for every point put on the board. It hardly looked like a contest between two teams with only one victory between them going into the game.

For Smith Voke, it was live or die on the arm of Jacob Erali. The junior quarterback did deliver some clutch passes, but the Green Wave’s defense did a good job of stopping the passing game.

Byrd opened the scoring with a quick, three-play 52-yard drive. Byrd capped the drive with a 19-yard scamper and Tyler Townsley caught the conversion pass from Tyler Miner for an 8-0 lead at 7:34 of the opening quarter.

The Vikings put together an 11-play, 55-yard march. The drive was capped by Cam Van Buren’s 3-yard run to cut Greenfield’s lead to 8-6.

Back came the Green Wave (2-6), and it was Byrd again.

Byrd broke loose for a 60-yard touchdown run, leaving several defenders in his wake. That touchdown gave the Green Wave a 14-6 lead at 3:15 of the first quarter.

Greenfield decided to go to the air on its next possession and it paid off. Miner hit Daniel Vega for a 48-yard touchdown pass at 10:17 as the Green Wave moved to a 20-6 lead.

But Smith Voke (0-8) refused to go away. The Vikings knocked Miner out of the game briefly with a sack to help set up their second touchdown, this one a 2-yard keeper by Erali with 3:08 remaining in the half to make it 20-13.

But Greenfield gained some breathing room in the third quarter. The Green Wave scored on its first possession of the half, marching 67 yards in 13 plays. The drive was capped by Byrd’s 9-yard touchdown run. Miner ran in for the conversion as Greenfield moved to a 28-13 advantage.

Elijah Brown closed the scoring for the Green Wave with 2:02 remaining on a 2-yard touchdown run.

Greenfield will learn its second assigned opponent on Sunday.