Red outscores White team 21-10 in Greenville Lions' spring football game
May 17—Before Greenville's Red-White spring football game, Lions coach Darren Duke said the coaches tried to split the teams up evenly.
Mission accomplished.
The two teams finished with only 19 yards difference in total offense as the Red team outscored the White 21-10 on Thursday at T.A. "Cotton" Ford Stadium. The Red team wound up with 145 total yards, including 129 rushing and 16 passing. The White team finished with 164 yards, with 119 on the ground and 45 through the air.
"I thought that both teams played real even and competed," said Duke. "For us to have made some plays and moved the ball, that was good to see."
Sophomore Khaleel Parker ran for a game-high 64 yards on seven carries, scoring on bursts of 26 and 2 yards to lead the Red team.
Returning starter O.J. Johnson scored the Red's other touchdown on a 1-yard run that was set up by Karmello Brown's 23-yard interception return to the 7-yard line.
Quarterback Micah Simpson scored for the White team on a 25-yard run in the third quarter and returning placekicker Archer Odeneal booted a 37-yard field goal.
Odeneal and Andrew Ibarra were 4-of-4 on extra point kicks.
"It started out a little slow," said Duke. "Both teams competed and picked it up."
The two teams exchanged three punts before the White team moved from its 45 to the Red 13 to set up Odeneal's field goal. Simpson threw for completions of 13 and 7 yards to receiver Kadarion Johnson and running back Hue Pitts dashed 17 yards for a first down.
The Red team drove 49 yards in five plays to go up 7-3. Parker ran for gains of 3, 21 and 26 yards, including the touchdown run.
The White team went back up 10-3 in the third quarter with a 67-yard, five-play drive. Kadarion Johnson ran 22 yards for a first down and Simpson connected again with K.J. on a 15-yard completion before Simpson scored two plays later.
An interception set the Red team up for a 40-yard, 12-play drive. Quarterback Joe Galay ran 13 yards for a first down and completed passes of 10 and 8 yards to Zydarrenain Tyson. O.J. Johnson ran 10 yards for a first down before capping the drive with the power run from the 1.
O.J. Johnson finished with 30 yards on eight carries and Garret Jessie managed 22 yards on just two carries for the Red.
Pitts led the White team with 47 yards on five carries and Reuben Enriquez ran for 20 yards on four carries.
The Lion quarterbacks were 11-of-23 passing for a combined 71 yards with three interceptions.
Duke praised the running of Pitts and Johnson and said he saw "some good quick passes," something the Lions focused on during spring training.
"I think Tyson had a couple of good catches," he said.
Duke also praised the defensive work of Joel Luna, who broke up one pass with a big hit.
"In one series he made three tackles in a row," said Duke.
The Lion Pride Band and Flaming Flashes drill team added to the festivities with a halftime performance.
The Lions were lucky with the weather. It was 73 degrees at kickoff with mostly clear skies, unlike recent stormy weather over the past week and with lots more rainy days ahead according to the weather forecasts.
That game wrapped up three weeks of spring training for the Lions, who are to face Lakeview Centennial at home in a preseason scrimmage on Aug. 19 before kicking off the 2021 football season at home on Aug. 27 against Tyler Chapel Hill.
