GREENCASTLE – The feeling of early fall was in the air on Wednesday night, Aug. 27. The weather was cool, leaves had begun to fall to the ground, and the high school stadium was alive with the sounds of cheers and whistles.
The Greencastle Blue Devils played host to the West York Bulldogs, and while the game was a freshman-class scrimmage, it showed the excited Greencastle-Antrim crowd that they would have a lot to cheer for this fall season.
Donned in their traditional blue and gold jerseys, the Blue Devils showed the crowd a tough running game, a high caliber passing game and a defense that was going to be hard to break.
The game was just two 10-minute quarters, and the Bulldogs made it clear that they were not going to make the night easy for their opponents. The first quarter was mostly dominated by the visiting team who were decked out in their all-white jerseys. Their biggest weapon was their running game which proved to be a handful especially when the ball was taken to the outside with a roll out.
The Blue Devils looked impressive on the first drive and scored the games first touchdown, but they failed to convert on the two-point conversion and had to settle for six points. But that was the biggest offensive flurry from the home team, as the Bulldogs began their methodical ground and pound offense and dominated the remaining minutes of the quarter. They scored the game’s last touchdown and converted on their two-point attempt to take the lead 8-6.
In a moment of hope, the Blue Devils defense recovered a fumble early in the second quarter and showed that the game wasn’t over just yet. With the crowd solidly behind them, the Greencastle offense started to make their way down field but were cut short when their young quarterback was sacked on fourth down with only a minute left to play.
The Bulldogs ran down the clock and secured the win. Even though this was a scrimmage game, both teams played hard and showed a great deal of determination and heart. This will be an exciting season for high school football.
