GREENE - Greene’s football team was hit hard with ruthless offensive efficiency, and before it gathered its bearings, Friday’s Section IV 8-man football playoff game was out of hand.
Spencer Van-Etten/Candor, averaging nearly 60 points a game this season, nearly hit that mark in the sectional semifinals rolling past the previously-unbeaten Trojans, 56-0, on Friday night at George Raymond Field.
The Eagles hit for big plays almost from the get-go, and only one of their eight touchdowns was less than 12 yards.
“They were very big and very strong, and we just didn’t match up well physically,” said Greene coach Dave Gorton. “We had a lot of heart, but they had a lot of size. Sometimes size is better than heart.”
While the Eagles didn’t have a large roster on the field - 18 players dressed for the game - they did have a matchup advantage in the trenches. Gorton estimated that SVE/Candor had a 60- to 70-pound advantage in some spots.
That size led to three quick first-quarter scores for the Eagles to create a 22-0 lead.
Jack Teribury scored on a jet sweep that he cut back and nearly across the width of the field to hit paydirt from 45 yards out. 
Teammate Hunter Haynes scored on a 27-yard run, and Logan Jewell raced 44 yards for the third score.
Greene drove into the Eagles territory early in the second quarter, but on a fourth-down play, Jewell intercepted a pass and returned it 75 yards for the fourth touchdown.
The Trojans had three interceptions over the first three quarters, and two of those were picks in the endzone.
The reliable running game that spearheaded the Trojans’ offense the second half of the season had few positive gains over the evening.
Gorton said he knew almost from the outset that it could be a tough night.
“Early on in the game, we ran an outside zone play. We had the angles on them and surprised them,” Gorton said. “But we were only able to get a couple yards. They were able to shed blocks and run us down, which hasn’t happened (this season). When we saw their closing speed and strength shedding blocks, we knew it was a tough matchup.”
SVE/Candor built the lead to 42-0 at halftime, which led to a continuous running clock in the second half.
Greene (7-1) saw a 10-game winning streak come to an end, but the perfect regular season mark will stand among the better regular seasons in Greene football history.
“We had so many new people in so many positions, and we improved throughout the season,” Gorton said. “We struggled a little bit with the brief shutdown, we battled some things, and we got the momentum back playing three games in 10 days. There were many things that we accomplished, and we’re very proud of what they did this year. And we’re also proud to do something rarely done in our program, and that’s finish with an undefeated regular season.”
Score by quarters
SVE/C      22  20  6  8--56
Greene    0    0    0    0--0
Scoring:  S,  Jack Teribury 45 run (pass good); S, Hunter Haynes 27 run (run failed); S, Logan Jewell 44 run (run good); S, Jewell 75 interception return (pass failed); S, Nick Thomas 1 run (run good); S, Thomas 12 pass to Haynes (run failed); S, Devin Beach 20 run (run failed); S, Thomas 40 run (run good).