Jelani Greene does it all for Newfield
Newfield's Jelani Greene runs for a touchdown in the third quarter of their game against West Islip on Oct. 17, 2015. Credit: Raychel Brightman
When the football is in Jelani Greene's hands, good things tend to happen for Newfield.
Greene -- the Wolverines' wide receiver, cornerback, punter and punt returner -- is hardly ever on the sideline. Teams often try to limit his role as a punt returner -- and for good reason. Greene returned two punts for touchdowns in the first two games of the season.
So when Newfield first received the ball in its 46-14 victory over West Islip in a battle of undefeated Suffolk II teams yesterday, it was Greene reeling in a punt. The result: a 60-yard touchdown run down the left sideline, the first score in Newfield's 33-point first quarter.
Surprised? "Not at all," said Greene when asked about having the ball kicked to him. "They are a very cocky team but at the same time, they do back it up a lot. They are a very cocky team so I figured 'Why would they change their gameplan?' So they kicked it to me and I executed."
It didn't take long for Greene to prove his scoring ability again. Two plays later, Newfield's Joe Muller forced a fumble and Greene scooped it and scored from 23 yards to extend the lead to 14-0.
"I think they thought the play was over because they were literally watching me," Greene said, "but I didn't hear [a] whistle so I just kept running."
Turnovers continued to haunt the Lions (5-1) as Joe Saladino sacked quarterback Conor Smith and forced a fumble. Three plays later, Justin Ottenwalder took a pitch down the left sideline on third-and-6 for an untouched, 29-yard touchdown and a 21-0 lead.
"We have so many weapons," said quarterback Ryan Klemm. "It's like you are almost worried about how many carries they are going to have because there are so many of them."
But once Klemm finally stepped on the field, which didn't happened until Newfield (6-0) was leading 14-0, he proved why he's the team's field general.
Klemm, who completed 11 of 15 passes for 215 yards and four touchdowns, perfectly placed his first TD pass to Elijah Riley, who beat his defender to the left corner of the end zone on a 20-yard fade, to extend Newfield's lead to 27-0.
Newfield wasted little time on its next possession, as Klemm connected with Denzel Williams for a 50-yard touchdown down the middle of the field. The score gave the Wolverines a 33-0 lead with 28 seconds left in the first quarter.
"I kinda knew it was coming to me," Williams said. "He was playing off me so I just real quick ran top for the post. I saw it wide open, I caught it and just ran for my life."
It also came on Newfield's homecoming, which made the day even more special for Greene, a senior who is playing his first year at Newfield after playing at Longwood. Said Greene, "If I was at Longwood, I would probably be on the sideline right now, but I'm here making plays and I'm loving it."
Why not? He also caught a 51-yard touchdown pass from Klemm in the third quarter.
