Jim Walker
jim.walker@irontontribune.com

FRANKLIN FURNACE — To be young and in love is a lover’s dream.
To be young and inexperienced in your first varsity game is a coach’s nightmare.
First-year Green Bobcats’ head coach Chad Coffman may have had a sleepless night last Friday as his young and inexperienced team opened the season with a 39-8 loss to the Fairfield Christian Knights.
“We had eight first-time starters on offense and nine on defense. It was a chance to gain a great deal of experience for us,” said Coffman.
“Most of those guys have never been in a varsity game. At times, we had five freshmen and a first-year sophomore out there.”
The Bobcats lost fullback and All-Ohio linebacker Lonnie Smith five minutes into the game with an injury.
“Losing Smith less than five minutes into the game was a big challenge for us,” said Coffman.
Another adjustment the Bobcats had to make was on the defensive side.
“Once we adjusted to their quarterback’s speed, we settled down and made a few more plays. We will watch film and continue to work to get better moving forward,” said Coffman.
Derek Salyers threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Ethan Huffman for Green’s score. Landan Lodwick ran for the conversion.
Lodwick ran three times for 20 yards while Salyers had eight carries for 15. Huffman also gained 15 yards on just one carry.
The Bobcats rushed 27 times for 45 yards.
Collin Corey was 1-of-5 passing for 14 yards and an interception. Salyers was 1-of-2 for 40 yards and a score.
Huffman caught two passes for 54 yards and led the team with eight tackles. Corey had five tackles including two for a loss.
Green hosts Symmes Valley on Friday in a Southern Ohio Conference game.
Fairfield 13 18 8 0 = 39
Green 0 0 0 8 = 8