It was an action-packed spring football game at Frost Kalnow Stadium, as Gold defeated Green 20-18.
Big plays were witnessed on both sides of the ball by an enthusiastic crowd, with Green staging a second-half comeback to make it close.
In the first quarter, Marquise Cross forced and recovered a fumble for Gold. Quarterback Riley Keller took the ensuing possession and hit Josh Lewis on a big 35 yard pass play to eventually set up a 20 yard field goal by Jax Hudson to make it 3-0, Gold.
In the second quarter, Patrick Tueimeh had a nice interception for Gold, leading to another Hudson field goal from 32 yards out to make it 6-0 at the 12:25 mark.
Green got on the board following a 4-yard run by Tyrese Banks-Dorn, capping off a 70 yard drive at the 7:53 mark to make it 7-6, Gold.
Keller hit Lewis on another big 35-yard pass play but the drive stalled following a Green sack by Zeke Brown.
Cross picked up a sack for the Gold squad, who kept the momentum on their side when Keller hit James Dean on a sensational 5 yard TD pass with 43 seconds left in the half to make 13-7, Gold.
Green put a drive together as the half wound down, with Will Thomas connecting with Jalen Thomas on a 40-yard completion, but Gold's Zach McMinn picked up a big sack to stall the drive. Hudson missed a 43-yard field goal as the half expired.
In the third quarter, Gold pushed their lead to 20-7 at the 4:11 mark after a 3 yard run by Javarus Leach following a Mark Woods interception.
Green started their comeback shortly after the Leach score. Jalen Castleberry had an impressive 35 yard run. Green's defense posted two safeties in the fourth quarter, while Banks-Dorn had a stunning 35-yard run that saw him hurdle one defender and spin away from another. Andrew Warncke hooked up with Ron Blackman on a 55 yard touchdown strike with 5:10 left to bring the score to 20-18, but Gold kept the ball over the remainder of the game, engineering a drive that ran the clock out.
"It was a well-played game," said Head Coach Cris Reisert. "We wanted it to be competitive and let the players make some big plays. There were a lot of big catches, and the defense attacked with some nice sacks and interceptions."
"It has been a great spring overall," said Reisert. "We wanted to make sure we played fundamentally sound football, do the simple things that make a big difference in a game. We grew a lot as a football team. New additions like Josh Lewis, Zion Farmer, and Mark Woods gave a glimpse of what they can do. A number of new players gave a taste of the impact they can have, and we are expecting to see that kind of impact next year."