From The Tribune staff reports
HELENA — The Leeds Green Wave went into Thursday night’s preseason jamboree with a little less manpower than they’d usually have, with some starters sidelined with injuries, while another key player didn’t make the trip across the Birmingham Metro are due to missing a practice earlier in the week.
Leeds was battered over the course of four quarters, falling 31-2 to the Huskies.
“I saw a lot of youth out there tonight,” Leeds head coach Jerry Hood said. “I saw us jump offsides four times, have a holding penalty on a play, and you can’t have that — especially if you’re as young as we are. We had very much trouble blocking their inside technique, but usually when you look at the film, something like this … hopefully we’ll learn from this.”
The Green Wave gave up 17 unanswered points in the first half, but had a chance to score with just over seven minutes left in the half when Jarod Latta hit Conner Nelson for a 55-yard pass to set Leeds up at the Helena 15-yard line. Nelson went for four more yards a few plays later to make it first and goal at the one, but the Green Wave fumbled the ball going into the end zone and Helena recovered the ball on their own two-yard line.
Leeds scored a safety when Helena muffed a punt and the punter booted the ball out of the back of the end zone to keep the ball from being run back for a touchdown.