Greene County has some questions heading into the season opener this Friday after its scrimmage last week.
The Tigers played their only scrimmage against Northeast Macon, the Class A Division I runner-up from last season, at home. A few costly mistakes allowed the Raiders to win the preseason dress rehearsal on Aug. 8.
Northeast freshman quarterback Jordan Wiggins carved up the Greene County secondary, passing for four touchdowns. Three of them were to wideout Reginald Glover, while Tavares Tinsley Jr caught the other.
Greene County first-year head coach Darius Robinson acknowledged Wiggins’ impressive offensive showing but noted that his defensive backs struggled during the scrimmage by allowing busted plays in coverage.
“It’s just our guys not understanding where they should be positioned at,” Robinson said. “We were close to where we needed to be, but I broke it down to them as all fixable mistakes.” The Tigers also turned the ball over twice on the offensive side of the ball, and the special teams unit muffed a punt. These mistakes gave the Raiders a short field, and they converted Greene County’s turnovers into points.
The Tigers’ offensive line also let the Northeast defensive front break into the backfield and limit their running game. Their offense also stalled on several drives and went three-and-out.
The team did have a few positive takeaways from the scrimmage, though.
Greene County’s offense is still finding its rhythm, but quarterback Landon Garretson connected with several playmakers through the air, including Jordan Knox, Dontriel Gable, and Jailen Ruff.
Grable was also a bright spot when he lined up at tailback, breaking off several long runs. The Tigers took advantage of a Northeast fumble in the second quarter, and the Hancock Central transfer scored on the ground.
Robinson was up front and honest with his players after the scrimmage.
“It wasn’t anything that (Northeast) did. It wasn’t a physical dominance,” Robinson said. “It was more mental lapses on our end and things that we can control. And if we could’ve fixed those things, we could’ve been right back in the game, but we allowed four touchdowns to a team that played for the state championship last season. So when you go back and look, I know the scoreboard doesn’t reflect how our guys actually played. All in all, I was pleased with our performance. We’ve just got to clean up some things.”
Robinson knows his team is young and hopes they treated the scrimmage as a learning experience.
“I think the kids played hard. We had guys in great position, and now we just have to make the plays when presented,” he said. “Just a few mistakes, but overall, this is a young team, and some are likely to make mistakes, especially in the scrimmage.”
Greene County will open up the season this Friday at 7:30 p.m. on the road against Putnam County.