The non-region game between Greene County and Twiggs County on Thursday, Aug. 21, didn’t last long.
The Tigers and Cobras were three plays into the contest from scrimmage when lightning caused a delay. They never resumed play as heavy rain and more inclement weather caused the teams to postpone the game.
“I’ve been commending my guys and coaches for being resilient and focused and trusting the process,” Greene County head coach Darius Robinson told the Lake Oconee News. “We gave them last Friday off and let their bodies rest up, and went to church on Sunday to fellowship, and went back to work on Monday.”
The game against Twiggs County was rescheduled for Friday, Sept. 19, a previously scheduled bye week for both teams. However, the Tigers will resume play this Friday against Haralson County, a team they beat last season.
In 2024, Greene County defeated the Rebels 25-3 in Tallapoosa. This season, Haralson County is much improved under second-year head coach Randy Crutchfield, and they are 2-0 going into Friday night’s contest.
Haralson defeated Mount Pisgah Christian 48-14 in the season opener and dominated Pike County 28-0 last week.
The Rebels feature a run-heavy offense led by senior quarterback Paxton Ray, who has already found his way into the end zone on several occasions this year. They also have a stable of veteran backs, led by Khemp Boyd.
Boyd rushed for 220 yards on 20 carries and caught five passes for 60 yards with two touchdowns last week.
Greene County’s defense will need to stop the run to win. The unit gave up 340 yards on the ground to Putnam County on Aug. 15. The Tigers need to keep Ray and Haralson County’s tailbacks in check.
“We had a great week of practice, but they’re going to be physical, and I think they do that well,” Robinson said. “They’re a very well-coached team, and they’ve got some good athletes running the ball. They’re 2-0 right now for a reason. So, we’ve got to play our best brand of football in order to give ourselves a chance to win.”
Defensively, the Rebels are tough and are led by a veteran group of juniors and seniors. Their defense held Mount Pisgah to under 200 yards and 14 points in the opener, then shut out Pike County. Similar to their performance against the Patriots in week one, their defense held the Pirates to under 200 yards of offense last week.
Greene County needs to get creative on offense by mixing up its approach. The Tigers need to get their run game going with Dontriel Grable, while quarterback Landon Garretson must get the ball to his skill players.
“Offense takes a little time for everybody to understand their role and make sure we get guys touches,” Robinson said. “But the thing is, we’ve got to clean up the pre-snap penalties and make sure we protect the football and have positive plays on first down. That is the game plan going into this week.”
Greene County and Haralson County will kick off this Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Tiger Stadium in Greensboro. According to the Massey Ratings by On3.com, the Rebels (2-0) are a five-point favorite over the Tigers (0-1).