In a game with likely more penalties called than points scored, Greene County earned a 27-7 victory Oct. 24 over Lake Oconee Academy.
The win was powered by a strong second-half effort from the Tigers, with a trip to the playoffs at stake. Greene County head coach Darius Robinson said he was proud of how his players performed in the second half.
“It’s all about the maturity of these young guys. We’ve talked about it all year long. We’ve got a young bunch, but they’re starting to learn how to respond,” Robinson said. “It’s the mentality of, ‘good play, bad play, next play.’ They’re starting to see the fruits of their labor mature. They’ve been working really hard, and now they’re starting to play with some confidence, understanding that they can play with just about everybody.”
With the score tied 7-7 at halftime, the Tigers used their ground game and physicality on both sides of the ball to bully the Titans. They outscored their in-county rival 20-0 in the second half to get the much-needed region win.
Greene County’s offense was powered by senior running back Travez Gibson, who scored three touchdowns in the win. Gibson missed the first few games of the season but has returned and been a leader for the team.
Gibson got into the end zone for the second time at the 4:07 mark of the third quarter, putting an exclamation mark on a nearly five-minute drive. The Tigers bulled their way down the field on that scoring drive.
Later in the quarter, Greene County’s defense made a key stop on third down, giving the offense the ball back. The Tigers capitalized quickly, as Gibson scored another touchdown a few minutes later and widened the lead to two scores. They repeatedly ran directly at the LOA front seven, which was unable to stop them.
“I can’t say enough great things about him,” Robinson said of Gibson. “Besides the touchdowns, there were a couple of fourth-down calls that we say, ‘In Travez we trust.’ I’m going to say that that kid is the salt of the earth. He’s the leader of our football program. He’s the workhorse. That cat has been working ever since I met him. He’s been our warrior. I’m so glad to have him back, and as you can see, our kids feed off him.”
Greene County added another touchdown late in the fourth quarter to reach the 27-7 final.
Robinson is just happy with his team’s ability to rebound after some early-season struggles.
“No matter what happens in life, we’ve got to respond. So we got kicked in the teeth. I was down in the dumps. Everybody was,” Robinson said. “But the sun came out the next day, so we had to prepare as coaches. Kids had to go to work and look up, and now we’re in the playoffs.”
With the win, the Tigers have secured the No. 4 seed in region standings, but they still have one more game to play this Friday at 7:30 p.m. when they will face top-ranked Lincoln County in Lincolnton.