After missing the playoffs the last three seasons, the Greene County Tigers are ready to get back to winning ways.
Since the program began back in 1966, the Tigers have won seven region championships and the state championship once in 1993. Now, with new head coach Terrance Banks, the team believes they can be successful once again.
Banks, who recently left Meadowcreek in Gwinnett to coach at Greene County High School, has brought a different type of energy to the program since starting this summer.
He has seen guys get better and is proud of the maturity his new team has shown to this point.
“I’ve definitely seen maturity. They have gotten better daily, and that’s the only thing I can ask for,” Banks said. “They continue to work hard and get better, and so as long as we keep along that path, then eventually everything will work out for us.”
One of the things Banks brought to the program was a change in the offense’s scheme.
Last year, head coach Larry Milligan elected to use the Wing-T, which is a more run-heavy offensive style. Now, the Tigers have transitioned into running more of a spread-type offense in order to open up more of the passing game and stay more diverse in their play calling.
Heading into a scrimmage game early this month against Putnam County, Banks acknowledged it was a big jump, but said he feels his players are prepared to make necessary changes to succeed.
“I think once the team figures out game experience, they’ll be fine,” Banks said. “It’s one thing to go to 7-on-7 and do a padded camp, but that game experience is different. I hope I have done a good job of teaching it, and the quicker we pick it up the better.”
The most important changes, however, may be coming on the defensive side. The Tigers averaged a little over 20 points per game last season but gave up about 29 points to opposing offenses. But after their scrimmage against Putnam County concluded last Friday, it was apparent defense had been a major point of emphasis during summer practices.
The Tigers held a potent War Eagles’ offense to just one touchdown in the first half and didn’t even allow Putnam to move the chains until late in the first quarter. The quickness and athleticism of the Tigers’ secondary, paired with the aggressiveness of their front seven, could lead to low-scoring battles down the stretch this season.
Aside from the on-the-field aspects, Banks feels as though the overall leadership that some players like Arkiyus Wright and Malik Brown have shown to this point will get a lot of his players motivated.
“They have got to get people to want to go along on this trip with them,” Banks said. “Obviously, [both of those guys] are seniors, but they’ve shown great leadership. They’ve never been to the playoffs and want to go bad, but it’s the understanding that everybody on the team has a role, and [their] job as leaders is to make sure everyone wants to fulfill their roles to the best of their abilities.”
Even the environment surrounding the program has seen improvement since Banks took over.
He has instilled the “Boro Boyz” mantra not only in the players but in the community as well. For their summer scrimmage, Greene County basically filled the home stands, and the energy was electric. Banks’ winning mentality has started to rub off on Greensboro residents and now that the season is about to get underway, getting better each week is the team’s focus.
“I don’t have any [long-term] goals, because I’m not a goal person,” Banks said. “The only thing that I want to do is go 1-0 every day, and if we go 1-0 every day, then we will get to where we want to be.
“Again, I don’t know when that time frame is. I’d love for us to get to where we want to be [as a program] this year, maybe two years from now. I just know we’re on the right path, and if we keep going down that path, then Greene County football is going to be fine.”
The Tigers kick off their 2022 season on Aug. 19, with an away game against the Business Engineering Science Tech Eagles in Atlanta. Another away game against area rival Morgan County will come a week later, with Greene County’s first home game to be played on Sept. 2, against Hancock Central. The team’s first region game comes on Sept. 30, versus Towns County.