Greene County found itself in an early hole last Friday night, but the Tigers never let the deficit shake their confidence.
After falling behind 12-2, Greene County (1-1) rallied behind a dominant rushing attack and a defense that consistently put Wilkinson County (0-2) in difficult situations, defeating the Warriors 24-18 for its first win of the season.
The Tigers finished with 246 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground, led by sophomore Jonathan “PJ” Lawrence and junior Kaden Cummings. Lawrence rushed for 114 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries, while Cummings added 96 yards and two touchdowns on just eight attempts.
Cummings also delivered the game-winning touchdown with about two minutes remaining, giving Greene County its first lead of the night.
First-year head coach Chris MacFarland credited his players for remaining composed despite unusual circumstances that led to Wilkinson County scoring.
“All three of (Wilkinson County’s) touchdowns came off of things that were just kind of weird,” MacFarland said. “But the kids never quit. They stayed strong with it. The emotions on the sidelines stayed high. They believed in themselves.”
One of Wilkinson County’s three touchdowns came after what appeared to be a forward lateral, which was ruled a backward pass, eventually turning into a scoop-and-score. The Warriors also returned a blocked field goal for a touchdown and recovered a Greene County fumble for another score.
Despite those setbacks, the Tigers’ defense continued to make plays. Greene County recorded 11 tackles for loss, repeatedly putting Wilkinson behind the chains and forcing the Warriors into third- and fourth-down situations.
“The defense played outstanding,” MacFarland said. “They really got after them, put them in a lot of bad situations, gave them a lot of third-and-longs, and fourth-and-longs for punts.”
Offensively, Greene County leaned on a bigger offensive line and the running game. The Tigers also used three quarterbacks — Brody Moreno, freshman Chris Gainer, and Cummings — to create different looks.
Moreno started, while Gainer provided a spark with his legs. Cummings then took over and helped lead the late comeback.
MacFarland said the Tigers’ running backs also played an important role in creating opportunities for the quarterbacks.
“Both running backs ran the ball very hard, and the defense had to really work at trying to stop them,” MacFarland said.
The win gave Greene County an early boost after opening the season with a 21-0 loss to rival Putnam County. MacFarland said his players’ response throughout the week showed he had a mentally invested team.
“They’re in it to fight,” MacFarland said. “I just love to see how they just stayed and fought.”
Next, the Tigers will look to carry that momentum into their first road game of the season, this Friday against Social Circle (2-0).
“Very good team,” MacFarland said of Social Circle. “That's what we want. We want to play good football every Friday night. It’s going to be our first road game, but I think our kids are up to the challenge.”