GREENE COUNTY
Greene County is set to face Wilkinson Friday on the road for a 6 p.m. kickoff.
• Series History: Greene County leads Wilkinson County, 9-5.
• Last Meeting: Greene County defeated Wilkinson County 28-7 in 2022. The Tigers have started off the regular season 3-0 for the first time since 2016 and have the opportunity to stay perfect this Friday when they take on the Warriors of Wilkinson County.
Second-year head coach Terrance Banks believes that even though the Warriors have the ability to make big plays, his team will be just fine as long as they execute the game plan.
“They’ve got some kids with some really good size and explosiveness, even though they’re lower in numbers this year,” Banks said. “I’ve seen them take a kick return to the house, I’ve seen them get a pick-six, so the main thing for us will be to win the turnover battle and limit them getting started and gaining momentum. If we bottle them up in the backfield, and make plays offensively, we’ll be fine.”
Last season, the Tigers executed their game plan well and absolutely dominated on both sides of the ball.
Offensively, Banks’ team put up almost 500 yards of total offense.
Quarterback Steve Miller threw for 269 yards on 15-of-23 with two touchdowns, and he was complemented by a balanced rushing attack. The Tigers had six different players carry the ball for 230 yards on the ground, adding one touchdown to the scoreboard in the process.
Defensively, Greene County’s defensive line accounted for 40 percent of the team’s total tackles, limiting a very run-heavy Wilkinson offense.
They also won the turnover battle with an interception off of the Warriors’ quarterback midway through the second half.
Even though the Tigers have had success against the Warriors recently, Banks doesn’t want his team dwelling on past results. He attributed the team’s success to the player’s ability to stay focused and goal-oriented.
“Our only focus is going 1-0 every day,” Banks said. “We aren’t worried about history, what’s happened the last three weeks, or who we’re playing weeks from now. We’re only worried about getting better every day. If we do that, we’ll have a season worthy of looking back on, and one of my only goals as a head coach is to keep them focused on that.”
With a win, Greene County would have its first 4-0 start since 2005 when the Tigers made it to the state semifinals under former head coach Larry Milligan.