Greene County traveled 135 miles last Friday to Haralson County and returned home with a 25-3 win.
The Tigers, currently ranked No. 6 in Class A Division II, dominated the Rebels in all three phases.
The game was never in doubt. Greene led 12-3 at the half and pitched a shutout in the second half.
“I think we played well,” Greene head coach Terrance Banks said. “We talked a lot about keeping our philosophy of running the ball intact and taking advantage of the passing game. And then, we wanted to make teams one-dimensional [on defense], so I thought we did a pretty good job of that.”
Greene’s defense suffocated Haralson’s rushing attack. The trio of Kevin Wynn, RJ Monford, and Laryous Burt in the Tigers’ front seven proved lethal as they helped limit the Rebels to just three points.
“Defensively, we made some plays,” Banks said. “One thing we were worried about in the offseason was wanting to see the growth of our defensive line. And that’s been good for us this season. Our defensive line caused havoc and made a lot of plays, making it tougher [for our opponents] to run the ball. It also allows our linebackers to run from sideline to sideline [to make plays].”
Monford finished the game with six tackles and an interception. Burt had a team-high 10 stops, including a sack.
Offensively, Greene used a balanced attack. The Tigers relied on the run game to open up the pass. They also had several slow, methodical scoring possessions to drain the clock.
Junior quarterback Landon Garretson threw for 105 yards, with a touchdown to senior wide receiver Steve Miller and an interception. Miller hauled in eight passes for 50 yards with a receiving score. The 6-foot-2, 180-pound Mississippi State commit also had a kickoff return for six.
Greene senior running back Doremus Alexander took a handoff and turned it into a 78-yard touchdown. Junior tailback Travez Gibson also totaled 69 yards and a touchdown in the lopsided win.
Banks acknowledged his team played a complete, four-quarter game against Haralson last week.
“Everybody came in and did their thing,” he said. “It was important to have multiple guys touch the ball.”
Next, Greene will make the short trip to Madison this Friday for a rivalry game against Morgan County (3-0).