Greene County (5-1) will be at Washington-Wilkes (3-4, 0-1 Class A Divison II Region 8) this Friday.
This week’s game will be the region opener for the Tigers from Greensboro. They haven’t played since beating Miller Grove 33-0 on Sept. 28 due to Hurricane Helene postponing their game with Warren County and a scheduled bye last Friday. So, it’s safe to say they’re ready to hit the field again.
Head coach Terrance Banks has been trying to keep his team focused throughout the last few weeks.
“I remind them of what they want to accomplish, what that looks like, and what that will take, which is our record is 0-0 right now,” Banks said. “We haven’t played a region game, and anything we’ve done before this point, rankings, or talk of how good we could be, nothing we’ve done before this means anything important. If we lose on Friday, our season is spiraling to a quick end, so I try to keep them focused on going 1-0 every day and doing the best we can.”
The Washington-Wilkes and Greene County programs know each other well. The two teams have played each other a lot, and the Tigers of Wilkes County lead the all-time series 36-17-1.
However, Banks and the Tigers of Greensboro have won the last two matchups heading into this game.
Banks's staff is also somewhat familiar with Washington-Wilkes head coach Alex Bradford. Bradford was the offensive coordinator at Greene County in Banks’ first year.
“Alex is doing a great job of putting his stamp on the program. He was the OC my first year here,” Banks said of Bradford. “Last year, he moved into the head coaching chair, and he’s doing a very good job.”
Washington-Wilkes has an explosive offense, led by junior Tamari Curry. The Tigers run a wing-T offense, and Curry is a quarterback and running back, so Greene County must contain him. Curry and fellow junior tailback Dre’vioun Davis are fast, and lead the team in rushing. Their ability to find and exploit opposing defenses on the edge makes them a dangerous duo out of the backfield.
“I think that the most important thing for us is that we continue trying to eliminate explosive plays,” Banks said. “It’s going to be a game where they’ve got a dual-threat quarterback who can do things when he has the ball in his hands. And they also have a running back, which is almost a great one-two punch. He can do a lot of things. I think the main thing we’ve got to do is slow them down.”
Greene County’s front seven, consisting of college-bound players like RJ Monford, Laryous Burt, and Kevin Wynn, will make it hard for Washington-Wilkes to attack the edges. The Tigers of Wilkes County run many sets within the offense, so Banks must have his entire defense ready.
Banks and his staff have scouted Washington-Wilkes and prepared their players for this offensive attack.
“When you watch their games against Lincoln and Mount Paran, their explosive plays come from one of those two guys,” Banks said. “They do a lot of power read, counter read, and they want you to be out of position and play with your eyes, not your rules. That can hurt teams.”
Washington-Wilkes will host Class AA Division’s No. 6 Greene County on Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Tiger Stadium.