Greene County (1-1) suffered a tough loss to Morgan County (2-0) last week on the road, but the Tigers hope to bounce back against rival Hancock Central (1-1) this Friday at home.
The Bulldogs of Sparta head into Week 3 of the season following a 26-0 loss to Harlem High School. They started out the season with a huge 52-7 victory over Glenn Hills of Augusta.
Greene County leads the all-time series with Hancock Central, 39-6. The last time these two programs met was in 2021 when the Tigers defeated the Bulldogs 16-14 on the road.
Hancock Central looked great in Week 1 with the win over the Spartans. They were led by quarterback Javaris Morris. The senior signal-caller completed 7-of-10 passes for 133 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions against an inferior Glenn Hills squad. Morris also rushed for 68 yards and two scores, averaging 8.8 yards per attempt.
The Bulldogs were led by senior running back Deonte Lowe, who had a team-high 88 yards and one touchdown. Senior tailback Kimasi Washington also totaled 66 yards on five carries.
Hancock Central senior wideout Aaeron Stephens was Morris’ deep threat. He hauled in four passes for 89 yards and two scores. Lowe also grabbed two completions for 44 yards.
The Bulldogs’ offense was non-existent in Week 2 against the Bulldogs of Harlem. They just couldn’t get a consistent rhythm going due to several key turnovers.
Hancock Central will try and emulate that success from Week 1 but will face a stout Greene County defense on Friday. The Tigers are hungry after giving up 43 points to Morgan County.
They are led by the trio of Dayshawn Copeland, Marlowe Lamar and Kevin Wynn on the defensive line. They have combined to record 8.0 tackles for loss and six sacks so far in 2021.
Offensively, Greene County is averaging 24,5 points per game behind quarterback Steve Miller and running back Malik West. The Tigers are also getting some great production from wide receiver Javarris Harris. The junior has team-highs in receptions (13), reception yards (173) and receiving touchdowns (2) through two games this season.
The Bulldogs’ defense is giving up an average of 16.5 points per game thus far in 2022. They are led by Washington, Kemyius Evans and Najir Walker up front. The trio has proven that they can get into the backfield, registering 19 tackles so far between all of them.
Key to the game: The Tigers need to limit their mistakes, whether it be turnovers or penalties.