GREENE COUNTY
After coming off one of its best seasons in recent memory, the Greene County football program began its spring camp just a few weeks ago.
The Tigers got acclimated at the beginning of May and have been working out in the weight room and on the field ever since. They began spring camp with combine-like practices that slowly transitioned into padded work.
Head coach Terrance Banks is entering his second year with the program, and he acknowledged this time of year is all about tweaking the system and learning about the guys on the roster, so they are well-prepared for the fall.
“I’m trying to find the perfect mix of Greene County football in the spring because I think it’s important to have spring practices. I think it’s important that we did some combine stuff so that we have stuff to send to colleges that highlights our guys,” Banks said. “The other thing that made the spring challenging was that we had a lot of new guys or guys that didn’t play last year due to other sports. For us, the biggest thing this spring has been getting to know those guys and figuring out what everyone can do.”
Eventually, the Tigers completed their spring practices and hosted the Class AA Washington County Golden Hawks for a scrimmage game.
The first half featured most of the returning varsity players from last year, while the second half of the contest featured the younger talent on each team that is still learning the systems in place.
For Greene County, its dominant defense from last year picked up right where it left off. The first two offensive drives for Washington County resulted in three-and-outs, and the Tigers continued to not allow anything up the middle.
The Golden Hawks struggled to run the ball and had limited success through the air as well.
On offense, Greene County also struggled to move the ball against Washington County’s big front seven, but players such as Travez Gibson and Doremus Alexander made a couple of impressive runs to move the Tigers down the field.
Banks also used the scrimmage as an opportunity to move guys around to different positions while some of the returning starters recovered from injuries.
Zae’Veon Smith, a rising senior who played more in the backfield last year, filled one of the two offensive line vacancies left from graduation. This freed up rising freshman MJ Peach to get some reps in the offensive backfield as well.
Tamari Roberts and Devin Porter were a few guys on the defensive side of the ball who had to step into new roles against a physical Washington County team.
At the end of the day, Banks believes his team showed good effort through all four quarters and learned a lot to take into the summer.
“I just wanted to see guys run around and compete for four quarters against a team like Washington County, and we pretty much did that. We emptied our bench and every kid got reps because that was something we thought was important,” Banks said. “We weren’t worried about the score or anything because you can’t win a state championship by winning a spring game. It was exciting for our kids to finally be able to hit other kids and compete.”
With a few new additions and promotions among Banks’ coaching staff, the Tigers head into summer workouts with one thing in mind.
“Go 1-0 every day,” Banks said. “We work so hard every day on staying in the present and staying focused on our goals. I ask them at the end of every day, ‘Did we go 1-0,’ and if we keep on that track, we’ll accomplish everything we set out for this season.”