GREENE COUNTY
Greene County head coach Terrance Banks was mad about the celebratory Gatorade bath he received, but he was happy that the Tigers defeated rival Lincoln County to stay undefeated.
The Red Devils had no answer to the Tigers’ stout defense and turned the ball over multiple times in their 28-3 loss.
After losing four of the last five head-to-head matchups, Banks told the Lake Oconee News that he stressed the importance of this game to his players, and it seemed like they got the message.
“This is an old tradition rivalry, and some of these kids don’t understand that,” Banks said. “They know about Putnam and Morgan, but I wanted them to understand their culture and what it meant. It means something when you’re a Greene County Tiger and you see Lincolnton, it means something, and if they forgot, I reminded them of the score last year and the history against this team. Not only were we trying to go 1-0, but we were also trying to prove a point that this will be an even, not lopsided, rivalry from now on.”
It was a slow start to the contest for both teams. Lincoln County settled for a field goal after dropping a touchdown pass midway through the first quarter to take the lead. The Red Devils could have made it 10-0 shortly after, as well, but Jailen Ruff came through for the Tigers’ defense and forced a fumble on their 5-yard line.
The second quarter was when the Greene County offense found its identity. Junior running back Armari Durham broke a 70-yard touchdown run for the Tigers’ first score of the game.
He shortly found the end zone again on the ensuing drive to put the team up 14-3 after quarterback and corner Steve Miller intercepted a ball deep in Red Devils territory. Durham would end the game as the Tigers’ leading rusher with 175 yards and two scores on 10 carries.
Banks attributed the team’s ability to move the ball to the diverse rushing attack, admitting that their intensity is hard to match for other teams.
“We run the ball, and we’ve been running the ball all year,” Banks said. “Everybody has been waiting on us to pass the ball, and we did when we needed to, but we believe in all three of our running backs. We want to come downhill at people, and that’s what our game plan is. If you stop us early, you better keep it going and be physical, because we aren’t going to let up.”
Greene County’s offense began the third quarter with a methodical drive that ended in a 32-yard touchdown pass from Miller to BJ Mullens. Mullens ended the night with two more grabs while Miller passed for 72 yards with a 70 percent completion rate.
The Tigers’ last score came from RJ Monford. Normally a linebacker, Monford saw some action on the goal line going in and made the most of it with a two-yard touchdown to put the game away.
Even though the offense had its moments, Banks acknowledged that it was the defense that won them this game and that they’ve competed at this level all season.
“We have the best defense in the state in the Single-A division, and I fully believe that in my heart,” Banks said. “The defensive staff led by coach Powell, coach Chester, and the rest of them do a tremendous job getting those guys ready, and I didn’t think there was any way they could put 21 up on us, much less a touchdown, so I’m not surprised we got those turnovers.”
The last time the Tigers started the regular season 8-0, they found themselves in the state semifinal game in 2005. They went on to win the region that year, and Banks would love to do that this season.
Aquinas and Washington-Wilkes are now the only programs that stand in Greene County’s way of a perfect season.