Greene County secured the No. 2 spot in the region standings last Friday with a 28-14 win over Warren County.
However, the Tigers’ victory wasn’t easy. They used a late second-half surge to defeat the Screaming Devils.
Greene County head coach Terrance Banks was proud of his team, especially for its fourth-quarter effort.
“Every win is great, man. I’m proud of these young men,” Banks said, eating a celebratory peach cobbler after his team outscored Warren County 21-0 in the final period. “I’m speechless. I’m just so proud of them.”
Greene County trailed 14-7 entering the fourth quarter before scoring three touchdowns to secure the win, the No. 2 spot in the region standings, and the right to host a first-round playoff game.
“This will be the third year in a row for these young men to host a playoff game at home. You don’t take these things for granted, man,” Banks added. “It never happened in my playing career, so I will try to get them to enjoy the moment. I’m so happy and proud of these young men… They deserve it so much.”
The Tigers faced a 1st-and-15 to start the fourth quarter, but a penalty on Warren moved the ball to their 49.
They wasted no time as quarterback Landon Garretson fired a pass in the flat to tailback Travez Gibson. The junior raced down to the Screaming Devils’ 1-yard line, although a penalty backed up the offense five yards.
Amari Durham then took a handoff and scored a touchdown on the next play from scrimmage. However, kicker Shaheem Hamm missed the PAT as it sailed wide right, and Warren clung to a 14-13 lead with 10:45 left.
Greene’s defense stood tall on the next possession, forcing Warren to punt, and the offense took over at its 18.
The Tigers responded quickly as Denim Harris moved the chains on a long catch-and-run. That chunk gain set up Garretson to fire a 29-yard bomb to Steve Miller, who made a diving effort to secure the ball for a score. They attempted a two-point conversion, which was successful, giving them a 21-14 lead with 6:32 left.
On the ensuing possession, Warren moved the chains inside Greene territory on a few long runs, but shortly after, tailback Cedarius Johnson coughed up the football, and Durham came up with the fumble recovery.
“Well, when I saw one of my teammates strip the ball, I saw it rolling around, and I just went for it,” Durham said.
Durham, a 5-foot-9 running back, capped off his Senior Night at Tiger Stadium with a 31-yard touchdown run.
“Juju [Kevin Wynn], RJ [Monford], and Steve [Miller] opened up that hole; I just saw daylight,” Durham added. “I just hit the hole they opened up and ran toward the goalposts like my coaches always tell me to do.”
The Tigers struggled in the first half. They committed senseless penalties, had a touchdown called back due to a holding call, turned the ball over inside the Warren 20-yard line, and let the Screaming Devils run free.
Greene managed to keep it close, as senior cornerback Ivan Porter recorded two interceptions in the first half. The most important was midway through the second quarter when he returned it for a score to tie the game.
Porter’s effort didn’t go unnoticed by Banks, who also praised his entire team for playing until the clock hit zero.
“What’s incredible about these kids is that they don’t quit and give up,” Banks said. “They fight until the end.”
Next up, No. 8 Greene County will host No. 4 Irwin County on Saturday, Nov. 16. Kickoff is set for 5:30 p.m.