Fresh off of a 28-21 win over South Greene last week the West Greene Buffaloes (1-4, 1-0) exit Region 1-2A competition and visit Gatlinburg-Pittman (3-3, 2-1) for a non-conference matchup with the Highlanders on Friday night.
West Greene earned win number one last week at South Greene to win back the Milk Can and snapped a five-game losing streak. With the first win under their belt, and the first in the Caleb Slover Era, the Buffaloes look to build upon last week’s success as they head into the toughest stretch of their schedule.
It starts on Friday night with Gatlinburg-Pittman. The Highlanders finished runner-up in last year’s Class 3A Championship with a loss to Westview and won last year’s contest with West Greene 49-7. GP leads the all-time series with 14-1 record over the Buffs. West Greene’s lone win was a 7-6 win in 1981. GP has won ten-straight in the series.
Many have spoken about Gatlinburg-Pittman being “down” this season due to the number of transfers leaving the program to go elsewhere. The Highlanders records would show a stark difference in previous years and may give that conversation some validity. But at the end of the day, it’s still Gatlinburg-Pittman.
“They are a good football team. I know around this area everybody’s talking about how they are having to rebuild. They lost some key players in the offseason and all of those things, but they’ve done a really good job at replacing and rebuilding those guys and coaching those guys that’s had to take those places,” West Greene Head Coach Caleb Slover stated. “They’re gonna be a better team than what everybody considers them right now. They’re a good football team and they are bouncing right back to where they were.”
The Highlanders are 3-3 and on a two-game winning streak with back-to-back Region 1-3A wins over Pigeon Forge and Claiborne. The offense averages 29.2 points per game and the defense allows 23.2 points on average.
“Their toolbox may not be as full as it was last year, but they’ve still got a lot of tools in the box,” Coach Slover mentioned.
West Greene finally got over the hump and earned their first win of the season last week. The Buffaloes offense averages 18.2 points per game and the defense gives up 25.6 points on average. The offense is led by sophomore quarterback Aiden Thompson who pioneered last week’s game-winning drive against South Greene. Thompson has accounted for 481 rushing yards and five touchdowns in five games. Wide receivers Hunter Franklin, AJ McMurray, and Tristan Banks are viable pass-catching options on the outside along with running backs Rylan Miller and Shawn Bailey between the tackles.
Coach Slover explained that his three keys to the game are to limit turnovers, tackle well, and be physical on Friday night.
Kickoff is set for 7:00 PM Friday night at Gatlinburg-Pittman High School.
For coverage of Friday night’s game, you can follow us on Twitter at @GSportsZone for live updates of the game and many others from around the county.
