Both South Greene and Happy Valley entered the final week of the regular season knowing they would be competing in the opening round of the TSSAA playoffs next week. However, the two teams appeared to be heading in opposite directions. The Warriors came into Friday night riding a four-game winning streak after dropping a 36-29 decision to Unicoi County earlier in the season. The Rebels, meanwhile, had won three straight and were sitting at 3-2 before a rash of injuries swept through their roster, contributing to a four-game losing skid.
Happy Valley took the opening kickoff and needed just five plays to cover 60 yards and take an early 7-0 lead. On fourth-and-one, with 8:47 remaining in the opening quarter, Lane Parker broke loose for a 33-yard gain before Tyler Berry capped the drive with a 17-yard touchdown run.
South Greene took the field for its first offensive possession looking to air it out. Dawson Ripley connected with Trent Haynes for a 10-yard gain on the first play from scrimmage. However, two incomplete passes and an offsides penalty left the Rebels facing third-and-15. Ripley found Haynes again for a six-yard gain, but an incomplete pass on fourth-and-eight turned the ball over to the Warriors.
Happy Valley wasted little time extending its advantage. Parker picked up three yards on first down before connecting with Greyson Ensor for a 35-yard touchdown pass. The extra point pushed the lead to 14-0 with 6:22 remaining in the first quarter.
Haynes returned the ensuing kickoff to the Warrior 45, giving South Greene excellent field position. The Rebels picked up a first down before Ripley connected with Simon Burns, who carried the ball down to the four-yard line to set up first-and-goal.
An illegal shift penalty and two consecutive incompletions pushed South Greene back to fourth-and-goal from the 10. The Rebels initially lined up for a 27-yard field goal attempt, but an offsides penalty against Happy Valley moved the ball to the five-yard line and gave the Rebel coaching staff another opportunity to cut into the deficit.
Unfortunately for South Greene, the next play was another example of how its season had unfolded. Ripley felt pressure from the Warrior interior and heaved a pass toward the end zone intended for Burns. The pass sailed incomplete, but the bigger blow came as Ripley was taken to the ground, suffering a broken collarbone that ended his night and his season.
Happy Valley took over on downs and moved the ball from its own five-yard line to the 44 before the first quarter came to a close.
The Rebels made a big defensive play to open the second quarter, but a roughing-the-passer penalty gave the Warriors new life. Parker picked up three yards on the ground before launching a 38-yard pass toward the end zone. Fortunately for South Greene, Angel Sanchez was able to rip the ball away from the receiver to come away with the interception.
Haynes took over at quarterback for Ripley and orchestrated a promising drive, moving the Rebels from their own 20-yard line to the Warrior eight. From there, Haynes found Noah Shelton in the corner of the end zone for a touchdown with 9:21 remaining in the half. An offsides penalty moved the ball to the one-yard line, and Haynes punched in the two-point conversion to cut the deficit to 14-8.
The momentum swing would be short-lived, however, as Happy Valley needed just two plays to find the end zone again. After recovering an attempted onside kick at its own 35, the Warriors picked up four yards on first down before a holding penalty backed them up to the 29. That’s when Parker took a toss sweep and broke free for a 71-yard touchdown run. The extra point pushed the lead to 21-8 with just over eight minutes remaining in the half.
The Warrior defense came up with an interception at the South Greene 38-yard line to set up another scoring opportunity. Nalique Anderson, who finished the night with 122 yards rushing on just five carries, took an inside trap handoff and raced 38 yards for a touchdown, extending the lead to 28-8 with 6:52 remaining in the half.
South Greene was unable to get its offense moving on the ensuing possession and went three-and-out, giving the Warriors the ball at their own 42 with just under four minutes remaining.
A false start backed Happy Valley up to its 37, but Grayson Ensor took over at quarterback and immediately connected with Anderson for an 11-yard gain. Berry then broke loose for another big pickup, carrying the ball to the Rebel 44. Ensor looked downfield for another scoring opportunity, but Jaxen Taylor had other ideas. Taylor stepped in front of a Parker pass and raced 58 yards for a pick-six, giving the Rebels a much-needed defensive touchdown. The extra point was no good, leaving South Greene trailing 28-14 with 3:29 remaining in the half.
Happy Valley continued to demonstrate its big-play ability, covering 54 yards in just two plays. Anderson took a toss sweep on the second play and raced 55 yards to the end zone, extending the Warrior advantage to 35-14 with 3:11 remaining.
The final score of the first half came when Parker connected with Artee Bahn for a 27-yard touchdown pass, his second scoring strike of the night. The extra point gave Happy Valley a 42-14 advantage heading into the locker room.
The Warriors piled up 353 yards of total offense in the first half, including 263 on the ground. They finished the night with 431 total yards compared to 208 for South Greene, as both teams turned things over to their reserves during the second half.
Happy Valley improved to 9-1 on the season and will host Polk County in the opening round of the TSSAA playoffs next week, while South Greene will travel to Tellico Plains to begin its postseason run. All play-off contests are scheduled for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
