ELIZBETHTON – It didn’t come easy and it didn’t come without adversity, but the South Greene Rebels gutted out a hard-fought 21-6 win over the undefeated Happy Valley Warriors to move to the top of the District 1-2A standings.
“It was all about coming down here and positioning ourselves for the playoffs. That’s what this was all about. We just gutted another one out tonight. Defense played well. Nash got hurt, but big Tripp stepped up big time there like he did last year and that’s a big deal. Just a huge win by a great football team against a great football team. Maybe now people will stop saying we haven’t played anybody yet,” Rebels Head Coach Shawn Jones stated.
With the bad taste of last year’s defeat still in their mouths, South Greene felt like they had a point to prove on Friday night. The Rebels went into last year’s contest a perfect 6-0 and felt like the favorites going into that game. To the surprise of many, the Warriors walked off Rebel Hill with an overtime win and ultimately forced South Greene to travel in the playoffs. With roles reversed and Happy Valley sitting at a perfect 5-0 up to this point, the Rebels had a chance to give them a taste of what they were served last season.
It didn’t come without some adversity though. They endured a turnover, turnover on downs inside the 10-yard line, and an injury to stud running back Nash Rader in the first half. But when the Rebels needed somebody to step up and be the difference maker, Tripp Neas answered the call.
The sophomore running back produced a trio of touchdowns and was a catalyst in South Greene’s big win. “He did that last year and we knew he could do that. He came in last year as a freshman and we’ve been trying to tell everybody we’ve had two backs, but I don’t think people knew Trip could play like that,” Coach Jones stated.
“Our offensive line opened up great gaps for me to run through. It feels amazing to get a hat trick. But I’ll say again, I couldn’t do anything without my line up front. It all starts with them. They’re the whole reason I scored three touchdowns,” Neas expressed.
The Rebels started slow, but ultimately outlasted Happy Valley’s bruising rushing attack to exact revenge from last year’s defeat. With that victory, they remain the lone unbeaten team in Region 1-2A and sit atop the standings alone.
“This was just a big game for us. Everybody had been talking that we hadn’t played anybody, which we really hadn’t until last week, so we’re excited to get this win and go 2-0 in the conference and control our destiny,” Coach Jones expressed.
Points were scarce in Friday night’s affair. Both teams entered halftime still scoreless at 0-0 in a knockdown, drag out fight. South Greene had two good drives on offense, but saw both drives end without any points. On their second drive the Rebels marched 75 yards to the 1-yard line before getting stopped on both attempts to cross the goal line on 3rd & 4th down.
Their defense stood tall and forced a much-needed stop after Happy Valley got the ball back and marched into the red zone. Chunk plays of 24 and 55 yards got them to that point. Tripp Neas wrapped up the ball carrier in the backfield for an 8-yard tackle-for-loss on 3rd down and Seth Franklin tipped a pass on 4th down to end the drive.
South Greene’s next drive lasted 4 minutes and 57 seconds and looked to be heading towards the end zone before a pass over the middle was intercepted by Gabe McDougald
The halftime speech by Jones and his staff was all about making adjustments. “It was just making adjustments. We weren’t too excited and we didn’t go nuts in there because we moved the ball and the defense played well. We just had to make some adjustments and we did,” Coach Jones explained.
Their first drive of the second half was a continuation of their bad luck from the first half. Happy Valley turned the ball over on downs at the 47-yard line and gave them a shorter field to work with. After Tripp Neas covered 23 yards in three plays, the ball was knocked out of his grip on the fourth run of the drive and was recovered by Landon Keller at the 20-yard line.
Luckily their fortunes would change on the next drive and resulted in a touchdown. A three-and-out forced by South Greene’s hard-nosed defense set their offense up at their 48-yard line. It took them 3 minutes and 25 seconds to cover every yard needed. Tripp Neas plowed through Happy Valley’s defense before breaking the plane for a 4-yard touchdown run. Brant Wilhoit connected with the extra point to make it 7-0.
A 58-yard, 2-minute and 29-second drive ended in another Tripp Neas touchdown to boost their lead to 14-0. The play was set up after a great 34-yard grab by Trey Gentry along the left sideline.
“It was a great catch. He does stuff like that. He’s just a gamer. He’s been a little banged up and missed a few games at the first of the year, but he’s just a gamer and that’s what we needed,” Coach Jones mentioned.
South Greene’s defense seemed to ice the game with an interception by Lucas Couch, but a failed offensive drive kept Happy Valley’s pulse going. Jacob Susong was able to cut the drive shorter than anticipated with a tipped pass on 4th down.
The turnover-on-downs set them up at the 24-yard line with a golden opportunity to put the game to rest. Tripp Neas delivered his third touchdown of the night to cap off his hat trick from 18 yards out.
Brant Wilhoit’s kick was true and made it 21-0 after the extra point.
The game seemed to be over, but it wasn’t yet. Lane Parker returned South Greene’s onside kick to the 1-yard line and Gabe McDougald scored a quick touchdown on the next play to bring them back within two possessions.
The Warriors set up for their own onside kick, but Brendan Lisenby laid on it and sealed the win.
South Greene walked off “The Hill” with a 21-6 victory to claim the top spot in the Region 1-2A conference. They improved to 5-1 (2-0) with the win. They host Eagleton Academy in another pivotal region game next week.
