For a long time Cloudland has been the standard in Region 1-1A football. This year the Highlanders are struggling more than they are accustomed to, but North Greene coach Eric Tilson expects to once again have his hands full when they visit the Tundra on Friday night.
“Cloudland has been the barometer for Region 1-1A. They have a great program, and it does not matter what their record is, that is who the rest of the region measures itself against,” Tilson said. “I have a lot of respect for them. They don’t have very many players, but they play with great effort. That will always give them a chance to win games.”
The Huskies and Highlanders will clash on Friday night with playoff seeding at stake, and to reach some of its goals North Greene needs a win. Going into Friday Hampton leads Region 1-1A at 5-0, while North Greene, Cosby and Cloudland are all 3-1. North Greene has defeated Cosby and leads the group, and Cosby has defeated Cloudland. Neither Cosby nor Cloudland has played Hampton.
A win on Friday would put North Greene in the driver’s seat for the No.2 seed and a home game in the first round of the playoffs.
“We want to win a playoff game, and to have the best chance to do that we need to host a playoff game,” Tilson said. “That means we have to be in the top two in our region. Winning on Friday will have a big say in if that happens. We control that, and that is the good thing.”
With three weeks left in the regular season six of the eight teams in Region 1-1A are still in contention for a playoff spot.
The Highlanders are 3-4 overall this year and are coming off of a 56-8 win over Sunbright last week. Cloudland will bring a diverse and physical rushing attack to the Tundra on Friday. Last week Bryce Birchfield led that effort with 12 carries for 115 yards and two touchdowns. Grayson Cole added 87 yards and Landon Barnette had 77 yards and two touchdowns.
“Last year they had what I considered the best running back in our league,” Tilson said. “He is back and he can still hurt you, but he’s a little hobbled. They have a quarterback that can run, and a tight end that they use in different ways. They are going to play physical and we have to match their intensity.”
The Huskies who are 4-3 overall sat idle last week after earning a last-second win over Jellico the week before.
Tilson hopes the rest allowed his team to heal as they push to the finish of the regular season. That starts with quarterback and leader Thomas Darnell who missed the Jellico game.
Without Darnell the running attack led by Leon Johnson and Brayden Weems, and helped by Brandon Weems carried the Huskies to victory against Jellico. With Darnell that ground attack becomes even more dynamic.
A year ago North Greene won the matchup 24-22. Prior to that the Highlanders won five straight in the series. Cloudland leads the all-time series 42-4. The two teams have met every year since 1976, with the exception of 1997 and 1998. From 1982-84 they played twice in the regular season each year.
The Huskies will be donning new look white helmets on Friday, and are asking fans to participate in their whiteout. North Greene wants all Huskies fans to wear white to the game.
Friday’s matchup will be the Greene Sports Zone Game of the Week and will be streamed live on the Greene Sports Zone Facebook and YouTube pages. It will also be live on the airwaves on WIKQ 103.1 FM.
