Fresh off of a 42-6 homecoming win over Castlewood, Va. last week, the North Greene Huskies (1-1) look to ride that momentum into Friday night’s important Region 1-A showdown with Jellico (0-2) on the road.
“We want to continuously improve. That’s been our main focus. It’s about us and how we execute. If we just continue with the progress we’ve made I feel confident going into this week because games do matter now. They have implications for the end of the year, so it’s important to go out and execute now,” Head Coach Eric Tilson said.
The games matter a little bit more now. Week three presents the first region matchup for North Greene as they make the long trip up Interstate 75 to take on Jellico this week. The goal is simple. Walk in with a plan to win and walk out with that win. The first region game of the year is as important as the rest because you always want to start out 1-0 and not fall behind too early. The Huskies are working on their fourth-straight trip to the TSSAA playoffs and know that a win over the Blue Devils would make that goal much more plausible.
Last year things ended with a bit of controversy and left a sour taste inside of everybody’s mouth. This year isn’t being labeled a “revenge game”, but those bad memories of how last year’s game finished will certainly weigh on everybody’s mind once they step foot on Jellico’s newly installed turf. Even with that on their mind, they know they can’t let revenge cloud their vision.
“Last year was last year. This year is this year. Last year’s plays don’t win this year’s games. You can’t have a revenge type mindset because you have to go out and just go execute what you’re supposed to do now,” Tilson mentioned.
Last year was last year can certainly be said about their team too. Jellico graduated their two main playmakers and will be guided by new leaders in the skill positions. Film breakdowns show a more balanced offensive attack from Jellico compared to years before. Their power run-heavy offense has shifted into a more balanced offense with more passing concepts. Quarterback Owen Morgan will be guiding a more pass-heavy offense with outside weapon Bryson Ballard, a 6’3” receiver, who will be a key player to watch out for. Their main playmaker Samuel Proffitt will be an important player on both sides of the ball at running back and middle linebacker.
“They are a team that is 0-2 right now, but could very easily be 2-0 at this point,” Coach Tilson stated. After two close losses to Lynn Camp and Oakdale, Jellico will be a hungry team on Friday night.
According to Coach Tilson they are very stingy on defense and the numbers prove that. They’ve only allowed 32 points in two games so far and look to keep those numbers low. They base out of a 3-4 defense and tend to bring another linebacker down to present a four-front and play in cover-3 coverage.
Friday night will be a test for North Greene’s offense that is averaging 29 points-per-game so far. The Huskies exploded for 348 yards of total offense in the win over Castlewood and were led by a great performance from quarterback Thomas Darnell. He went 14-for-18 in the passing game with 167 yards and a touchdown. He also accounted for one on his feet. Yeshua Vaught returned to form last week and also turned in a multi-touchdown performance.
Jellico’s offense is lacking behind their strong defense as they’ve only put up a combined 22 points thus far. North Greene’s defense has given up 38 total points and hopes to keep that total low.
The newly added turf field won’t be a concern for North Greene who are well prepared through their numerous 7-on-7 and scrimmage games at Carson-Newman’s facilities.
North Greene is currently 1-1 and wants to improve above .500 for the first time in Coach Eric Tilson’s tenure as head coach and first time since starting 1-0 in 2017. Kickoff is set for 7:30 on Friday night at Jellico High School.
