The North Greene Huskies (2-2) enter Region 1-1A competition again this week and head on the road to visit the Cosby Eagles (3-1) on Friday night.
“They are a good football team. They got a pretty dynamic offense and they’ve got some really good backs. Their running backs return from last year. They got a new face at quarterback and he’s quite possibly one of the most talented athletes in our conference,” North Greene Head Coach Eric Tilson stated.
It’s North Greene’s first trip to Cosby High School since 2023. The Huskies have made the playoffs five-straight seasons, a program record, and a road to six will have heavy implications on Friday night.
The Huskies lead the all-time series 16-12 over Cosby, but Cosby are winners in 5 of the last 8 contests. The Eagles defeated North Greene, 26-14, in 2024 for the Region 1-1A Championship and spoiled North Greene’s chance at a first region title. The Huskies avenged that loss with a 35-19 win on The Tundra last season and helped North Greene host a playoff game for the first time ever.
It’s North Greene’s second Region 1-1A matchup of the year. The Huskies began 1-0 with a 55-0 win over Hancock County in week 3 while Cosby began 1-0 with a 62-8 victory at Unaka last week.
North Greene’s offense shows new talent in new positions, but still brings a lot of offensive firepower. The Huskies average 30.5 points per game on offense. Quarterback Jared Swatzell has passed for 680 yards and 13 touchdowns with a 58.8% passing completion percentage. Senior running back Leon Johnson has been a juggernaut this season with 562 yards and 3 touchdowns in only 4 games with an average of 6.3 yards per carry. Senior wide receiver Matthew Boyd has led the team in all three receiving categories with 22 catches for 330 yards and 4 touchdowns. Levi Gray has 7 catches for 161 yards and 3 touchdowns while Kelson Eastep has 10 catches for 115 yards and 3 touchdowns.
“We’ve just got to play within ourselves. We can not turn the ball over. They’ve been a bunch of ball hawks so we can’t allow them to have cheap interceptions. If they go out and make a play, that’s one thing, which they are more than capable of doing, we just can’t give them one,” Coach Tilson stated.
The Huskies defense has allowed 30.25 yards per game on defense.
Cosby averages 36.25 points per game on offense and averages 42.3 points per game in wins over West Greene, Cumberland Gap, and Unaka. The defense allows 24.25 points per game. Cosby is a spread offense and will get the ball to their playmakers in open space. “They’ve got a really good offense and then defensively they’ve been a bunch of ball hawks. They lead our conference in interceptions right now, so they’re getting the ball out of the air and forcing turnovers. We’ve got to be disciplined and just got to play within ourselves,” Coach Tilson explained.
Kickoff is set for 7:00 PM on Friday night at Cosby High School.
