Not only was the North Greene football program celebrating on Thursday night, the Husky faithful collectively breathed a big sigh of relief.
The Huskies no longer have to answer the questions about beating a county rival, they no longer have those long losing streaks hanging over their heads, and for the first time in over a decade North Greene football has some bragging rights over one of its Greene County neighbors.
All that was earned with a 34-0 win over West Greene. It brought an end to an 18-game losing streak to the Buffaloes, and it ended a 27-game losing streak to in-county foes that stretched back to September 2014.
“This was a big moment for us and a long time coming,” North Greene coach Eric Tilson said. “To come back after losing to Chuckey-Doak last week and show this kind of effort is great. They smelled blood in the water and went for the kill. This is a big moment, and these kids executed really well tonight. All you’ve heard is streak, streak, but now it’s broken and the monkey is off our back. It’s over now. This team can excel to new heights now without having to worry about that anymore.”
Early the Huskies used an explosive offense led by quarterback Thomas Darnell to build a 21-0 halftime lead. Then in the second half it was a powerful running game that wore down the Buffaloes.
Darnell finished the night 8-of-10 through the air for 183 yards with two touchdowns, and he ran for 82 yards.
“I was really pleased with how we established the run, that was our plan. That cleared out the secondary and we were able to take a couple of shot plays,” Tilson said. “Thomas made some good reads, and that is what we like to see, kids paying attention and knowing what we are looking for.”
As a team North Greene produced 336 yards of total offense. The Huskies threw for 168 yards in the first half, and ran for 89 yards in the second half.
It was on the Huskies’ second offensive series that things began to click, and that culminated with Darnell calling his own shot. Tilson signaled in a run play on first down from the 37-yard line, but the senior quarterback saw a hole in the defense and called an audible. The read was right and Matthew Boyd was wide open for the touchdown that put North Greene on top 6-0.
“We worked on a lot of that stuff in practice this week, and our scout team guys gave me a really good look. I think that helped me prepare for what (West Greene) was going to do,” Darnell said. “I have to give a lot of credit to that scout team for tonight. On that touchdown I made my read and saw a hole shot to the back corner. I saw that all week in practice and was confident in that throw, and it worked.”
North Greene’s defense then got a fourth-down stop and the offense needed just three plays to strike again. On third down North lined up three receivers on the left side and Darnel found the matchup he liked with Kelson Eastep running a post. The throw hit the rangy receiver in stride and he raced 63 yards for a touchdown. Darnell ran in the two-point try for a 14-0 lead just two minutes into the second quarter.
North Greene’s playmakers were not done bringing the home fans to their feet, and less that two minutes later the lead grew to 21-0.
Brandon Weems caught a punt on the other side of midfield, and despite taking first contact as the ball hit his hands he eluded the Buffaloes on his way to a 55-yard touchdown.
West Greene marched to the 17-yard line on the ensuing possession, but then Levi Gray batted a pass at the line of scrimmage and quarterback Austin Brown caught the carom for what turned out to be a 13-yard loss. Behind the sticks West Greene could not get going again, and its best chance to score came up empty.
North Greene’s defense held West Greene to 18 yards of offense in the first half. West Greene gained a total of 85 yards on Thursday, while North Greene’s defense earned its first shutout since August 25, 2023 against Castlewood, Va.
“I was really pleased with our defense. And when your defense is playing that well you can take chances on offense. I was really happy with those guys and getting the shutout,” Tilson said.
In the second half North Greene only attempted one pass, but heavy doses of Darnell, Leon Johnson and Brayden Weems on the ground kept the chains moving and the clock running.
Helped by a kick-catch interference penalty North Greene only had to go 25 yards to add to its lead in the third quarter. Brayden Weems finished the drive by going off tackle to the left and following tight end Dylan Gentry across the goal line for an 8-yard touchdown. Juan Soto’s extra point made it 28-0.
North Greene’s final score came with 8:29 left in the ball game. Johnson rushed four times for 33 yards on the drive, before going straight up the middle for a seven-yard scoring run.
“I got tired of hearing about how bad our front was last week,” Tilson said. “I still believe our front the key to our success and they showed it tonight.”
West Greene’s top performer on Thursday was running back Shawn Bailey. He carried the ball 15 times for 69 yards and had two catches for 36 yards.
Next week North Greene will travel to Hancock County and West Greene will host Chuckey-Doak.
