They have been playing football at North Greene High School since 1975 and only once have the Huskies ever won four games in a row, but on Friday night when Hancock County visits the Tundra the Huskies will have a chance to reach that mark.
North Greene is 3-1 on the season and after a 40-21 win over Cumberland Gap Last week it has now won three straight games. The only team in North Greene history to win four in a row was the 2005 squad. The Huskies have started the year 4-1 on three occasions, 2005, 2011 and 2012.
When asked about the win streak, though, North Greene coach Eric Tilson only had one thing on his mind, and that is beating Hancock County, saying, “We’re focused on being 1-0 this week.”
The Indians are entering Friday’s action with an 0-3 record. Hancock County has struggled to score, managing just 12 points all season, and last week’s 28-0 loss to Claiborne was its closest contest yet.
While the Indians have not scored much this season, Tilson does know that they have the potential to get loose on the outside and break a play. Gabriel Chaffins will be the player to watch for Hancock and he will move all over the formation in order to find an advantage.
“Hancock County plays hard and they have a couple players that can hurt you,” Tilson said. “(Chaffins) moves around a lot, they’ll use him at quarterback, running back and receiver. They want to try to get the ball to the outside and beat you on the edge. They hurt Cloudland with a few big plays, but they have had trouble sustaining drives.”
One area Tilson is demanding more from his defense is after the play. Last week they kept Cumberland Gap on the field multiple times because of dead-ball personal fouls. The Huskies’ coach knows that in closer games those types of mistakes can be the difference between winning and losing.
“We gifted them way too many yards, we gave Cumberland Gap 90 yards on personal fouls, and they always seemed to be at the worst possible time,” Tilson said. “Because we let them stay on the field that ended up being over 200 yards and eight minutes of possession.”
Offensively the Huskies’ run game produced almost 10 yards per carry last week with quarterback Thomas Darnell covering 96 yards while tailback Yeshua Vaught gained 97 yards. Tilson is hopeful that the Indians’ defensive looks will provide North Greene with another chance to churn out yards on the ground.
“I’m looking to have another big game out of Thomas Darnell this week, and I think we may a see run-favorable box this week,” Tilson said. “I want to get our backs rolling this week, and force them to play up. Then we’ll get the pass going when they tighten up.”
The Huskies and Indians have met 10 in their histories and North Greene has won seven of those meetings. Last year the Huskies earned a 20-14 win in Sneedville. Along with Cosby and Jellico, Hancock County is one of three programs North Greene has a winning record against.
