South Greene Middle was on its quest for two things on Thursday night. First, a conference championship, and second a perfect season. The Rebels claimed both after a hard-fought 20-12 win over Rogersville Middle that came down to the final minute.
Afterwards, Head Coach Tony Schroeck described the feeling of ending perfect. “I’m so happy for these boys. We’ve had some good coaches and good players come through this program right now and I’m just so happy for them getting over the hump and getting that championship.”
Wyatt Milhorn did Wyatt Milhorn things on Thursday night. The eighth grader broke the 100-yard mark again with 13 carries for 135 yards and a touchdown and broke the single-season program rushing record in the process.
“Wyatt has been our bread and butter. He has carried us to so many victories this year and he’s truly going to be missed. I will say this, tonight he got the school record for the most rushing yards in a season,” Schroeck stated.
It wasn’t smooth sailing like most wins this season. A late touchdown and successful onside kick swayed all momentum to Rogersville’s side with a minute-and-a-half remaining. That’s when the game’s hero Kason Justice came away with a game-saving fumble recovery to seal South Greene’s perfect season with a conference championship.
“When we got that fumble I can just tell you my blood pressure actually went down and I was just so happy I didn’t croak on the sideline. So, that being said I can’t say anymore praise for these boys. I mean, doesn’t matter if they were the 6th graders, 7th graders, or 8th graders, they all bought in and did a tremendous job this year,” Coach Schroeck said.
The Rebels finished with 172 total yards on offense. Wyatt Milhorn was responsible for 135 of that. Michael Parris picked up 15 yards on two carries and had one catch for 20 yards. Quarterback Sammy Jones was 2-for-3 passing with 31 yards and a touchdown. Braevyn Myers finished with one catch for 11 yards that resulted in a touchdown.
South Greene’s night started on their own 45-yard line. The drive only lasted three plays and ended in the end zone. Parris went for a 20-yard catch on the first play from scrimmage. Milhorn sprinted into the red zone for a 24-yard gain. Myers hauled in an 11-yard touchdown catch next to cap the drive. Milhorn added the two-point conversion on the tail end. The Rebels led 8-0 early.
The Rebels got the ball back after the Warriors punted, but the Warriors were able to strip the ball away from Milhorn. The second quarter started with Rogersville gaining possession, but South Greene leading 8-0.
One thing coaches always say is to play through the whistle. Sammy Jones listened to his coaching and noticed the play hadn’t been blown dead on a Rogersville pass behind the line of scrimmage. Jones scooped the ball and booked it to the end zone for a scoop and score that boosted South Greene’s lead to 14-0.
The Warriors had to give the ball back to South Greene after a failed offensive possession, but another costly turnover by the Rebels proved fruitful for the visitors. Levi Hurd went through the line untouched on a fullback dive and raced his way into the end zone for a 58-yard touchdown run on the first play of the drive.
The half ended with South Greene stalling out inside the red zone with no timeouts to stop the clock. South Greene led 14-8 at halftime.
Rogersville received the second half kickoff and had the opportunity to make things dicey, but failed to gain a first down. A bad snap on the punt attempt gave South Greene great field position on the 25-yard line. Milhorn collected all 25 yards on two plays. He muscled his way down to the one and scored on the second play from one yard out to extend the lead to 20-6.
The game was far from over yet. Rogersville started their fourth quarter drive on the 32-yard line with 5:07 to go, but it took them 3:34 to finally cross the goal line with a 10-yard touchdown run by KJ Jefferson with 1:33 to go. The two-point try failed and the score was 20-12 with the kickoff next.
Rogersville executed a perfect onside kick and recovered on the 42-yard line with a chance to tie the game with a minute-and-a-half left. According to a pair of fans sitting on Rogersville’s side of the stands, the Warriors had not completed a pass all season. The magic was in the air on Thursday night as a desperate pass on 3rd-and-5 was completed and put Rogersville at the 15-yard line, but how quickly can things change?
On the next play, a toss sweep wasn’t executed properly and the ball hit the turf and was up for grabs. South Greene’s Kason Justice fell on the rock and became Thursday night’s hero.
“I was nervous. Very, very nervous. I didn’t know what to expect. I’m just so happy for these boys. Defensively, they have stepped up all year long,” Coach Schroeck said.
One kneel down later and South Greene celebrated with a 20-12 victory under the fireworks and saw all their hard work culminate in a perfect 9-0 season and a conference championship.
South Greene Middle completed their perfect season with a crazy 20-12 victory over Rogersville on Thursday night. After the fireworks lit up the sky, we spoke with Coach Schroeck on how South Greene’s defense helped create a turnover and clinch the perfect season and championship pic.twitter.com/sOVoIgb8Ca
— GreeneSportsZone (@GSportsZone) October 3, 2025
The history books will forever remember that your 2025 Rebels were crowned unbeaten champions.
Congrats, South Greene Middle!#FirstHorizon #football #southgreene pic.twitter.com/Xo4SjgVYeH
— GreeneSportsZone (@GSportsZone) October 2, 2025
An early contender for GSZ Game Of The Year!? 😱
SGMS tops off an undefeated season with a 20-12 championship win over Rogersville Middle. #FirstHorizon pic.twitter.com/yzr6U6VERV
— GreeneSportsZone (@GSportsZone) October 3, 2025
