Greenville playing for home field against Trojans
Published 12:00 am Thursday, October 26, 2006
Friday night's game at Tiger Stadium between the No. 9 Greenville Tigers (7-1) and the Charles Henderson Trojans (5-3) could be the last home game of the season for Greenville in that if the Tigers win, they secure home field advantage in the playoffs.
Lose and Tigers take to the road and face a much tougher opponent in the first round of the Class 5A playoffs.
If playing for the home field wasn't enough incentive, Greenville head coach Bryant Vincent was an assistant at Charles Henderson for four years and the Tiger head coach wants this win bad.
“I had a lot of good years at (Charles Henderson) and I respect all of those guys and everything they've done,” Vincent said. “But I keep reminding our guys what they've done to us for the last four years and that speaks volumes.”
Vincent said this week's focus has been taking advantage of this home field opportunity and showing the Greenville community that Greenville football is back.
“Our main thing we're focusing on this week is that (Charles Henderson) has beaten us four straight years and we've got to take advantage of this opportunity,” Vincent said. “Their community looks down on Greenville, they truly do, and this is an opportunity for us to give something back to Greenville that they can be proud of.”
Vincent said the Tigers have had a good week of practice, adding that the defense had probably one of the best practices of the season Monday, and that is something Greenville needs to slow down the fast Trojan offense.
“They're extremely fast and talented,” Vincent said of the Trojans.
Vincent said the Greenville defense must be able to slow down running back Harrison Bryant, who has been scouted by many SEC teams and is returning from an injury.
The Greenville offense will also be tested by the Trojan defense, but the Tigers have held their own all season.
Junior quarterback Casey Weston has thrown for 821 yards, completed nearly 60 percent of his passes and rushed for 556 yards and 13 touchdowns. Running back Brandon Cheatham leads the team with 817 yards on 103 carries, averaging nearly eight yards per carry.
With Friday night's game being the final regular season home game, the Tigers' 16 seniors will be honored as part of Senior Night ceremonies.
Vincent, who previously coached at Spain Park, compared this game to one of the biggest rivalries in the state.
“This week is like Hoover week at Spain Park,” Vincent said. “(Charles Henderson) is going to get our best shot.
The Tiger Walk starts at 6:10 p.m. Friday with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m.