After a win over Byrnes, Greer is riding wave of momentum into the Region I 4-A opener at Berea on Friday night. But, with the goal of advancing into the post-season playoffs, this will be the biggest game yet for the 1-3 Yellow Jackets. "We need to win every game from here on out. Our kids who have been around know what’s coming in November," declares Greer Coach Will Young.

Berea is 2-1, having defeated Southside and Carolina while losing to Landrum. The Bulldogs run a balanced spread offense "with a really good quarterback in Amazay Robinson, a senior," Young said. Berea’s ‘go-to’ guy is junior wide receiver Caden Sizemore. In addition to returning kicks, "they bring Sizemore into the backfield to run a version of the triple option and the jet sweep," Young said. He added, "Berea also has a great kicker in Elvis Hernandez.

"They operate out of a 3-3 stack defense with some pretty decent kids on that side of the ball."

He said the film of the Byrnes game revealed "we did some good things, but we have got plenty of work to do. We are not nearly the team that we should be."

Young referenced special teams, describing the kicking game as an "eyesore." He explained, "at different times, there were problems with the snapper, holder and kicker. There were problems with failing to return a couple of kickoffs and giving up a punt return for a touchdown when we lost contain and our kids were not running fast enough."

Young acknowledged, "it is easier to fix things after a win, although we should have won that game 31-0. We got down in the red zone three times and did not come away with a point. Those mistakes have to be eliminated if we are going to be really good."

"Our defensive line played well against Byrnes, but that has to be an everyday deal. That is not asking too much because they have the talent. They just need to do it.

"Offensively Kaden Rowland had his best game at quarterback, and we are finding out he can run. Chance Todd is developing into a really good player, but he has to continue improving. We are hit and miss in some spots, and other teams see that because you can’t hide it. We just have to get better in those spots."

Coach Young expressed disappointment for the lack of support from Jacket Backers who failed to show up. "I realize people are disappointed in the way we started, but you can’t give up so quick this day and time. Everybody wants it done right away and it just doesn’t work that way. People should understand we played some really great teams early. That’s because the 5-A teams right around us, Eastside and Riverside, refused to play us, so we had to go elsewhere. While we were having a freaking tough four weeks of beating our heads beat in, folks have to ask, ‘Are they getting better?’ And I would say ‘yes.’ There is an easy thread to see the kids have been improving and deserve to have eyes on them."

"Our kids could have just shut it down, but they came back to work. We are still not a great practice team, but hopefully they will learn. Wednesday was one of our best days, with the kids swarming, like they played the fourth quarter against Byrnes. It is especially important that our defensive line and linebackers challenge our offense on a daily basis from here on out," he concluded.

Greer defeats Byrnes
by Leland Burch

Jacket Backers stayed home in droves Thursday night and missed witnessing a generational football triumph when Greer downed Byrnes 18-10. Not only was it Greer’s first win of the season, it also was the first time the Yellow Jackets have defeated the Rebels since 2000.

"At some point our kids have got to win a game nobody thinks they can win. Last year it was Indian Land in the playoffs, and this year Byrnes. Doing it early is a plus," said Greer Coach Will Young. He added, "Nobody came out to watch the game which is pretty disappointing. Probably nobody will think we can beat Daniel down the road either, but we will be working on that. We are going to be a good football team. I don’t know if we are one yet, but we are going to get there," he vowed.

While getting stung for the third time by a swarm of Yellow Jackets, the Rebels defense did shine by stopping three Greer scoring threats inside the ‘Red Zone.’

Greer’s defense was equally successful. Coach Young observed, "Our guys were flying around making things happen. Our defensive front has a ton of ability, and it has taken a lot for coach (Marko) Jones to get it out of them, but they are showing it a little. Our secondary is improving too, with a couple of new kids in there."

The Yellow Jackets held Byrnes to 24 yards net rushing and 122 yards passing. Linemen Lewis Bussey and Paden Armstrong combined for three quarterback sacks. Bussey recovered a fumble, and Noel Sitton had a pass interception. Linebacker Sammy White had seven individual tackles while Brody Diggins, Jayleen Vereen and Andrew Hansen had six tackles apiece.

Young praised Greer’s offensive line, relating, "We had a ‘Come to Jesus’ meeting this week, and I told them we weren’t playing like Greer teams normally play football. Tonight, the kids played a lot tougher, even though we were down to our fifth guy because of injuries." The offensive line enabled Greer to post 18 first downs on 354 total yards. Nick Holmes led the way with 149 yards on 21 carries.

The eight-point victory margin could have been much wider but for Greer’s mistake-plagued kicking game. The Yellow Jackets missed a field goal and two extra point attempts, gave up a punt return for a touchdown, and fielded two kickoffs for zero yards inside their own 15-yard line.

Greer capitalized on a big break to stun the Rebels early in the game. Sitton picked off a pass on Byrnes’ first possession at the Yellow Jackets’ 20-yard line, and four plays later quarterback Kaden Rowland launched a 72-yard touchdown pass to Mikey Williams. A poor center snap foiled the extra point try with Greer leading 6-0.

Byrnes stopped Greer on downs at the 30-yard line on the Yellow Jackets’ next possession. Then Bussey recovered a Rebels fumble, and Greer advanced to the eight where a fourth down field goal attempt went wide of the uprights.

The Rebels grabbed the lead in the second quarter when Ta Lik Dawkins returned a punt 85 yards to the house and Jon Cummings booted the extra point.

Late in the half, Greer advanced to the Rebels’ 13-yard line where Byrnes defender Jonathan Montgomery intercepted a Rowland pass and returned the pick to the Yellow Jackets’ 39-yard line. Byrnes then marched to the one for a first down with time running out in the half. Greer’s defense rose up and dropped Dawkins for a five-yard loss, and a field goal try failed as the half ended.

Taking the second half kickoff, Greer drove to the end zone in nine plays with Holmes scoring on a six-yard carry. A two-point conversion pass failed, but the Yellow Jackets had forged ahead 12-7.

The Rebels came back with a clock eating drive that traveled to the five for a first down. The Yellow Jackets held when Armstrong sacked Caine Rogers for a nine-yard loss, and Byrnes turned to Cummings who kicked a 29-yard field goal that made it 12-10.

Greer put the game away late in the fourth quarter when a Byrnes fake punt failed at the Rebels’ 42-yard line. Rowland led the charge, reeling off a clutch 21-yard gain on fourth down, and later scoring on a three-yard quarterback keeper. The extra point kick failed, but the Yellow Jackets held an eight-point lead with 1:52 remaining. Greer’s defense sent Byrnes reeling backwards on their final possession that began at midfield and lost 29 yards with the aid of a 15-yard penalty.

Greer to host Byrnes preview
By Leland Burch

One losing streak is coming to an end Friday night when Greer hosts old rival Byrnes at
Dooley Field.

Neither team has put a "W" on the board this season. The Rebels have lost to a pair of
Yellow Jackets hives, T.L. Hanna and Irmo, and Greer could make it three stings in a row.

But Greer is 0-3, having lost to teams that Coach Will Young says "are comparable to
Byrnes. They all have great defensive lines and throw the ball well." That is bad news for
Greer’s shell-shocked secondary.

Rebels junior quarterback Caine Rogers, completed 24 of 38 passes for 276 yards and four touchdowns at Irmo.

The old news is that Byrnes has won 16 straight games against Greer. The Yellow Jackets
were last victorious was in the year 2000, before Byrnes’s enrollment ballooned to triple the size
of Greer’s student body. The only time the Yellow Jackets have come close was a 23-14 battle in
2022.

Coach Young noted, "We had a chance to beat Hillcrest last week, and I would say
Byrnes is more like Hillcrest than B-HP and Boiling Springs with a really big line and the things
they do offensively. Their quarterback throws like the kid from Boiling Springs and they have a
really good, quick running back in Ta Dawkins who also catches passes out of the backfield.
Defensively they run a 3-4 base, but they did some weird stuff against Irmo. Their best defensive
lineman is Jaidyn Ferguson, a senior, who had two sacks against Hanna one against Irmo."

The goal for the Yellow Jackets "is to prepare better and continue to improve. I thought
our quarterback, Kaden Rowland, took a big step forward when he led the team the length of the
field for our last touchdown against Hillcrest, and I hope that continues."
 

Young said injuries will keep three Yellow Jackets out of action including leading
receiver Brock Diggins, kicker Wills Ryan and offensive lineman Tyler Jones.

Hillcrest defeats Greer
by Leland Burch

Despite coming out the short end, Greer left Jacket Backers with more hope than gloom
and doom in the 28-21 loss to Hillcrest.

The Yellow Jackets finally lived up to their expected potential to be a factor in 4-A
competition down the road. The signs included breaking the first big play touchdowns of the
season; staging a goal line stand; and mustering a 99-yard touchdown drive that had the Rams
taking a knee to run out the clock.

Not that all was rosy. When unbeaten Hillcrest launched a withering air attack, the
Yellow Jacket secondary appeared to be driving through a hail storm with the top down. By
intermission, Hillcrest had completed 15 passes for 269 yards.

Greer Coach Will Young found plenty of positives. "Hillcrest scored 55 points last week,
and they didn’t do that tonight. We played more physical up front. Kaden (Rowland) played
better and was really getting the ball out on time in our last drive. Nick Holmes also played well,
other than the fumble late in the game. His long touchdown run was amazing.
But it is really tough when you don’t come out with a win. It has been a frustrating three
weeks for us," he added.

The game opened like a re-run of the first two losses when Hillcrest took the opening
kickoff and mounted a 14-play scoring drive. Facing third and 13 at their own 29-yard line, the
Rams got going with a 29-yard pass from Kaleb Sutton to Weston Willis and eventually scored
on Brayden Johnson’s two-yard dive.

After forcing a punt on the Rams’ next possession, Greer was backed up at the 10-yard
line. Holmes burst through the left side of the line and raced 90 yards to the house. Parker Burns
kicked the extra point to pull the Yellow Jackets even at 7-7.

Hillcrest came right back with another air raid when Sutton found Ny’jai Harris on a 42-
yard pass. He later hooked up with Willis who scored from 19 yards out when the Yellow
Jackets muffed several opportunities to bring him down.

But Greer quickly retaliated when Mikey Williams returned the ensuing kickoff across
midfield, and Rowland launched a 47-yard touchdown bomb to Chance Todd to make it 14-all
early in the second quarter. The downside was the quick scores put Greer’s defense was on the
field 12 minutes longer than Hillcrest. The Rams took advantage to pull back ahead 21-14 when
Sutton delivered another short pass to Willis who scampered 76 yards through the Greer
secondary to score.

The long-suffering Yellow Jacket defense managed to stop another threat when the first
half ended with the Rams on the Greer five-yard line.

Greer took the second half kickoff and advanced to the Hillcrest nine where, on fourth-
and-four, Burns attempted a 26-yard field goal that was wide of the uprights.

Hillcrest gained some breathing room late in the third quarter when Sutton, facing a
fourth and seven, rambled 27 yards to score on a keeper that upped the lead to 28-14.
Greer responded with Todd’s 25-yard kickoff return, followed by a quick first down.
Holmes then broke a 15-yard run only to lose the ball on a fumble at the Hillcrest 31-yard line.
From there, the Rams ate the clock with a march the opposite end of the field, arriving at
the four-yard line with a first down. There, the Yellow Jackets mounted an amazing goal line
stand, taking over at the one four plays later.

Rowland quickly led Greer the length of the field, opening the drive with a 23-yard strike
to Max Hannon and completing six more passes along the way. Holmes scored on a one-yard
carry with just :47 second left in the game.

"We were still in it, and had a time out in our pocket in case we recovered the on-side
kick," Young said. But the Rams came up with the kickoff, and Sutton ran out the clock by taking a knee on the next two plays.

NEXT UP: Byrnes vs Greer, 9/13/24 at Dooley Field

Greer to host Hillcrest

Greer’s battle to avoid becoming the pumpkin role in the Pumpkin Spice Season continues Friday when 5-A power Hillcrest invades Dooley Field.

The undefeated Rams follow Boiling Springs and B-HP teams that romped past the Yellow Jackets in the opening games. Hillcrest, having thrashed Laurens and Clover, "is another very good team like the first four on our schedule," warns Greer Coach Will Young. He said Greer’s 0-2 start "is very frustrating for everyone. But we have been here before, and I believe we will come out good on the back end if we keep working and improving."

Injuries have not helped the Yellow Jackets with leading receiver Brock Diggins sidelined for another seven weeks, taking the glitter off the passing game. The good news, Young said, is that wide receivers Chance Todd and Tucker Hudson will be back in uniform Friday night. "Sometimes you don’t realize the talent is there until you are without. To have three receivers, all who play the same position, down like we did against B-HP, is a hairy situation and quite a challenge," Young noted. "Then during the game we had some guy get dinged up and several kids were cramping. We have played in hotter weather, so avoiding cramping is a matter of the kids staying hydrated on their own at home before games."

Hillcrest, like Boiling Springs and B-HP, is led by another good quarterback, Kaleb Sutton, who threw for 164 yards in the 55-20 win over Clover last week. "They have a really good receiver in Weston Willis who had five catches for 139 yards and two touchdowns in their win over Laurens," Young noted.He said the Rams’ offense "is a lot like ours. They run the zone and throw a little bit, so we will have to be prepared for everything."

Hillcrest operates out of a 3-4 defense, "and they have some kids who can really run, especially their inside linebacker, Caleb Costantino. He is their leading tackler and a go-to guy."

As for the Yellow Jackets, Young commented, "overall we didn’t play that badly last week, except for a few busted plays. Our run defense was okay. It is a matter of continuing to work and fine tune what we do."

By Leland Burch

Greer’s 37-7 loss to Belton-Honea Path was far from ordinary since it enabled the Hive to
sell the game film for a TV reality freak show. That was on top of an extra helping of bad luck
that began when Greer scheduled a B-HP team with Marquise Henderson, arguably the fastest
Bear to ever wear the uniform.

To make matters worse, the Yellow Jackets were without two starting receivers, Brock
Diggins and Chance Todd. "We knew it was going to be a challenge with a different crew of
receivers, as far as lining up and knowing what to do," said Greer Coach Will Young. "Still, I
was disappointed we couldn’t sustain drives. We got down there and couldn’t do anything with
the opportunities.

"We were anemic offensively," Young explained, "The kids played hard, but we just don’t have
enough guys making plays. We have got to figure out how to handle that, because this is
different than what we are used to around here. We’ve got a lot of work to do."

Greer’s defense stuffed the Bears twice early on. Then Yellow Jackets sophomore Calvin
McCoy was clobbered when catching a punt, and the visitors’ Tajeh Watson-Martin rambled 40
yards to the house with the ensuing fumble. This was the third in a string of three punts. The
Bears were penalized back to 12-yard line on the first kick, and Greer lost a huge amount of
ground on offsetting penalties when Mikey Williams returned the second kick 35 yards. The
third punt was no charm for Greer either, although Trevion Harrison Johnson blocked the Bears’
extra point attempt.

Greer’s prospects went from bad to worse when Henderson took a pitch and raced past
the Greer secondary for a 60-yard touchdown on the next B-HP play from scrimmage.

The Yellow Jackets then mounted their only first half threat with a 65-yard drive that
fizzled at the Bears 26-yard line when a fourth-and-one pass went astray.

B-HP quickly went to the opposite end of the stadium, scoring on another freak play.
Henderson, trapped in his own backfield, managed to flip the ball to quarterback Noah Thomas
who rambled 45 yards to the end zone to make it 20-0 at intermission.

The unbeaten Bears resumed scoring early in the second half when Henderson, again
trapped behind the line, reversed field and zoomed past the Greer defense on a 55-yard
touchdown run.

When the Yellow Jackets later stopped the Bears on their own 29-yard line, Christian
Bridwell came on and kicked a 29-yard field goal.

After putting up nothing but goose eggs for seven periods into the season, Greer gave
Jacket Backers something to cheer about when running back Nick Holmes galloped 22 yards for
a touchdown on an off-tackle play. Sophomore Parker Burns kicked his first career extra point
that closed the gap to 30-7 with 9:43 left in the game.

Having been poked, the Bears responded angrily less than two minutes later when
Thomas uncorked a 30-yard pass to Watson-Martin who was alone in the Greer end zone.

The Yellow Jackets mounted a final threat when Kaden Rowland hooked up with
Williams on a 45-yard pass, and McCoy scooted to the 20-yard line only to fumble two plays
later.

Greer vs. B-HP Preview

by Leland Burch

Coach Will Young has downloaded the ‘Find My Stinger’ app in an effort to revive the crushed Yellow Jackets. Greer had no sting in the 43-0 season-opening loss at Boiling Springs. 

Young explained, "Our kids were in the right places most of the time, but were just not aggressive. The offensive line had no nastiness, and you need some of that. But going out and playing aggressively is up to the kids."

The non-region mountain climb will not be quite as steep this Friday night when Greer opens its home season against Class 3-A power Belton-Honea Path at Dooley Field.  "There are times you lose to an opponent that is just better than you, and last week was one of those times," he said. 
Although not in the same category as Boiling Springs, the visiting Bears "are a very good football team," Young warns.

The Bears romped to a 45-14 win over Broome last week with running back Marquis Henderson leading the way. The Clemson commit returned a kick and caught a pass for a pair touchdowns. "He’s the real deal," Young said. "Clemson doesn’t give scholarships to just anyone."

Young said B-HP "mostly runs the ball, which they do really well, although after seeing our pass defense last week, they might start throwing it more." He said the Bears employ a power offense with a big line up front, tight ends and an H back. "They like to run the power and the buck sweep."

"Defensively Belton-Honea Path is very solid with some big bodies – 290 pound kids - up front along with good linebackers and decent corners."

Greer will be working on everything in practice including a few tweaks to the offense after the Yellow Jackets posted only 93 net yards last week. But no major changes are planned. "Grade-wise we weren’t that bad last Friday. There were very few busts and missed assignments, and we gave up three sacks and a safety," Young recalled. "Hopefully everything slows down for the kids this week. We have to improve in every area, and I believe we will."

B-HP is one of the few teams that has an edge in games played with Greer, leading the series at 6-5. The Yellow Jackets defeated the Bears in 2021, but lost playoff games to B-HP in 2004, 2010 and 2014.

Boiling Springs defeats Greer
By Leland Burch

The Yellow Jackets are looking up - from flat on their backs - after falling into a black hole, a 43-0 season opening loss at Boiling Springs.
"We didn’t do a lot well," understated Greer Coach Will Young. "We have lot of work to do, and not much time to get it done." He added, the next step is "to figure out what we are really good at, and that’s hard to find."
Young also noted, "we knew going in that Boiling Springs was really good – this is
probably their year."

The Yellow Jackets confirmed Young’s worst fears by having no answer for Bulldog quarterback Lincoln Huskey. The four-year starter completed 13 of 17 passes for 273 yards and
four touchdowns. "We had kids in our secondary getting lost in coverage, and not having their eyes where they are supposed to be," said Young of his ‘Iron Dome’ which deflated into a nylon hairnet.

A bright spot for Greer was defending against the run as the Yellow Jackets limited Boiling Springs to a net 50 yards on the ground. Boiling Springs’ defensive front pounded the Yellow Jackets line into mush, sacking
quarterback Kaden Rowland six times including a safety. Greer had just 93 yards of net offense and made only one trip across midfield. That was late in the first period when the Bulldogs stopped
Greer on third-and-three at the17-yard line by dropping Nick Holmes for a loss and then sacking Rowland on the next play.

The turning point actually came shortly after the kickoff when Greer nearly stopped the Bulldogs offensive machine. Huskey had completed a pair of passes but the hosts were facing
fourth-and-seven at the Greer 38-yard line. Huskey managed to avoid a sack and scrambled for eight yards and a first down to keep the drive alive. The Bulldogs opened playbook when wide receiver Eli Mobley took a pitchout and then turned and threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Huskey who had sneaked into the Greer secondary.

The Bulldogs quickly forced a Greer punt and put together a 47-yard drive of just three plays, scoring on a 13-yard pass from Huskey to Kyle Patterson to gain a 13-0 lead.
The Yellow Jackets then rallied with their only drive, which included a 24-yard touchdown pass from Rowland to Mikey Williams that was nullified by a penalty. The Bulldogs built a comfortable lead in the second quarter when Huskey scored on a one-yard run after completing a 31-yard pass to Grayson Crowe. The tab went to 22-0 when John Michael Simmons and Jase Seesholtz combined to sack Rowland in the end zone for a safety. With just :49 seconds left in the half, Huskey found Patterson with a 21-yard touchdown pass that made it 29-0 at intermission.

The Bulldogs’ air raid unloaded touchdown bombs of 53 and 49 yards in the third period. Trailing by 43 points put the Yellow Jackets so far behind the running clock was invoked to
mercifully wrap up Greer’s worst season opening loss since 1937. During the rapidly fleeting fourth quarter, Boiling Springs’ defense intercepted a pair of Greer passes. That left Rowland with an 8-16-2 throwing total for 79 yards.

Greer’s ground game had a net of only 14 yards, although Coach Young found some hope in "our zone runs which were pretty good for the most part. We didn’t run any counters well, though. And there were times when we should have thrown the ball sooner, but Boiling Springs has a very good secondary," he concluded.

by Leland Burch

Like starting swimming lessons by jumping into the deep end of the pool, Greer will plunge into the 2024 season on the road at 5-A power Boiling Springs.

"They are extremely formidable, one of the best teams in their region," declares Yellow Jackets head coach Will Young. He said the Bulldogs will have "the best defensive front we have seen, by far. Unlike a typical high school defensive line, they play hard all the time and don’t take plays off. This will be a huge test of manhood for our offensive line."

Boiling Springs is no slouch offensively either, returning quarterback Lincoln Huskey who threw for 182 yards against the Yellow Jackets last year. "He is going to sling it Friday night, and if we make a mistake, Huskey will make us pay," Young warns. The Bulldogs also return top running back Javen Chhim who rambled for 157 yards in the 31-14 win over Greer. 

"Some think it would be better to start off with an easier game so we could throw the back-ups in there and let them get some reps. But no one else would play us," Young said of the season opener. "Besides, games like this will help us get better for the region part of the schedule."

As for the Yellow Jackets, Young said "I think we have a good nucleus in place, although we have not had nearly the number of practices as in previous years because school has started so early. We have only had 17 days on the practice field together, compared with 28 days in the past."

Even with fewer days, Coach Young said pre-season drills have gone well. "Our scrimmage at Gaffney went well from a physical standpoint, although neither team was ready for a game at that point. Then we started fast against Powdersville, slacked off in the middle and finished well. At Chapman last Friday, we started slow with some dropped passes, but we came from behind to score twice to win, which was nice."
Young observed that quarterback Kaden Rowland "has gotten better entering his senior year, but he still has things to do. Most of our offensive line are veterans, and they will be okay. Our defensive front has some big guys who can run, but they have to improve at pass rushing."

The kicking game is a mixed bag with wide receiver Brock Diggins taking over the punting duties, while sophomore Parker Burns is subbing for veteran pace kicker Wills Ryan is sidelined for several weeks. Otherwise, there are no major injuries entering the opening game.

Leland will have a post game article and interview with Coach Young every Saturday!