It’s a playoff rematch with a little something extra to it.
The Greenville High Red Raiders raced past Greer 61-28 on Oct. 2, piling up 638 yards in the Region 2-4A opener. Afterwards, an ensuing eligibility-related forfeiture reversed the result, giving Greer an official 2-0 victory in the record books.
Not only did the game’s result flip, but so did the region standings, which is why Friday’s first round Class 4A Upper State playoff tilt will take place at Dooley Field instead of Sirrine Stadium in Greenville.
The big question for the Yellow Jackets entering Friday’s contest is whether they can contain the high-octane Greenville offense, which came within 22 seconds of leading the Red Raiders to a road upset victory over Gaffney last week.
Greenville quarterback Kiishun Farrow threw for 382 yards and seven touchdowns in the first meeting with Greer, which was his highest output on both counts this season. The Red Raider offense was assisted by four Greer turnovers, setting up short fields and quick scoring drives.
However, Greer’s defense did come away with one interception in the end zone and three other stops inside the 40 during the contest, attempting to keep the Yellow Jackets in the game. The interception by Terrell Jackson was on the final play of the first half with Greer only trailing by 13.
One way to keep the Greenville offense off the field is with a solid rushing attack, which Greer certainly has with the return of running back Calvin McCoy.
McCoy was injured in the teams’ first meeting, and has come back with a vengeance the last three weeks, including an eye-popping 295 yards and five touchdowns last week in the season finale against Riverside.
Sophomore quarterback Xavier Sammet also rushed for 184 yards and a touchdown against Riverside while completing 10 of 17 passes for 124 yards and another score.
Prior to the Riverside game, the Yellow Jacket defense had bounced back well in back-to-back contests following Greenville, holding both Wade Hampton and Travelers Rest to only seven points each.
Friday’s matchup will be the second time in four years the schools have met in the postseason. In 2023, Greenville came into Greer and escaped with a 24-21 win in the second round, which propelled the Red Raiders all the way to the state semifinals.
Kickoff for Friday’s game is set for 7:30 p.m.
