Greer and Riverside football combined for over 1,000 yards of total offense on Friday night, but in the end, it was the Yellow Jackets who emerged victorious.
Greer downed Riverside 55-40 in the regular season finale, clinching a home game in the first round of the 4-A playoffs.
Senior Greer running back Calvin McCoy and sophomore quarterback Xavier Sammet were a two-man wrecking crew on the ground. McCoy accounted for 295 rushing yards and five touchdowns, while Sammet added 184 yards rushing and a touchdown of his own.
With both offenses trading touchdown drives left and right throughout the game, the result hinged on a late defensive stand from the Yellow Jackets. With Riverside trailing 48-40 and under five minutes to go, Greer senior defensive lineman Anius Smith came up with a sack to force a turnover on downs from the Warriors.
"We knew coming into this game that [Riverside] does a good job throwing the ball and spreading it around," said Greer head coach Will Young. "We've still got a lot of work to do in defending the passing game, but we got pressure on that drive and made a big stop."
Greer finishes the regular season with a 7-3 overall record and 4-1 mark in region play after the Jackets' 61-28 loss to Greenville was overturned following the SCHSL ruling Greenville used an ineligible player in the game. Greenville was forced to forfeit the game, giving Greer the win and handing the Jackets second place in Region 2-4A.
The top two finishers in each 4-A region earn a home playoff game automatically, giving Greer one last game (at least) at Dooley Field in 2026.
"With the way these playoffs are set up, there's no bad team," said Young. "We don't know how many of these games we have left, so we have to show up to play whoever we face and be completely ready. It's going to be a test."
