Greenbrier launches air attack

Friday night's 36-12 Greenbrier win at Lakeside didn't look like past Greenbrier football wins. In fact, it didn't look like traditional Columbia County football at all.

Instead of the typical ground game that most local schools are accustomed to, the Wolfpack grabbed its first victory of the season on a passing attack that racked up 254 yards through the air.

"We did a much better job of protecting the passer this week than we did last week. We made some adjustments in practice on that." Greenbrier first-year coach Scott Chadwick said. "We felt like our athletes at the receiver positions were better than their secondary, so we tried to take advantage of that."

The advantage was obvious. Greenbrier's big lineup of receivers included Dylan Turner (6 feet 2 inches) and Anthony Williams (6 feet 2 inches) against Lakeside's much shorter secondary. The Wolfpack pair combined for six receptions for 175 yards and a touchdown. The other Greenbrier receiver, 5-foot-9-inch Tyrone Bonds, used his leaping ability to corral five passes for 77 yards.

The passing game, which totalled 140 yards at halftime, set up Greenbrier's running game. Chadwick said that was the plan all along with starting tailback Freddie Jones.

"Freddie's not going to be a guy who you're going to pound up in there 30-35 times." he said. "He's got to be a guy that's going to complement the passing game."

After the Lakeside defense was spread out to contain Greenbrier's air attack, Jones took over with 18 carries for 98 yards and three rushing touchdowns, despite sitting out the entire fourth quarter. Backup tailback Jamal Madison picked up where Jones left off and rushed for 52 yards in the final quarter, including a 4-yard touchdown run with 23 seconds left in the game to seal the win.

The 24-point Greenbrier victory moved both teams to 1-1 on the season. Greenbrier holds a 7-2 advantage over Lakeside and has won the annual rivalry game in each of the past three seasons.