Allegiances surface on rivalry week

Penny Jackson might ask her husband to pass the butter at the dinner table this week. Marty Jackson might compliment his wife's outfit.

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Most any topic is fair game for conversation. But there is one subject that won't be broached.

Penny is an assistant principal at Greenbrier High School. Marty is the football coach at Evans High School.

The rivals will meet on the football field Friday to officially open football season in Columbia County.

"I usually get real sick during the week of Greenbrier-Evans, because I can't say anything about Greenbrier at home," Penny said. "And even if I wear a Greenbrier shirt on the day of the game, I have to tape over the 'G,' because gosh knows Marty would have a fit."

Evans will take the field Friday as the area bully, as described earlier this month by Lakeside coach Jody Grooms. The Knights finished 9-3 last season with a playoff win. And despite having lost key players on both sides of the ball, they return a solid core.

The Knights lost their starting defensive line to graduation. But with Nigel Charles and Reuben Faloughi rushing the passer from the ends, they might not have lost much.

Quarterback Kevin Millward is gone, but the Knights are confident in the leadership of Troy Griffith, who started on Evans' junior varsity squad last year after moving to the area from Texas.

Running back Jonathan Finch said the Knights began preparing for the Wolfpack last week. By now, both sides are just ready to take the field.

"It's a great feeling to be able to participate in a game like that," Finch said.

Greenbrier also will run with a new quarterback, or possibly a set of quarterbacks.

Wolfpack coach Brian Smith has declared Blake Ross, Chris Smith and T.D. Davis all capable of running his spread offense. Smith is in his first year as head coach, having been an assistant to then-coach Scott Chadwick last season.

The Wolfpack finished 3-5 last season after forfeiting two victories for using ineligible players, which led to Chadwick's resignation.

Smith said the transition to a new season under a new coach was easier because he was already on staff. His players already had a decent understanding of Smith's system and a familiarity with his assistants.

And the Wolfpack will have home-field advantage as they start their quest to turn things around.

The Jackson house, which can include daughter Ashley, a social studies teacher and cheerleading coach at Greenbrier, might be the most tense of any this week. The situation is probably worse than the week of the Alabama-Auburn game.

Marty sides with Auburn. Penny rolls with the Tide. The front tag of the family vehicle declares theirs "A House Divided."

"It's sick, ain't it?" Marty said.

The two sides manage to coexist. Penny shoots video at Evans games and bakes cupcakes for the Greenbrier players.

She has found a solution for her allegiance crisis this year. Her shirt Friday will bear the logo of Grovetown High School, where she'll be the principal next year.

"At least we're getting it out of the way early this year," she said.