Greenbrier dominated on the defensive side in its final scrimmage tune up before the 2024 season kicks off in earnest, leading to a 28-0 shutout victory over Richmond County Friday night.
The Wolfpack defense came out the gate swinging as it forced a turnover on downs at midfield on the Musketeers’ opening drive.
A big run from Greenbrier’s Cole Trupp set up the Pack for a 21-yard passing touchdown from Brayden Stephens to Ryan Clayborn.
After an ARC punt, the Wolfpack put together a five-minute drive capped off by an 18-yard Brennen Bjorkman touchdown run.
The teams traded punts and ARC had the ball, Greenbrier blitzed and got to the quarterback as he released it. The ball landed in the hands of the Wolfpack’s Elijah Chavez, and he ran it 25 yards for a touchdown to make it, 21-0, right before the break.
After halftime, things got sloppy for both sides as ARC fumbled and Greenbrier fumbled it right back to them on consecutive possessions. The Musketeers’ offense couldn’t capitalize, however, as they were forced to punt once again.
The Wolfpack finally got the wheels turning again as they drove the field, and Parker Brantley found the end zone from 26 yards out to put an exclamation mark on the blowout win.
Both teams put their junior varsity players in for the fourth quarter, and neither squads could get moving offensively.
This was Greenbrier’s Sean Tiernan second (scrimmage) game as head coach of the Wolfpack, but he is no stranger to the school as he led them to a baseball state title in 1999 as a player.
Tiernan said he was pleased with the improvement he saw from his team’s final scrimmage before kicking off the 2024 season in earnest next Friday. Tiernan’s first head football coaching gig comes as he replaces Tony Kramer who led the Wolfpack program for the last nine years.
He’s hoping to lead the Pack to its first winning season and playoff appearance since 2020. But first thing’s first – working to get better one week at a time.
“I think we cleaned up a lot that we didn’t execute in last week’s scrimmage against Westside,” Tiernan said. “We did a good job with being physical against ARC from the first snap.”
The Wolfpack defense looked much improved from a unit that allowed 30 points per game a season ago. The 2024 version, at least for Friday night, was impressive to watch in person as they flew around the field.
ARC quarterbacks and ball carriers were seemingly harassed by a Greenbrier defensive linemen on just about every play, and they delivered some blows.
“They are coming along,” Tiernan said. “We’re a lot more physical, and that’s what we’ve been preaching for both sides of the ball.”
This was a nice final tune-up before opening the 2024 campaign by hosting a tough Harlem squad that won last year’s meeting, 33-14.
“We still have a long way to go on what we’re doing,” Tiernan said. “We’ve got a lot to clean up, but we’ve just got to treat next week like we have the last two and not make it bigger than it really is.”
Greenbrier is 5-25 in the last three seasons, but this team, Tiernan believes, is completely different. He says that this Wolfpack bunch seems hungry and has a will to win that has been missing in that locker room for a bit.
Greenbrier and Harlem isn’t the only must-see game on a stacked week one schedule throughout Columbia County. Thomson heads to Evans in a matchup headlined by national talent with 4-star Georgia offensive lineman commit in Evans’ Mason Short as well as a pair of Kent State commits in Thomson running back Anthony Jeffery and Evans transfer Buddyrow Garrer.
Also, Lakeside will host a hungry Grovetown team eager to bounce back from last season’s 2-8 finish. Though coach Cory Evans guided Grovetown to a Class AAAAAA playoff appearance in 2021, the school hasn’t posted a winning record since 2018 when it won the Region 3-AAAAAA title.
Meanwhile, Richmond County’s opening week slate is loaded as well with a promising Westside squad hosting Laney next week. Josey will head over to Cross Creek. ARC travels to Waynesboro to face Burke County, while Aquinas and Athens Academy will battle it out with a new Georgia High School Association private school beginning this season.
