By BY BRUCE HIXON – sports editor
Their opponent has the worst record of any team in the Class 4A playoffs. Their opponent's defense has given up more points than any team in the 4A postseason field.
Considering the T.R. Miller Tigers are 9-1 on the season and have been ranked among the top five in the state most of the season, which includes a three-week stint at No. 1, most consider Friday's 7 p.m. first-round match-up against the Greene County Tigers at Brewton Municipal Stadium to be a mismatch.
That might be true if it were the regular season, but the postseason is often a place to expect the unexpected.
Although Greene County finished regular season play with a 3-7 overall record and a 3-4 mark in Region 4, the opposing Tigers probably fall into Riggs' category as a team on the upswing. Greene County started out the season 1-6, but won back-to-back games over Northside 42-12 and Holt 63-32 to sneak into the playoffs. The Tigers were ambushed last week in their regular season finale by 5A power Demopolis 69-6.
Riggs' statement is backed up by the fact Greene County is averaging a respectable 23.4 points a game on offense. Take away the first two games of the season where the Tigers scored just 15 points and Greene County has averaged 27.4 points a game over its last eight contests.
The opposing Tigers will be one of the biggest teams T.R. Miller has seen all season in terms of weight. Greene County has a front line that includes center Jounthan Woodruff (6-3, 340 lb. jr.), right tackle Aderius Hood (6-0, 275, lb. fresh.), left tackle Leon Smith (5-11, 285 lb. soph.), right guard Christopher Daniels (5-11, 220 lb. fresh.) and left guard Antonie Robinson (5-11, 185 lb. 8th gr.).
Greene County also has plenty of size in its two-tight end offense with Jeremy Gibson (6-6, 240 lb. sr.) and Andre Woods (6-4, 215. 1b. sr.).
Greene County tends to use its size to set up both its running game led by fullback Michael Stewart (5-8, 230 lb. sr.) and its passing game with quarterback McElroy Quinton (5-11, 275 lb. sr.).
Greene County's downfall has been a defense that has allowed a whopping 37.1 points a game. The Tigers allowed at least 30 points seven times during the regular season and 40 or more four times. Demopolis scorched Greene County's defense for 319 rushing yards last week, which included 186 yards and five touchdowns by Lucious Haywood.
T.R. Miller enters the playoffs fresh off last week's 28-21 win over No. 9 Trinity Presbyterian.
T.R. Miller needed fourth quarter comebacks to win three games (Thomasville, Jackson and Trinity) the second half of the season. The Tigers also staged a fourth quarter comeback against W.S. Neal in their only loss of the season, as they took the lead in the final minute only to see the Blue Eagles answer with the winning score.
After it allowed an average of 14.2 points a game the first five games of the season, T.R. Miller's defense gave up an average of 24 points a game over its final five games of the regular season.
One thing that saved T.R. Miller against Trinity was the fact its defense created six turnovers.
The winner of the T.R. Miller-Greene County game will take on the winner of the Elmore County (7-3)-Ashford (6-4) game next week. If T.R. Miller wins, the Tigers would host Elmore County and travel to Ashford.