Jackets weather strong Gaffney performance
Greer wide receiver Brock Diggins stood out in the Jackets’ rainy scrimmage vs. Gaffney.
This story originally appeared in the Greer Citizen on Aug. 9, 2023.
Believe it or not, there was one scrimmage this past week that the rain didn’t cancel or postpone.
Greer took on Gaffney at Dooley Field on Thursday, and while conditions may have had players slipping and sliding, both teams put on a show.
Greer coach Will Young was impressed with his team’s performance against the Indians, a team many predict will compete for this year’s 5-A state championship.
“I thought the kids battled hard,” said Young. “Even when we faced a little adversity during the scrimmage, we didn’t have a whole lot of kids pouting. They just lined up and played the next play. That’s something we’ve been preaching about this offseason.”
Greer running back Ladainnian Martin and wide receiver Chase Byrd each scored a touchdown for Greer on the evening. Martin scored on a 15-yard outside rush, dragging a Gaffney tackler into the end zone with him. Byrd broke loose on a screen pass from quarterback Kaden Rowland, outracing the Gaffney defense for a 60-yard score.
Another notable contributor on offense was wide receiver Brock Diggins, who was targeted frequently in Greer’s run-pass option (RPO) offensive scheme. Diggins made several impressive receptions, including a 17-yard one-handed grab while being smothered by a Gaffney defensive back.
Young also praised the “strong” performance of junior Eduardo-Garcia Duran at offensive tackle.
Young still sees plenty of room for improvement in certain areas but was “fairly pleased” with what he saw on Thursday against a quality team in Gaffney.
“These scrimmages are one of the best things we do all year,” said Young. “It’s good for our offensive lineman, our running backs, all of our guys to go against some top-end speed and see how we match up.”
One specific area Young does want to see improvement, however, is discipline and fewer extra-curricular incidents. The Jackets were called for multiple post-down penalties for different reasons.
“We’ve got to learn how to conduct ourselves,” Young said. “A lot of extra-curricular stuff out there. I think we learned that Thursday. Hopefully, we’ll move forward and get better. That kind of discipline will come gradually.”
Greer will wrap up preseason scrimmages with a matchup against J.L. Mann on August 11 at 8:30 p.m.