Greencastle enters sectional play on two-game win streak

Although the regular season record may not have been what Greencastle head football coach Dave Stephens wanted, the veteran coach is excited by what he has seen from his team down the stretch.

Ahead of Friday's Class 2A Sectional 38 opener at South Vermillion, the Tiger Cubs enter sectional play on a two-game win streak, having won three of their last four to close out the regular season 4-5. 

"We are really excited about where things are at for us. Heading into the tournament, I couldn't be more excited for the opportunity and our draw. 

We talked with our guys before the season that they didn't know what they didn't know until they saw it. I predicted our young guys would step up and be ready to rock and roll by the time the playoffs started. It has come to fruition. Our maturity has hit when it mattered most, and these aren't teams we are overwhelmingly more talented then. We are grinding out one possession wins and it takes growth on our team. We are very excited and we believe we will be a tough out. I am excited about the opportunity, as well as the growth and trajectory of our team this year," Stephens told The Putnam County Post. 

Additionally, Stephens notes that his team has won three sectional tournament opening games during his tenure. Some of that could be due to how Stephens adjusts practices toward the end of the regular season, which keeps the Tiger Cubs ready. 

"I'm an old track coach, so it is something we have taken over from the track world. You change your workload and workouts, and we want to be fresh and play our best when everyone else is kind of beat up. That is the philosophy we have taken, and we have had a lot of post season success going back to 2021 at Owen Valley. We are really excited about the way we do things. If you haven't learned to block and tackle by week nine, I don't know if it's coming for you. We want to get treatment, save our legs, save our bodies and fly around and play football the way we want to," he said. 

Greencastle knocked off Southmont, 35-28, in the regular season finale.  

"It's one of those games you hope for as a coach. They won the toss and deferred to the second half and we came out and scored on a big post route over the top to one of our seniors. The elements came and our guys didn't panic. We didn't turn the ball over and we had one penalty the entire night. We held our discipline, forced a few turnovers, and our young guys stepped up. It was everything you could want. We got the win in front of a good crowd on Fall Break Friday. We were very happy about it," Stephens said. 

Against South Vermillion, Greencastle faces a 5-4 team that defeated Attica 56-6 last week. 

Stephens said the Wildcats are "impressive."

"They are a team that is a little undersized, not the most athletic team but they play with the kind of heart, energy and aggressiveness you want from a team. All the credit goes to their coaching staff for the way they have those boys playing, and they have five wins. They have done well in their conference and had a big win last week with a running clock against Attica. They are a formidable team, and they will be playing for their seniors on their home field and they have got some players over there. It will be a battle and a heck of a challenge for us. We need to be focused on one play at a time and do our job," Stephens said. 

Stephens said Greencastle must exhibit toughness and discipline to win. 

"We have to set the tone physically, pursue to the ball and have 11 guys pursuing with great energy. We have to be disciplined. We have to do our job, not have mental lapses and if we can do that more than South Vermillion does, we will put ourselves in a great position to win the football game," Stephens said.