It was déjà vu for Greenville High School Friday night.

For the second season in a row, Class 4A Anniston High School dealt Class 5A Greenville High School a season-opening loss.

The Bulldogs topped the Tigers 25-20 Friday night in Anniston.

“I thought we played a decent game,” Greenville head coach Earnest Hill said. “We played better in the second half, but I felt like the effort was there. (Anniston) made some plays at the end, and we didn’t, but overall I was happy with our guys.”

Hill praised his offense, which was able to move the ball against the Bulldogs after struggling to do so against Vigor in the Tigers’ preseason contest.

“We looked better,” Hill said. “I thought the offense looked pretty good in the second half. We turned it over on downs a couple of times down inside the 10 yard line, but we’re improving. That’s what we want.”

While the outcome of Friday’s game left something to be desired for the Tigers, Hill emphasized the importance of preparing for the Tigers’ region slate, which kicks off next Friday.

“We want to win all of our games, but the region games are the ones that count,” Hill said. “Anniston is a good football team. We want to play good football teams and continue to get better. Playing these tougher teams to start the season is going to help prepare us for those games.”

Greenville will be back in action Friday night when it plays host to Class 5A, Region 3 rival Satsuma High School.

Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. at Tiger Stadium.