The first round of the playoffs marks a fresh slate for all participating teams, and that rings true for the Greenville Tigers’ next opponent, the Dallas County Hornets, most of all.

The Hornets very nearly lost control of their own destiny after losing consecutive region games to Calera and Demopolis in convincing fashion, but the team clambered on to a fourth-place seed and a seat at the table.

For Josh McLendon, head football coach of the Greenville Tigers, it doesn’t matter how the Hornets got there.

“We realize that they’ve made the playoffs for a reason, and everybody’s record is back to 0-0,” McLendon said.

“We have to prepare for them just like we would anyone else, and we’re treating this as the most important game of the season because it is. We’re going to take it one day at a time, but we’re going to prepare for them as hard as we have for anybody.”

The Dallas County Hornets (6-4) make their first playoff appearance in 11 years, and McLendon said that the tenacity the team has shown throughout the season makes that no small wonder.

“They’re a real scrappy team, and they really get after it on both sides of the ball,” McLendon said. “They like to run the football on offense, and defensively they do a good job of getting 11 guys to the football and making tackles, and being aggressive on defense.”

As for the Tigers, the team is as healthy in Week 12 has it has ever been, and the overall state of the team is a marked improvement over 2014’s injury-ridden squad.

McLendon is hopeful that his team is in an ideal position for a postseason push, but one caveat stands remains in front of the Tigers.

The threat of inclement weather has pushed the Tigers’ first-round game up to Thursday.

McLendon said that while the loss of a day would hurt, it wouldn’t be enough to stifle a Tigers team full of momentum.

“Any time you lose a day of preparation, it’s tough,” McLendon said.

“But we just have to be organized as coaches to get our players in the best position to be successful, and I think we’ve got a great plan for that.”

The Tigers will host the Dallas County Hornets Thursday night. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.