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Greenville High School faced a tough challenge against Hillcrest Friday, starting strong but ultimately falling short in a hard-fought game. Coach Garrick Pimienta expressed mixed feelings about his team’s performance, acknowledging both their efforts and areas for improvement.

“It was a little disappointing,” Pimienta said. “We took some steps back into some bad habits as far as discipline and because of that, we made some completely controllable errors and penalties.”

Greenville opened the game with a bang, taking an 8-0 lead on the first play when Ty Phillips dashed into the end zone. Hillcrest quickly responded and the game remained tight throughout. 

After Hillcrest tied up the score at 8-8, Greenville answered with a touchdown pass from Cedric Morris to Krishun Combs, briefly regaining a 14-8 lead. Hillcrest evened the score once again and by the end of the first quarter, the teams were locked at 14-14.

Midway through the second quarter, Morris connected with Bruce Albritton, putting Greenville ahead 20-14. Yet by halftime, Hillcrest had reclaimed the lead, 22-20, after a late touchdown and two-point conversion.

Hillcrest extended its lead early in the third quarter with a touchdown pass and another two-point conversion, making it 29-20. Despite multiple opportunities deep in Hillcrest territory, Greenville couldn’t capitalize, turning the ball over on downs twice in the red zone.

In the fourth quarter, Hillcrest turned the ball over on downs with approximately four minutes remaining, giving Greenville one last chance to make a comeback. Greenville took over possession on their own 22-yard line but struggled to advance, eventually facing a 4th down deep in their own territory. After being unable to convert, Greenville had to punt, effectively ending their final opportunity to score.

“Our team is making all the gradual steps forward, but sometimes we also take steps back,” Pimienta said. “I’m always proud of my boys, but if we watch that and continue forward, I think we can create something that the community and fans are really proud of.”

Despite the setbacks, Pimienta remains hopeful that Greenville’s continued growth will lead to a stronger performance when the Tigers face off against Eufaula on Oct. 4.