First-year Blanchester football coach Brandon Sammons was not hesitant to place a challenge at the feet — and arm as it turned out — of one of his players.
Not when that player is senior quarterback Tristan Greene.
“All the situations we’ve been in this year, I can’t really recall that we were worried that he (Greene) was going to respond differently,” said Sammons. “He’s a competitor and he gets after it.”
Heading into last week’s Southern Buckeye Athletic & Academic Conference National Division showdown with Bethel-Tate, the Wildcats had clinched at least a share of the league crown. Nobody wants to a share a title, so winning the game and the outright championship was the top priority.
However, Sammons wanted his team to make a statement. In his post-game comments following a Week 8 win over Williamsburg, Sammons said he wanted a raucous crowd on hand at Barbour Memorial Field to make Bethel-Tate wonder why it even made the trip for the game.
He also wanted to get Greene personal recognition as the SBAAC National Division Player of the Year. Though Greene has had a strong season in this high-octane offense, Sammons wanted an exclamation point, a memory of Greene that would be etched into the minds’ of the fans and coaches around the SBAAC.
So Sammons put Greene on the spot. To be honest, Sammons put the entire team on the spot to make sure Greene didn’t come up short.
“I told the team before the game that there was talk of another player in the league being the (player of the year) and that there wasn’t anyone better than him (Greene),” Sammons said. “I challenged him in front of the team that he needed to go out and prove who the best really was so there was no doubt.”
Challenge accepted.
“I think he took it to heart,” said Sammons. “He was playing like a man possessed.”
The result was one of the best offensive performances by a high school football player in state history — 295 yards and six touchdowns on the ground and 151 yards and four touchdowns through the air.
“That would probably be the best I’ve seen with my own two eyes,” said Sammons, who has been part of several outstanding offensive performances.
“His vision is unbelievable, reminds me of Johnny Noyen from (Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy quarterback) last year,” said Sammons, who came to Blanchester from CHCA. Noyen is a freshman on the University of Dayton football team.
As the game against Bethel-Tate unfolded — it ended up being a 73-18 Blanchester victory – Sammons was not surprised with the outcome or Greene’s success.
“I just write down what I want to run. I just go, ‘What’s next on the list?’ The biggest thing is, it’s starting to make sense to our guys. There’s no thinking. We’re just playing. We know what we’re doing,” he said.
Greene, a humble superstar in this case, credited the big guys up front for his eye-popping numbers. After all, they share in the team’s success.
“It feels great,” Greene said. “I thank my lineman for doing everything that they do.”
Sammons admits he’ll miss the 5-9, 175-pound signal-caller next season. That Sammons has grown fond of No. 5 isn’t based entirely on Greene’s ability on the field. His family upbringing has made him a standout in all facets of life.
“I couldn’t be happier for that kid,” said Sammons. “He is what is right about high school football. Undersized, not the strongest, not the fastest … still pretty strong and fast for his size. But (Greene) has something that cannot be measured and the most important thing in this game, heart.
“He’s a great kid and a great leader. He’s as humble as they come and a very respected kid. I’ll be sad to see him go. It was as impressive a showing as you could hope to see in a championship game and on a stage like that.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: Matt Sexton contributed to this column.
