The tail end of a football season always bring a unique set of challenges to area teams, but the Greenville Tigers have been hit harder than most.

A number of unfortunate injuries have plagued the Tigers at several key positions.

Starting quarterback D’raylen McGrew suffered an injury to his throwing arm that caused him to miss the past two weeks (and possibly a this week’s game, as well).

Running back Skilar Moorer took a nasty hit on a punt return for a touchdown against Georgiana, and running back Alyric Posey suffered a sprained MCL that will keep him out this week against the Sidney Lanier Poets.

“We’ve got to get those guys well and keep playing, plugging in guys to take their spot until they get back,” said Greenville head coach Patrick Plott.

“It’s never been a challenge, because we’ve got guys in here that are just waiting on that opportunity, and once somebody goes down we plug them in and just try to keep it going.”

Sidney Lanier strikes Plott as a team with a  great deal of athleticism on both sides of the ball, and the Poets’ offense is equally capable on the ground and the air.

Despite these elements that Plott found noteworthy after watching them on film, the Poets haven’t turned them into much success on the field, managing only one win on the season thus far.

But Plott can’t be bothered to worry himself with the past—Friday night is his only concern.

“We can’t look at what they’ve done in the past,” Plott said.

“We’ve got to go in and know that they’re looking for wins just like we are, so we’ve got to go in focused and ready to play.”

“I think we need to take care of the little things—blocking, tackling and sprinting to the football—and be sound in the kicking game,” Plott said.

The Tigers travel to Sidney Lanier High School to face the Poets Friday at 7 p.m.