The Greenville Tigers are one step closer to securing a playoff berth after a convincing 41-18 win over the Headland Rams on the road.

And though it wasn’t always pretty, Greenville head football coach Josh McLendon said that the win was exactly what the doctor ordered.

“We faced a little adversity early on close to halftime,” McLendon said. “We didn’t really make any adjustments at halftime.  We just felt like we needed to play a little harder and with a sense of urgency. 

“The kids responded well, and we had a couple of big plays and big turnovers. We just made some plays at the right time, when in the first half we didn’t make those plays at the right time.  It’s kind of what we’ve been talking about all year.

But we’ve finally got some energy on the defensive side of the ball and we played a little harder.  It was a good win, for sure.”

The Tigers aim to keep their feet on the pedal next week against a drastically improved Booker T. Washington Golden Eagles team.

Though the Golden Eagles have fallen to the Tigers in the past five meetings, McLendon said that this year’s squad is a cut about the rest.

“They’re good on both sides of the ball,” McLendon said.

“They’ve always been an athletic team, but we’re expecting a very, very good team, and I know that’s what we’ll get.  They’ve improved every year, and they’ve got a really good running back who’s doing a great job for them.  They’re playing good football, and I know they’re excited about the big opportunity that they have also.”

The Tigers’ goal remains the same, however—gradual, steady improvement after every game.

“We’re just trying to get better,” McLendon said. “We’re still so far away from being where we need to be, so we just want to continue to try to work, continue to grow and make those plays when we need to make them.  If we can do that, we’ll be OK.  We’ll really need to have a good week of practice and really get going.”

The Tigers hit the road once again for their third of four consecutive region games Friday. 

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.