GREEN SEA – The Green Sea-Floyds football team will practice on Thanksgiving Day later this week, and the Trojans are thankful for it.
The program won its first playoff game in 13 years Friday night. Now there’s a new atmosphere around school.
“A lot of smiles,” coach Tony Sullivan said. “You know, high fives and a lot of congratulations and the kids are smiling from ear to ear.”
Those are new sights for the fifth-year head coach who has endured many struggles on the road to postseason success. He inherited a group in 2012 that had been through multiple coaching changes during their high school careers. His 2013 and ’14 squads won just one game combined, and the team took a 13-game losing streak into 2015.
The Trojans (6-5) broke an eight-year playoff drought this year, which is remarkable in itself considering they went winless just two years ago. But winning – on the road, no less – shows the progress the program has made.
“To have that victory is a big sigh of relief,” Sullivan said of his team’s 52-23 win at Military Magnet Friday in their Class A playoff opener. “It’s just glad to, No. 1 get there but No. 2 to have that victory. It’s just a sigh of relief knowing that it pays off.”
Now the Trojans are hungry for another playoff victory, which would clinch their first winning season since 2007.
“Winning is contagious and we want to keep that contagious outlook” Sullivan said. “And I think the kids are excited to be able to practice this week on Thanksgiving week. It’s something nobody’s ever done here before. That’s going to be exciting and fun and finally playing some cold weather – (how) football’s supposed to be done.”
Green Sea-Floyds plays at No. 1 seed C.E. Murray Friday at 7:30. The War Eagles won the Lower State title last year in Class A Division II.
