Greer introduces a new look, the air raid, to kick off the 2025 football season this Friday night when the Yellow Jackets host Boiling Springs at Dooley Field.

"For the first time in my career, and maybe ever at Greer High, we will be throwing the football more than running it," declares Head Coach Will Young. He explains that the Yellow Jackets have difficulty running the ball behind a small and inexperienced offensive line. "We have to take advantage of the thing we can do, which is throw and catch. We have a good quarterback and a solid crew of receivers. Our line did not give up a sack against a good defense when we went up against Shelby last Friday night. We had an 80-yard scoring drive without running the ball once," Young said.

The Air Raid will face plenty of anti-aircraft flack during a four-game murder’s row just ahead. Boiling Springs, first up, shelled Greer 43-0 last year, "and will be good again," Young warns. "They graduated a bunch of kids on offense, but a good many are back on defense, and they are really good."

Another hill to climb is an earlier start to school earlier with the first game a week sooner than in the past. "By the time we play Friday night, we will have had only 14 practices and that includes three scrimmages," Young explains. "And some practices have been forced indoors because of the weather. That’s asking a lot of the kids. I don’t think any team is ready to play yet." Young said the Yellow Jackets scrimmaged Gaffney to cap the first week of practice, "and played pretty well. Then we went to Powdersville three days later and did not play well at all. We had no energy." Greer wrapped up pre-season by battling Shelby, NC, to a 14-14 draw in the Chapman Jamboree last Friday night "We had a decent game except for one busted play on defense, and a bad snap on a punt. We had a chance to win on the last play but missed a field goal. We have work to do on our kicking game."

Greer’s probably starting offensive lineup will be sophomores Trey Abercrombie and Garren Keeley a center and left guard, respectively; juniors Nathan Huff and Josh Hultquist at right tackle and right guard, respectively, and senior Dallas Williams at left tackle. Dawson Fowler, a sophomore, opens at quarterback with Calvin McCoy, a junior, at running back. There are a fleet of senior wide receivers" Quantez Miller, Elias Jackson, Tucker Hudson, A.J. Jackson and Noel Sitton, plus junior D.J. Hicks. Freshmen Zay Moseley and Tyler Janson will see duty when an H back is employed.

Defensively, Greer will be without starting senior tackle Aiden Jones who has been sidelined with an injury. That leaves senior Lewis Bussey at nose with senior Paden Armstrong and junior Anius Smith at tackles. Linebackers will include senior Sammy White, juniors Qua’von Mille, and Tyler Spinner, and freshman Tyler Janson. Cornerbacks include juniors Jakobi Ballenger, Chase Free, and Artavious Gwinn. Safeties will be Elias Jackson and Noel Sitton.

"I think it’s important for the kids to come to play, like we did at Gaffney and against Shelby," Young said of the opener. "We can’t afford to drop passes. That will be deadly because we don’t have the ability to just line up and pound you."