GREENVILLE — Greenville honored 11 seniors Friday night before closing its 2026 football season with a 37-14 loss to Troy at Alumni Stadium, where a determined second-half effort gave the Green Wave something to build on.
Trailing 34-0 at halftime, Greenville responded to coach Steve Channell’s locker room challenge by outscoring the Trojans 14-3 over the final two quarters.
Channell’s message centered on the community and the responsibility his players had to the people who continued to support them.
“I talked about the community, and that people still come out here on a Friday night regardless of our record, and they support us,” Channell said. “We owe everything to the community as a whole to go out and play and leave everything on the field.”
For Greenville’s seniors, the challenge carried added meaning: They had two quarters remaining in their high school football careers.
“Leave it on the field. Leave it on the field,” Channell said. “I just told them they have two quarters of football left, and that’s it. So I think it struck a chord with them.”
A community member joined Channell in the locker room and broke the team’s huddle before the players returned to the field.
The Green Wave answered with a third-quarter touchdown and held Troy scoreless, changing the direction of a game the Trojans controlled through the first half.
Troy opened the scoring with a 42-yard field goal, then added a 72-yard touchdown pass and a 4-yard touchdown run to build a 17-0 first-quarter lead.
The Trojans extended the advantage in the second quarter with a 13-yard touchdown pass, a 30-yard field goal and a 3-yard touchdown pass. The 34-0 halftime lead put the running clock in effect at the start of the third quarter.
Greenville senior Gage Denham helped spark the response, scoring on a 9-yard run in the third quarter. The touchdown and extra point cut the deficit to 34-7 and ended the running clock.
The Green Wave defense kept Troy off the scoreboard throughout the quarter, and Greenville carried its momentum into the fourth.
Quarterback Grady Looker connected with Cullen Schmidt on a 13-yard touchdown pass, bringing Greenville within 34-14 with 8:19 remaining. Troy answered with a 39-yard field goal to complete the scoring.
Greenville outrushed Troy 235-147, with Denham finishing with 100 yards on the ground. The Trojans held a 160-40 advantage in passing yards.
Isaac Kerg caught three passes for 27 yards for Greenville, while Schmidt’s 13-yard touchdown accounted for the remainder of the Green Wave’s receiving yardage.
Before kickoff, Greenville recognized seniors Tristan Bey-Russell, Denham, Eric Ferguson, Johnathon Floyd, Michael Fox, Anthony Gutierrez, Kerg, Keegan Lachat, Connor Pearson, Jackson Ross and Isaac Winner.
Channell credited the group for its commitment through two seasons under his leadership.
“When you don’t have big numbers, every class is important,” he said.
For Channell, the seniors’ willingness to stay with the program and continue working deserved recognition beyond the final record.
“They’re a senior, they’re still playing, and you have to honor that,” he said.
Greenville finished 2-8, but Channell said the record did not fully reflect how competitive the Green Wave had been. He pointed to two or three games his team had opportunities to win and Friday’s second-half response as evidence of its persistence.
“We’re competitive in the majority of our games,” Channell said. “Even like tonight, just keep fighting and coming back.”
Fans continued to fill the stands at the school’s new Alumni Stadium throughout the season, providing the community support Channell emphasized in his halftime talk.
The coach said the work ahead includes examining the program and identifying areas for improvement.
“There’s just a lot of things that I need to continue to evaluate and address within the program as a whole,” Channell concluded.
