John Clayton
Troy (5), Troy, Sr., Chance and Angela Pride have another year to watch their sons play against each other. Troy, at Greer, will be a senior and Chance, at Eastside, will be a sophomore.
Julie McCombs
Troy Pride (5) scored on a 70-yard touchdown run Friday night.
Julie McCombs
Chance Pride said, "we're on different football teams, wearing different colors, so I didn't care who he is."
At some point Friday night, it was bound to happen.
Eastside freshman running back Chance Pride scooted around left end, seeing a slither of daylight that was quickly covered up by a familiar figure – his brother, Troy, who also happens to be a Greer defensive back and reserve running back.
Troy Pride's tackle of his younger sibling was a final footnote in a blowout, 70-19, and a unique week in the Pride household as brother would be pitted against brother.
"I was hoping (Chance) wasn't going to duck inside and avoid the hit, and he didn't. I was able to hit him low, cut him out. He didn't get a lot of yards," Greer's Troy Pride said. "He didn't run me over. It was a good play – a sound play, how I play."
Chance said there were no butterflies when it came to playing Greer or against his older brother. He was ready, but things just didn't go the Eagles' way from the outset, and Troy was able to make an all-Pride family tackle at the end of the game.
"I was trying to just get into the end zone," Chance said of squaring off against his brother late in the fourth quarter. "I really didn't care who it was – No. 5 (Troy) is my brother, but at the same time we're on different football teams, wearing different colors, so I didn't care who he is. I'm trying to truck him and do whatever I had to do."
Chance said his decision to attend Eastside had much to do with the Eagles prolific wrestling program, which has won 10 Class 3A championships, including last year's. The freshman will wrestle at 126 pounds this season. Meanwhile, Troy decided to concentrate on football and track, and he chose Greer.
Those decisions ultimately made for an unusual situation at the Pride household come game week.
"It was pretty interesting," Troy Pride, Sr. said. "We're a very competitive family, so it was actually pretty easy for us. We didn't pick sides, but we just let them do what they do."
Pride, Sr., and wife Angela were both wearing "Pride Family" T-shirts with action photos of both Chance and Troy, Jr. on full display.
"We were never a house divided," Angela said of the week building up to Friday night's game. "We were always a united family."
In addition to the late tackle, Greer's Pride got the better of the inaugural football matchup between brothers (the first of two that are anticipated since Greer's Pride is a junior), scoring on a 70-yard touchdown run and recording an interception.
"There was a lot of nervousness. I came out there knowing I'd need to make a play against (Chance)," Troy, Jr. said. "But I said that I just had to focus and play my game with my team and come out with the W."
The unbeaten Yellow Jackets settled the "W" question early with a 42-0 lead by halftime, and the Eagles were never in it.
"It was a tough loss, but we've got to come out here on Monday and try to get better," Chance said.
With the Eagles looking to next week in the wake of a stinging loss, Pride, Sr., began looking to next year and another sibling rivalry on the gridiron.
"This is the first year, so we've got one more of these annual things to go through," he said with a smile.