Try throwing at someone else. Larry Cobb came to play.

That thought apparently never processed for Greenville quarterback Ryan Smith last Friday night as the DHS junior helped the home Tigers roar from behind to take the 48-41 win.

Cobb first made an impact upon the passing game when Greenville was inside the red zone and threatening to add to a 13-0 lead. On fourth down, Cobb showed off his vertical leaping ability and plucked the ball from the air.

Smith and the Greenville coaching staff clearly failed to take notes.

During the third quarter, after having watched a 15-point lead be reduced to eight, Greenville found itself in a third-and-long situation facing a suddenly hostile Demopolis crowd. Smith took the snap, dropped back and went through his reads. What the signal-caller failed to read was that No. 9 had his zone on lock down. Smith could only watch as his pass was once again unceremoniously removed from the air by the athletic junior corner.

Those first two interceptions should have been enough to keep Cobb on Smith’s mind. But just in case the visiting passer had forgotten that a certain DB’s side of the field was off limits that night, Cobb reiterated the message one more time when he picked off a third pass, again squelching a Greenville scoring threat.

And do not be fooled. The hint of amazement in the faces and voices of Demopolis onlookers as they watched Larry Cobb’s coming out party was not surprise. No. It was far from it. Those looks were simply the unadulterated joy of watching the emergence of an athlete whose time to shine had finally come.

But it wasn’t just interceptions for Cobb Friday. It was high-octane, sideline-to-sideline play that saw him rack up tackle after tackle while helping to anchor the Tiger defensive effort.

So while Ryan Smith may not have gotten the memo, the rest of 5A should be on alert. If you put the ball in the air to Larry Cobb’s side of the field, tell your teammates to get ready to play defense.

— Jeremy D. Smith