One has to forgive Greencastle head football coach Dave Stephens for sporting a smile and getting excited when talking about the Tiger Cubs. 

The reason isn't necessarily tied to wins and losses or the big win over South Putnam last week, but has more to do with the fact that Stephens is living out his dream job as head football coach at Greencastle. 

For the Greencastle graduate, this was the only job he ever wanted, and after two years as the offensive coordinator at Owen Valley, when the job opened, he gave it everything he had to get an opportunity. 

Now that he has the position, he is working tirelessly to bring success to the Tiger Cubs. 

"It means so much. Greencastle has been down the past couple of years and some of the excitement for the team had diminished. I am happy to play a small part in reinvigorating our school and community about football in Greencastle," Stephens said.

The road in his first season hasn't necessarily been a smooth one, as Greencastle opened the season 0-2 with losses against Danville and Northview before cracking the win column against West Vigo. Last week, the Tiger Cubs kept possession of the Putnam County Bucket as they overcame turnovers, penalties and a 14-point deficit at the start of the fourth quarter to knock off South Putnam. 

Is the team where he envisioned after four weeks?

"Not quite. I felt like we had the ability to upset one of our first two opponents but it just didn’t work out that way. Based on our schedule we can live with 2-2," Stephens said.

The success this season can be traced back to an offense that is led by freshman quarterback Cole Stephens and a defense that has been stiff numerous times this season. 

However, Stephens notes there have been other players who have stepped up this season as well.

"Lamar Moore played really well on both sides of the ball. Jackson Buis is just so solid on the offensive and defensive lines. Brendle Brennan has gone off with two back to back 100 yard, 2 plus touchdown games. Cam Pingleton has been disruptive on the defensive line," Stephens said.

As a result, Stephens admits he and his coaching staff know what kind of potential the Tiger Cubs have as Greencastle hits the halfway point of the season. 

"I think we know what kind of potential we have. We still have improvements to make going forward to compete in our sectional. But the potential is there if we can keep improving and reduce some mental mistakes," Stephens said. 

And, along the way, he admits he has seen the culture change at Greencastle. 

"It feels great. It's what we set out to do. Greencastle is a place used to having a ton of football success. We want to bring back the excitement and success to our football program," Stephens said. 

This Friday, Greencastle looks to extend its win streak as it takes on Sullivan (2-2). The Golden Arrows fell 14-12 last week to Linton Stockton, and Stephens notes the pressure is on the Greencastle coaching staff to make sure the players are ready to go, especially after an emotional win last week. 

"That will be a big challenge for us. The South game was extremely emotional. As a staff, we have to make sure there isn’t a letdown with effort and focus. I think there are more than enough items we can point to on film that need to be fixed. And our main goal is to improve throughout the season. We focus on process over outcome," Stephens said.