The long wait is over and football will return to Burley Stadium on Friday night as long time rival Morristown West comes to town to take on the Greeneville Greene Devils in the 2026 season opener.
“This is what its all about. You put in all that work in offseason to get to this point, and now its here. It’s week one and we’re excited,” Greeneville coach Eddie Spradlen said.
The Devils and the Trojans have been squaring off on the gridiron since 1975, and the bulk of those contests counted toward the region standings. Today the stakes are not as high, with Greeneville in Class 4A and West in Class 5A, but for many Greeneville faithful the rivalry still runs strong.
A year ago the Greene Devils prevailed 35-0 in Morristown in a game that was stopped at halftime due to lightning. But don’t expect the same Trojans to roll into Burley on Friday. They are under new leadership after hiring coach Darrell Keith from Clinton in the offseason, and he has brought a new attitude to the program.
“There is a lot of energy with that program right now with a new coach. They are a big physical football team that plays with a lot of energy,” Spradlen said. “I expect a great effort from them on Friday night. This is a big game for a lot of people in our community, any of the old heads always want to see you beat Morristown West.”
The player to watch for the Trojans will be senior quarterback Riley McClellan who can be both dangerous as a runner and thrower in West’s up-tempo spread offense. He will be running behind a big offensive line, but the Trojans’ skill players are largely untested on the varsity level.
“They are spreading it out on offense and the quarterback does a good job running the football,” Spradlen said. “They have a big offensive line and will try to control the line of scrimmage. We can’t let them run the football on us, we have to be able to get stops on third down.”
For Greeneville senior Kaine Ricker will be making his first start at quarterback and will be operating behind an offensive line with four new starters.
At the skill spots Ricker does have some veteran options to deliver the ball to including senior running back Jude Dyer and senior receivers Taren Claridy and Cole Smith.
“We’re staring to get all of the puzzle pieces figured out, but there are still some more we need to get figured out, from special teams to back ups. There are even some starters we need to solidify, but I’m really excited for where we are at. This is a fun group that really works hard,” Spradlen said.
The series dates back to 1975 and the Trojans lead in victories, 27-22. However Greeneville has won the last eight meetings dating back to 2016. The last time the two teams met in Burley Stadium Greeneville won 42-6. The last Morristown West won at Burley Stadium was 2014, 21-14.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 PM, and the game will be live on your airwaves on WGRV 99.5 FM.
