The clocks have changed, the calendar has flipped to November and the stakes get higher for the Greeneville Greene Devils as they begin the Class 4A playoffs on Friday by hosting Fulton.
The Greene Devils begin postseason play unbeaten, but now its win or win or go home and coach Eddie Spradlen knows he needs the absolute best from his squad as they look to keep advancing.
“Fulton is not your regular four seed. They play in a tough region with a really tough schedule. They played in a really big game last week to get in the playoff, and we’re excited for a big game in Burley Stadium Friday night,” Spradlen said. “We challenge them to be playing our best football at this point in the season, and I think we are. We have a big opportunity in front of us and we have to make the most of it.”
The Falcons enter the game as the No.4 seed from Region 2-4A with a 5-5 record, but those losses have come against some of the best teams in the state in 10-0 Alcoa, 9-1 Macon County, 9-1 Knox Central, 9-1 Gibbs and 6-4 Anderson County.
The playoffs began last week for Fulton as they beat South-Doyle 31-14 to get into the Class 4A bracket.
The Falcons offense will be led quarterback Jamil Smith who has thrown for 850 yards and run for 678 yards this season with 20 combined touchdowns. Running back Waco Upshaw has run for 882 yards with seven scores. As a team the Falcons average 199 yards per game on the ground.
“They play with a tight end or H Back most of the time. They have a really big offensive line and they have a ton of speed at the skill spots,” Spradlen said. “They want to let those playmakers make plays. Then midway through the season they had an injury at quarterback and moved their running back to quarterback. We have to be aware of him, because he runs it like a running back, and throws a good ball.”
Greeneville brings one of the most dynamic offenses in the state to the contest, averaging 51.6 points and 465 yards per contest. The dynamic duo of quarterback Kaine Ricker and receiver Taren Claridy have been the driving force behind that success and a 10-0 record.
Ricker is accounting for nearly 300 yards and over four touchdowns per contest while completing 84 percent of his passes. Claridy has set new program records for receiving yards and touchdowns while being named a semifinalist for Class 4A’s Mr. Football Award.
The last time the Greene Devils and Falcons met was the first round of the 2023 playoff when Greeneville won 48-14. Greeneville leads the all-time series between 6-2 with all eight contests coming in the postseason, starting in the 1964 Tobacco Bowl. The Devils have won the last three meetings by a combined score of 149-32.
The winner of Friday’s game will advance to play the winner of Loudon and Upperman.
Kickoff for Friday is set for 7 PM at Burley Stadium. The game will be live on your airwaves on WGRV 99.5 FM.
