Burley Stadium will be buzzing on Friday night as two of the top teams in Class 4A square off when Greeneville hosts Upperman.
In this week’s TSWA/USA Today Media Poll Upperman is ranked No.4 in Class 4A and Greeneville checked in at No.6.
“This will be the ultimate challenge for our football. If you want to see a big-time matchup early in the year you are going to get it on Friday night,” Greeneville coach Eddie Spradlen said. “They are a really good football team. It’s not what you expect to see in week two a lot of times, but I think both teams will get better from this game. We don’t want non-region games that are going to be mercy rule. We need to be challenged and win or lose we need to get better from this game.”
Greeneville comes into the game after an explosive week one where it used big plays to beat Morristown West 35-0 in a game that ended due to weather before halftime.
Quarterback Caden Baugh threw for 284 yards and three touchdowns on six attempts. Zaydyn Anderson caught two passes for 121 yards and two touchdowns, and Baugh and Taren Claridy connected for a school record 96-yard touchdown.
“Caden spent a lot time in red jersey in the preseason and he wasn’t too happy about it. He was big on Friday night and he was smart with the football. He could have thrown a few away, but he tucked it picked up some yard on the ground,” Spradlen said. “And when you talk about the passing game you have to talk about Zaydyn Anderson. They tried everything they could to slow him down, and nothing worked. We want to get the ball in his hands and let him run.”
Against the Bees the Greene Devils will hope for more highlight reel plays, but Spradlen knows that his team will have to establish the run to move the chains. Baugh will be a big part of that, as will running backs Maddox Bishop and Jude Dyer who each scored touchdowns in week one.
Upperman ended its season opener at half time last week, but not before collecting a 29-7 win over Webb.
Quarterback Bronzden Chaffin led the Bees with 186 yards and four touchdowns on the ground, and he threw for 99 yards. The 6’4” 220 lb. senior who is committed to Georgia State will be the focal point of Upperman’s offense.
“They are coached really well and they don’t make mistakes. They want to line up and pound your face off. I would expect their game plan is to keep our offense off the field as much as possible. They will go for it on fourth down a lot and we have to be able to get stops and get off the field,” Spradlen said.
Greene Devils fans will remember Chaffin from 2023 when he ran for 124 yards and two touchdowns in the state semifinals as Upperman beat Greeneville 21-14.
The 2023 playoff matchup is the only time Greeneville and Upperman have met on the gridiron, but the Devils and Bees have quite the budding rivalry across all sports. That includes Upperman beating Greeneville in March in the Class 3A Boys Basketball state tournament and Greeneville beating Upperman in May in the Class 3A Baseball State Tournament.
Defensively the Bees will play 3-3-5 defense with a big defensive line and linebackers that fly all over the field. Spradlen knows that winning at the line scrimmage will be challenge, but he wants his guys to be tested at this point in the season.
A year ago Upperman went 11-1 but lost in the second round of the playoffs to eventual state champion Macon County. Greeneville went 9-3 and was eliminated by Anderson County in the state quarterfinals.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Burley Stadium. The game will be broadcast on WGRV – 99.5 FM.
