As much as things in life change, some things stay the same—and for Greeneville’s football team, that proved true once again as they opened the 2025 Class 4A Playoffs at home against a familiar foe, the Carter Hornets on Friday.
Behind the explosive duo of Caden Baugh and Zaydyn Anderson, along with a stingy defense, the Greene Devils exterminated Carter from the postseason for the sixth time since 2011 with a commanding 56–10 victory.
Baugh and Anderson, both named semifinalists for the Class 4A Mr. Football Award earlier in the week, delivered a nearly flawless first half that gave the Devils all the momentum they needed.
Baugh was perfect through the air, completing 12-of-12 passes for 281 yards and four touchdowns, while also rushing five times for 107 yards and two scores. Anderson hauled in four receptions for 135 yards and two touchdowns, continuing his stellar senior campaign.
Head coach Eddie Spradlen praised his team’s effort after the win. “Carter is a really talented football team that was six points away from being 8–2 on the year,” Spradlen said. “For us to put up 49 points in the first half really says a whole lot about how good of a football team I think we have and how hard our kids are playing.”
Things didn’t start as smoothly as a 9–1 team might expect. The Devils fumbled on their opening drive, and Carter recovered. But Greeneville quickly responded, forcing a turnover of their own before Baugh found Taren Claridy for an 11-yard touchdown pass. Sam Gourley’s extra point made it 7–0 with 6:09 left in the first quarter.
“You’re probably going to face some adversity in the playoffs when you play really good teams,” Spradlen said. “I think we handled it really well and continued playing hard.”
Greeneville struck again late in the first quarter when Jude Dyer, who had just recovered a fumble, punched it in from one yard out to make it 14–0.
Carter tried to answer in the second quarter, but when Brody Sparks launched a pass toward the end zone, Claridy came down with an interception to halt the drive. On the very next play, Baugh broke loose for an 80-yard touchdown run, stretching the lead to 21–0.
From there, the Devils poured it on. Baugh connected with Anderson for touchdowns of 84 and 32 yards. Then he found Cole Franklin for another 84-yard score, and added an eight-yard rushing touchdown of his own to make it 49–0 at halftime.
In the first half Greeneville’s offense produced 435 yards while averaging 17 yards per play, and it did not face a third down. The Devils’ defense held Carter to 108 yards on 41 plays through the first two quarters.
With the clock running in the second half, Carter managed to get on the board when Sparks hit Jody Scruggs for a 28-yard touchdown. That was followed by a 30-yard field goal from Gavin Thomas to make it 49–10.
Parker Quillen capped off the night with a four-yard touchdown run, sealing the 56–10 final.
Greeneville finished with 462 yards of total offense and will advance to round two of the playoffs next week, hosting White County, who defeated Hixson 20–14 in their opening-round matchup.
Greeneville took care of business at home and carried out a 56-10 win over Carter in the first round of the Class 4A Playoffs. Hear how happy Coach Eddie Spradlen was with the Devils performance and what to expect next week. pic.twitter.com/LRhC8Sfckf
— GreeneSportsZone (@GSportsZone) November 8, 2025
Greeneville QB Caden Baugh (@cadenbaugh) had a stellar night in Burley Stadium with 388 combined yards (281 passing/107 rushing) and 6 total touchdowns in a 56-10 beating of Carter. Hear how Baugh was able to work so effectively in Friday’s first round win. pic.twitter.com/AVK8Maob6L
— GreeneSportsZone (@GSportsZone) November 8, 2025
The Devils downed the Hornets by a score of 56-10 to move on to the second round of the playoffs. #FirstHorizon pic.twitter.com/LmROsyuB47
— GreeneSportsZone (@GSportsZone) November 8, 2025
Nothing like playoff football.
Caden Baugh connects with Zaydyn Anderson on a 86 yard strike to give Greeneville a 28-0 lead over Carter. #FirstHorizon #blur pic.twitter.com/QzWf9aC6DR
— GreeneSportsZone (@GSportsZone) November 8, 2025
Greeneville advances to the second round of the playoffs after defeating Carter, 56-10. #FirstHorizon pic.twitter.com/InOPo2nndS
— GreeneSportsZone (@GSportsZone) November 8, 2025
