The Greeneville Greene Devils open up Region 1-4A play this week as they travel to Kodak on Thursday night for a matchup with the Northview Cougars.
“This is where you do all the work you do to get to this point. You’ve got to win region games. You can’t win two big non-region games and come in here and lay an egg when it matters,” Greeneville Head Coach Eddie Spradlen stated.
It’s a short week for the Devils. Last week Greeneville put the entire state on notice by defeating then No. 5 Upperman 48-14 on their home turf in Baxter, Tennessee. The win was a program-defining win and one that shocked most by how dominant Greeneville was.
With that game behind them, Greeneville shifts their focus to Northview on a short week. It’s the start of Region 1-4A competition for the Greene Devils. Greeneville has won the Region 1-4A Championship five-straight years and would love to continue that streak. It all starts on Thursday night.
Thursday will be the fourth all-time meeting between both programs. Greeneville is 3-0 in the series and has outscored Northview 136-21 in the three matchups. Greeneville won 49-0 last season.
The Greene Devils remained No. 3 in this week’s TSWA state rankings despite beating Upperman by 34 points. Greeneville only gained one extra voting point.
Greeneville has averaged 42 points-per-game in their first two contests of the season and have only allowed 27 points.
Kaine Ricker has been super impressive in his first two starts at quarterback. Ricker has been nearly perfect, going 19-for-21 with 576 yards and 5 touchdowns in the air, adding another pair of touchdowns on the ground. Taren Claridy has been his favorite target as both have connected for 5 receptions, 304 yards, and 4 touchdowns.
Northview is 1-1 this season with a win over Carter in week one. The Cougars are averaging 20.5 points-per-game and are allowing 27 points-per-game so far this season.
The Cougars offense is run-heavy. Northview’s Head Coach Justin Anderson is a Carson-Newman graduate and implements the veer offense that was staple of coach Ken Sparks’ Eagles teams. Northview will most likely come out in man coverage on defense and look to stop Greeneville’s hot offense in the passing game.
Coach Spradlen explained the importance of not having a hangover from last week’s win. “We can’t be hungover from last week. That’s over. Everybody’s patting you on the back telling you how good you are right now after a big win. We enjoyed that this weekend. Now it’s time to get back to work,” he explained.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 PM in Kodak. The game will be broadcasted live on 99.5 FM/1340 AM WGRV with Ron Metcalfe, Pat Crum, and Richard Tipton on the call.
