Elizabethton captured its first Region 1-AA championship since 2009 on Thursday night, defeating Greeneville 3-1 in a hard-fought, physical contest that had the crowd on the edge of their seats until the final whistle.
“I’m disappointed that we didn’t win, but we’re also proud of the guys for the effort that they gave,” Greeneville coach Jerry Graham said. “The fact that we got here to the championship game after getting put out last year in the semis, we knew today would be a highly competitive match. A well-coached team, a very competitive team. We knew it’d be a physical match, too.”
The Greene Devils found themselves in a hole almost immediately. Just 47 seconds into the contest, a costly defensive breakdown allowed Cyclones forward Thomas Lambert to pounce and put Elizabethton in front 1-0, setting the tone for what would be a tense and physical opening half.
The early deficit was no fluke. Elizabethton swarmed the ball relentlessly whenever Greeneville attempted to play out of the back, and neither side showed any willingness to back down in what quickly became a battle of physical will. Greeneville goalkeeper Gannon Cogdill was called into action early and often, turning away several threatening Cyclone efforts to keep the deficit at one.
The Devils generated some offensive opportunities as the half wore on but were unable to convert, and Elizabethton carried their 1-0 advantage into the break. At halftime, Graham challenged his group to respond.
“We said, ‘It’s gonna take heart to come back and get that equalizer,'” Graham said. “And we felt like after halftime, they came out and played with that, a new energy, a lot of heart.”
That energy paid dividends in the 52nd minute. Sam Gourley delivered a well-placed free kick into the box, and Remi Elyze-Vital rose to meet it with a header, drawing Greeneville level at 1-1. The crowd came alive, and for a stretch it appeared the Devils had fully turned the tide.
It didn’t last. Six minutes later, Drake Teague delivered a stunning strike for Elizabethton to put the Cyclones back in front 2-1 at the 58th minute, silencing the home faithful.
“You kind of feel a little of the sway of the ball down there as we weren’t able to clear it out,” Graham said, “And kind of felt like if we didn’t get that ball out, something bad was gonna happen. And sure enough, they got that second goal.”
Greeneville pushed hard in search of another equalizer. The midfield produced a pair of dangerous chances, but would-be tying shots went astray, and Cogdill, who finished with eight saves on the night, continued to keep the Devils within striking distance at the other end.
Then, in the 74th minute, Zach Curtis collected a rebound after Cogdill made a diving save and tucked the ball home to put the game out of reach at 3-1. The goal proved to be the final dagger.
Elizabethton held on from there to complete a 3-1 victory, snapping a 17-year championship drought and avenging a 1-0 loss to the Devils back in 2015, the last time these two programs had met in the region final.
The Cyclones finished with 18 shots and 11 on target, while Greeneville managed 12 shots with seven on frame.
Despite the disappointment, Graham had nothing but praise for both the victors and his own group when reflecting on the night.
“In the end, they came out and took care of their opportunities that they had,” he said. “Each one of us are gonna have our opportunities, and in the end, they capitalized on theirs and we didn’t on ours.”
Graham also took a moment to recognize the way his players conducted themselves throughout the night.
“I’d like to say just how the kids responded today as far as the class. There’s a lot that goes on in a game, and I felt like our kids responded in a pretty classy way.”
Despite the loss, Greeneville’s season continues. The Devils will travel to face Fulton in the state sectional round on Saturday.
“Everybody in the state’s having this quick turnaround with three games in five days,” Graham said. “We’ve got to come back and we’ll get some guys in the training room. We’ll go in and watch film and it’ll be a light day. We’ll come in and take it a little easy and get our legs underneath us just a little bit, because it’s gonna be another big competitive 80 minutes, I’m sure, come Saturday.”
