In a battle of two of the state’s top teams Greeneville had the will to win on Friday night and refused to be denied victory in the Class 4A State Quarterfinals.
Propelled by a raucous crowd at Burley Stadium the Greene Devils were able land more punches, absorb more blows and after 48 grueling minutes they raised their hands in victory, defeating Anderson County 28-21.
“It feels great to win this one tonight,” Greeneville quarterback Caden Baugh said. “We got a taste of the semifinals my sophomore year and it feels awesome to be going back. It’s awesome to get another game at Burley Stadium. It’s a blessing to play here, I love it.”
For 364 days the Greene Devils had been sitting with a bad taste in their mouths. They knew they were good enough to beat the Mavericks a year ago, but they did not make the plays they needed to in the second half and they saw their season end in Clinton. Greeneville refused to leave Burley Stadium with that same feeling on Friday night, and it rose to the occasion, delivering its best performance yet on the biggest stage so far. They ended the Mavericks’ season for the sixth time in nine years.
“We talked at half time. We knew last year that we had the opportunity to win and we let them back in the game,” Greeneville coach Eddie Spradlen said. “Tonight we told them that we were going to take control and that we were going to win this dog fight in the second half. I’m so proud of how dang hard they played. The way we came out of the half and scored to go up 14-0 was so big for us.”
No player showed more of that determination to win than senior Tegen Begley. Over the second half of the season Greeneville fans have grown used to seeing Begley stick his nose in seemingly every tackle from his middle linebacker spot. That was the case again on Friday as he and his cohort were flying all over the field giving Anderson County star Jayzon Thompson his toughest night yet.
Thompson came into Friday averaging 11 yards per carry as he routinely sliced through defenses with his speed. He finished Friday with 92 rushing yards, but it took 17 tries to get there with a long gain of 14 yards. After the Devils held him in check the first few drives of the evening the Mavericks turned to their passing game and unleashed 44 air attempts.
But it was not on defense where Begley’s willingness to fight for the win was most noticeable. Coming into the quarterfinal contest Begley had carried the ball 12 times on offense for 102 yards, mostly used as a bruising weapon at the goal line.
After a couple of fruitless series in the first half the Devils decided they needed more power in the ground attack and they turned to Begley. He brought that linebacker-mentality to his totes and punished every defender that tried to bring him down. He finished the night with 21 carries for 114 yards, and with 1:05 left to play he covered 26 yards for what turned into the winning touchdown. Begley also had runs of 29, 22 and 12 yards erased on three of Greeneville’s six holding calls.
“I like having the ball in my hands. My line was giving me holes, and I was trying to put my head down run hard,” Begley said. “We did squats in the weight room on Monday, and sprints on Tuesday, and that hard work showed on that touchdown. Tonight was just about running hard,”
The more Begley got involved in the run game the more it opened up opportunities for quarterback Caden Baugh to run the ball. As the defense began to focus on the big back the more space Baugh found on read plays. He busted loose for gains of 48, 30, 18 and 17 yards. He finished the night with 141 rushing yards on 17 carries. As a team Greeneville’s big offensive line paved the way for 327 rushing yards.
“After we hit the big pass early we saw that they were dropping to cover the pass, and we knew we had to run the football. That’s what that second half was all about, running the football,” Baugh said.
The big night allowed Baugh to cross the 1,000-yard mark on the season. The Mr. Football semifinalist has also thrown for 2,500 yards and accounted for 50 combined touchdowns.
Baugh started the night with his arm. A 79-yard heave to Cole Franklin fired up the crowd in Burley Stadium and the folks in green and black never relented with their near-deafening hollers the rest of the night.
As opposing secondaries have started bracketing Mr. Football semifinalist Zaydyn Anderson the connection between Baugh and Franklin and grown increasingly important for Greeneville. Franklin has a touchdown catch in each of the last five games, and all of them have covered at least 51 yards. In that same stretch he has 13 catches for 421 yards.
“It’s great to have him out there to throw it to. Cole has worked his hind end off and you have really seen that over these last couple of weeks,” Baugh said.
While Franklin and Baugh got the night started with a bang, Taren Claridy was the Devils’ closer on Friday. That started with 2:18 left when the junior returned a kickoff 42 yards across midfield. That put Greeneville in position to score the go ahead touchdown three-plays later.
Then when the Mavericks were working for their chance to answer in the final minute Claridy sealed the deal when he jumped an underneath route and intercepted JD Gillum’s pass.
“I challenged Taren there late in the game,” Spradlen said. “They got a deep ball on him to one of their better receivers, and I told him we needed him to have a short-term memory. He bounced back and showed that he is a big-time player who can make big plays.”
All of the Devils stepped up in a big way on Friday and earned the team’s biggest win yet. They are back in the state semifinals for the fourth time since 2017 and will get to practice on Thanksgiving Day next week. But it will once again be a big test as 23-time-state-champion Alcoa is making the trip to Burley Stadium.
“We are going to have to keep playing hard,” Baugh said. “We knew this was going to be a four-quarter battle, and that’s what it will be next week. We just have to keep playing solid and playing gritty.”
Greeneville Head Coach Eddie Spradlen expressed his thoughts and emotions after Greeneville’s exciting win over Anderson County in Friday night’s showdown. pic.twitter.com/DsaDPF20Ie
— GreeneSportsZone (@GSportsZone) November 22, 2025
Caden Baugh (@cadenbaugh) led Greeneville to a thrilling victory over bitter rival Anderson County last night to advance to next Friday’s Class 4A Semifinals vs. Alcoa. Hear how the Devils got it done and what to look forward to. pic.twitter.com/7ig8aw6ZUr
— GreeneSportsZone (@GSportsZone) November 22, 2025
Tegan Begley (@begley_tegan) rushed for 114 yards and scored the go-ahead touchdown with 1:05 left to help Greeneville send rival Anderson County back to Clinton with a 28-21 loss. Hear what Begley’s thoughts were post game. pic.twitter.com/il0JZx4wc8
— GreeneSportsZone (@GSportsZone) November 22, 2025
Greeneville WR Cole Franklin (@Cole_Franklin0) hauled in a massive 79-yard touchdown to give the Greene Devils a 7-0 lead in the first quarter. Hear how the play developed and what his thoughts were on advancing to next week’s semifinals. pic.twitter.com/swRSuvORBV
— GreeneSportsZone (@GSportsZone) November 22, 2025
ABSOLUTE CINEMA
Greeneville gets redemption from last year's playoff exit, besting bitter foe Anderson County, 28-21. #FirstHorizon pic.twitter.com/iKu8CIHFxx
— GreeneSportsZone (@GSportsZone) November 22, 2025
With 1:05 left in the 4th quarter, Tegan Begley powered his way in for the final score. #FirstHorizon pic.twitter.com/nFeUqG0GFk
— GreeneSportsZone (@GSportsZone) November 22, 2025
Halftime! The Devils lead 7-0 over the Mavericks in a gritty, smash-mouth style game so far. #FirstHorizon pic.twitter.com/dpF8NjbioH
— GreeneSportsZone (@GSportsZone) November 22, 2025
TAREN CLARIDY SEALS IT WITH THE PICK.
GREENEVILLE WINS 28-21 OVER ANDERSON COUNTY#FirstHorizon pic.twitter.com/LUxR7RrxXy
— GreeneSportsZone (@GSportsZone) November 22, 2025
@claridy_taren Called Game pic.twitter.com/6LX1ouf6TU
— GreeneSportsZone (@GSportsZone) November 22, 2025
POV: Cole Franklin blows the lid off of Burley Stadium with an 80-yard TD pass from Caden Baugh#FirstHorizon pic.twitter.com/lt54bfXIGk
— GreeneSportsZone (@GSportsZone) November 22, 2025
