The Greeneville Greene Devils took the first step toward answering many questions about how they would respond after losing several spectacular playmakers to graduation when they hosted Morristown West Friday evening at Burley Stadium. Greeneville’s offense piled up 417 yards and 36 points, while the defense limited the Trojans to 13 points in a convincing season-opening victory.
Coach Eddie Spradlen was proud of his team’s effort.
“We really played hard, especially in the first half. We started getting a few cramps, especially with a lot of guys playing both ways, but I’m really proud of our overall effort against a much-improved Morristown West team.”
Senior Kaine Ricker, making his first start at quarterback, helped spark the Greene Devil offense after the defense stopped the Trojans on their opening possession and forced a punt.
Ricker guided the offense on a 48-yard drive that ended when he called his own number, scoring on a 1-yard touchdown run with 7:57 remaining in the first quarter. The extra point made it 7-0 and set the tone for the rest of the game.
After forcing another Morristown West punt, the Devils struck quickly again, this time through the air. Ricker, who completed 10 of 11 passes for 305 yards, found Taren Claridy streaking down the middle of the field for a 60-yard touchdown pass. The PAT hit the upright, leaving Greeneville with a 13-0 lead with 6:10 remaining in the first.
Morristown West took the ensuing kickoff and marched all the way to the Greeneville 30-yard line before turning the ball over on downs.
The Greene Devils wasted no time capitalizing, scoring on the very next play. Claridy got behind the secondary, and Ricker hit him in stride for a 70-yard touchdown, his second of the game. The PAT made it 20-0 with 51 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
The Trojans showed they could strike quickly as well. Bobby Fair took the kickoff at the 2-yard line, broke through the coverage and raced 98 yards for a touchdown. The two-point conversion failed, cutting the deficit to 20-6.
Ricker continued to spread the ball around in the second quarter. With 7:19 remaining in the half, he found Braylen Kidwell for a 44-yard touchdown pass to push Greeneville’s lead to 27-6.
“I thought we got off to a good start,” said Ricker. “Our game plan was to go deep and try to get some mismatches, and obviously, I threw for three touchdowns, so I think it worked well.”
Morristown West used the final seven minutes of the half to methodically move the ball down the field, eventually reaching the Greeneville 2-yard line. The Greeneville defense bowed its neck and stood firm, forcing a field-goal attempt that sailed wide right and sent the teams to the locker room with the Devils holding a 27-6 advantage.
“Our first defensive group did not give up a lot,” stressed Spradlen. “Their running backs and quarterback all run the ball hard, and we dodged one when we didn’t capitalize on a potential pick and they missed the field goal.”
As the second half got underway, the heat and humidity began to take their toll, particularly with several players going both ways. Ricker gave way to sophomore Kase Spradlen, who scored on a 9-yard touchdown run with 6:55 remaining in the third quarter. The extra point made it 34-6.
Greeneville added a safety with 5:35 left in the third when a snap sailed over the punter’s head and trickled out the back of the end zone, extending the lead to 36-6.
Morristown West added a late touchdown on its final drive of the fourth quarter when Collin Rouse found CJ Steward for a 44-yard touchdown with 1:59 remaining. The PAT made the final score 36-13.
Claridy led the Greeneville receiving corps with four catches for 148 yards, while Zy Neal hauled in two passes for 57 yards and Kidwell finished with three catches for 55 yards.
On the ground, Kase Spradlen led the way with 43 yards, followed by Ricker with 32 and Jude Dyer with 28.
Greeneville will now turn its attention to Upperman and an early-season matchup of two of the top 10 teams in Class 4A. The Devils will travel to Baxter for a 7 p.m. Central kickoff next Friday.
“When we turn that film on, there will be a lot of things that we will need to improve on for sure,” explained Spradlen. “We’ve got to continue to have guys step in and continue to have a total team effort if we want to continue being 1-0 each week.”
