The plaudits continue for Greeneville senior Taren Claridy and on Friday night at Burley stadium he added a new line to an already impressive resume while leading the Greene Devils to a 49-14 win over Volunteer.
Claridy hauled in three touchdowns passes to bring his season total to 20, a new Greeneville High School single-season record, in just eight games. He passed Zaydyn Anderson who hauled in 18 touchdowns just last year.
“I didn’t know I was going to break the record tonight, but finding that out meant a lot to me. They we were trying to stack the box on defense to force us to throw the ball, and it didn’t work,” Claridy said.
Claridy was not the only Greene Devil who had a senior night to remember. Kaine Ricker threw two touchdown passes, Jude Dyer ran for three touchdowns, Jack Lister had a pick six, and Cole Smith, Ty Riban and Braylen Kidwell were big parts of the Devils’ smothering defensive effort.
“You have to be proud when you score 49 in the first half. I’m really proud of the effort in a big senior night win,” Greeneville coach Eddie Spradlen said. “It’s good to keep winning these region games. This group of seniors has won 41 games now. They have done everything we have asked, and they have meant the world to me. At the end of the day we want them to be productive citizens when they leave here, but they are pretty good football players right now.”
With the win Greeneville improves to 8-0 and 5-0 in Region 1-4A play. With a win next week against Grainger the Devils can earn one more home game in the first round of the playoffs. After that will be Elizabethton in a contest that could decide the region championship.
“We have to stay hungry, and we have to keep working hard,” Spradlen said. “We can’t be satisfied with where we are at. We want to be our strongest when we get to week 11 playing for a region championship.”
Greeneville started Friday’s scoring with a nine-play drive. It finished with Claridy scoring his first of three touchdowns. From the 16-yard line Kaine Ricker made a fake that the entire Falcons’ defense bit on before he found Claridy wide open in front of the pylon. Gannon Cogdell’s extra point made it 7-0 with 8:26 left in the first quarter.
Greeneville’s defense allowed just 59 yards in the first half and the Falcons gained more than half of those on their opening series. Then Claridy fired up the tranquil stands at Burley Stadium when he picked off Jameson Mowell and returned it 77 yards to the two-yard line.
One play later Jude Dyer plunged into the endzone for his first of three touchdowns in the contest.
After Volunteer’s next series lasted 54 seconds the Devils stretched the lead to 21-0 while still in the first quarter. Ricker hit Claridy on a deep ball down the right sideline for a 36-yard gain. Then Dyer went around the corner to the left for 16 yards and bowled over a defensive back at the goal line.
Three plays into the second quarter Greeneville’s defense added to the lead. Mowell dropped back and with Caleb Smith flying off the edge right at him the quarterback sent a hurried pass to the flat. Lister undercut the receiver, and the senior linebacker saw nothing but open field in front of him as he sprinted 39 yards to the endzone for a pick six.
Volunteer’s next series ended with Claridy coming off the right edge on a safety blitz for a punishing sack of Mowell that resulted in a 10-yard loss. On the ensuing punt Claridy brought the ball back 29 yards to the 18-yard line.
From there Dyer took a handoff and busted loose for an 18-yard touchdown that stretched the lead to 35-0.
Ricker’s final pass of the night came with five minutes left in the second quarter when he hit Claridy on wide-open slant across the middle for a 24-yard touchdown. The score gave Claridy the Greene Devils’ single-season touchdown record.
With 55 seconds left in the second quarter Greeneville moved in front 49-0. On fourth down from the 24-yard line Kase Spradlen patiently waited in the pocket and Claridy broke off his route in the endzone, darting to the boundary before hauling in his third score of the contest.
Volunteer’s starting offense found much more success playing against Greeneville’s second, third and fourth units in the second half and scored a pair of late touchdowns.
Greeneville finished Friday with 309 yards of total offense, 294 came in the first half.
Claridy had nine receptions for 170 yards with three touchdowns. To add to that on defense he had a 77-yard interception return, a 29-yard punt return and a sack.
“He’s the best player in East Tennessee, maybe in Tennessee. He’s up there with anybody right now. He’s playing hard, and I’m proud of him. He stays hungry and he wants to win,” Spradlen said.
Ricker was 8-of-11 passing for 133 yards and two touchdowns. Dyer ran it 10 times for 68 yards and two touchdowns.
The Falcons finished with 188 yards of total offense, 129 of those yards came after they found themselves down seven scores.
