Devils Double Up 2018

Greeneville Wins Second Straight Boys Soccer State Championship, First Baseball State Championship

DEVILS DOUBLE UP

Saturday, June 30, 2018

Page 2

The Greeneville Sun

Saturday, June 30, 2018

GreenevilleSun.com

DEVILS DOUBLE UP Back-To-Back State Titles Put GHS Soccer In Select Company

Rarefied Air

BY TATE RUSSELL SUN SPORTS WRITER Winning one state championship is no easy task, but doing it in back-to-back years puts a program in truly rarefied air.

This spring, the Greeneville boys soccer team solidified its status among the elite programs in the state as it ran through the Class AA State Tournament field to capture a second consecutive state title.

“This season really was remarkable,” Greeneville coach Jerry Graham said.

“It’s special to be able to go to the state tournament, much less win one. For these guys to win them back to back is a really special accomplishment for these boys.”

Every season is different, and no run to a state title is the same. That was the case for the Devils this year as well.

Greeneville came into the season having been in the state tournament for seven straight seasons, and of course won the program’s first state championship the year prior, but in all of those seasons they had been the hunter.

In 2018, the target was on their back, and everybody in the sate was looking to knock off the Devils. Greeneville came into the year knowing that every night it was going to take the other team’s best shot, and that anything less than 100 percent was probably not going to be good enough.

“We have kind of progressed as the years have gone on, and I have to give credit to some really good groups we have had in the past for that,” Graham said.

“First we learned how to get to the state tournament, then we finally got a win.

Then the next year we won

SUN PHOTO BY TATE RUSSELL

The Greeneville soccer team poses at the high school before loading the bus and heading to the Class AA State Tournament in Murfreesboro in May.

our first state championship.

“We knew this year was going to be different. We knew as coaches how we approach teams that have won state titles, and we knew every team was going to step up their game for us.

Everybody marked us on the calendar and its a lot harder to stay on top. Our kids saw that throughout the postseason, and they had to give their best every time out.”

To prepare for the fights they were going to face in the postseason, Greeneville put together one of the toughest schedules it has ever faced. The slate included several of the top AAA teams in the state, with two state tournament teams on that list, and some top competition from out of state, like the Virginia Group 2 state champion and an Alabama Class 7A state semifinalist.

Against that tough slate, Greeneville finished the

season 20-2-1 and ranked 23rd in the nation by Top Draw Soccer.

“We kind of look at the regular season as a preparation for the postseason,” Graham said. “A great record and ranking is nice, but we really want to see what our strengths and weaknesses are in those games before we get to the postseason. We are able to do that when we play the Beardens, Science Hills and Central Gwinnetts.

“We don’t want to put too much emphasis on rankings during the season. But to see where we ended up at the end is tremendous. I love that our kids are getting that attention. We have played teams in those rankings before, and it’s great to see our kids get that recognition.”

Senior leadership was huge for Greeneville this season, and was a big reason it didn’t have any letdowns against some tough challengers in the postseason.

Guys like Matthew Fisher, Josh Sanchez, Ryan Thompson, Cade Miles and Seth Crawford had played a lot for Greeneville over their first three seasons on the team and had proven they are capable of producing in a variety of ways. They came into the season focused on repeating as state champions and were willing to do whatever the team needed of them to finish with another gold trophy.

That led to a lot of unselfish play up front, and a balanced attack that made the Devils almost impossible to defend. In three games at the state tournament, Greeneville had seven players score a goal and five were credited with an assist.

“It’s so valuable to have the ability to score from all over the field, and we certainly had a group that liked to attack,” Graham said. “Our outside backs could come up, and certainly

Trust The Process

BY SAM BUNDY SUN SPORTS EDITOR Since Andy Collins took over the Greeneville High School baseball program three years ago, the Greene Devils have made two state tournament appearances and won Greene County’s first baseball state championship at Middle Tennessee State University in May. With the Greene Devils having lost just three seniors off the state title team, some folks might be thinking the program is on its way to becoming a dynasty.

But Collins doesn’t want to think in those terms. Instead, he wants the Greene Devils and their fans to remember how the team got to this point.

“The kids are going to be high. The parents are going to be high. Winning a state championship tends to make people more results oriented,” he said. “For me, it hasn’t made me results oriented. It’s made me want to put more into the process, work harder at the process.

“You can’t at all worry about the results. My expectations aren’t to win a state championship again.

My expectations are to field the ball well, throw the ball

well, catch the ball well, hit the ball well. Work hard at all that and the results will be what they are. You have to have a lot of luck to get the results everybody wants. But you don’t have to have a lot of luck to work at it hard.”

From day one, that’s the approach Collins has wanted his players to have. And he believes it has been their willingness to trust the process and put in the hard work that has led them to greatness.

“The kids have to buy into it. You have to have Augustus Fraley, Jordan Idell and Jake Goodwin – the three seniors we had – buy into it,” Collins said. “I’ve always gone into a program – whether it’s been Johnson High School, Norcross High School, Tusculum College or even what I did at Gardner-Webb before all that – right when we go into a program, I maybe provide a sense of energy to it. I want to make sure we’re successful not just right off the bat, but three years, four years down the road as well.

“I’m just so excited about not just what we have done already, but I’m even more driven now. I always felt like I was doing the SEE BASEBALL ON PAGE 7

everybody in our midfield is capable of scoring.

“This was such an unselfish team. We had a lot of kids with a lot of assists. We had a bunch of kids that enjoyed setting up other people, and just wanted to get the ball to the back of the net however they could. That diversity up front made us really hard to mark. And if a team tried to double team someone then it opened up someone else who was able to take advantage.”

What might have gotten lost as the Devils used their varied attack to score 102 goals this season is how good they played on the back end.

The Devils shut out 11 opponents this season, including a 3-0 win over Loudon in state title game, and seven other times just gave up one goal.

The key to that started in the middle with stoppers Devin Vital and Will

Albright who brought toughness and physicality to every team they went up against.

On the outside, almost every opponent struggled to get past Bryant Renner and Malachi Ashley to push the ball inside.

If a team did get a shot off on the Devils the sure hands of Quiten Mitchel were rarely out of position. Fisher also played a big role from the midfield.

When looking ahead to a potential three-peat next season, the Devils can look back to the state tournament performance of its two top underclassmen with optimism. Brothers J.P. and Devin Vital each had terrific seasons for Greeneville, but they stepped up to another level in Murfreesboro.

J.P. scored six goals in three games during the state tournament, including a hat trick against Stratford in the state semifinals, while also picking up two assists.

He finished the year with 31 goals and 17 assists.

From the back end, Devin was able to produce two goals, including a huge free-kick score in the state championship game. He also locked down the middle of Greeneville’s defense and played in all 240 minutes of the three state tournament contests.

“Those guys are tremendous to have on the field,” Graham said. “This year what I really saw is how they stepped up as leaders. In practice, they really focused on helping our younger guys.

“I’ve really seen them mature over the last year, and I think that will be tremendous for us. You look at how each team builds on the last, and even though we lost a lot of seniors I’m excited about what these guys that we bring back can do.”

Greene Devils Buy Into Coach’s Approach, Bring Home State Championship

PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE SUN BY KENNETH CUMMINGS/JACKSON SUN

Greeneville High School’s Jordan Idell kisses the 2018 TSSAA Class AA State Baseball Tournament championship trophy after the Greene Devils defeated Riverside High School 11-0 in five innings on May 25.

Saturday, June 30, 2018

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The Greeneville Sun

Page 3

DEVILS DOUBLE UP

STATE CHAMPS!

Devils Close Strong, Capture Second Straight Title

BY TATE RUSSELL SUN SPORTS WRITER MURFREESBORO – The Greeneville soccer team came into this season with one goal in mind: repeating.

After six trips in a row to Murfreesboro, the Devils finally broke through in 2017 and won the program’s first state championship.

Since then, the only thing the guys in green and white have been thinking about is feeling that exhilaration of holding the state championship trophy once again.

On Friday at the Richard Siegel Soccer Park, nothing could deny Greeneville that opportunity as it overpowered Loudon in the closing stretch for a 3-0 win that sends them home as Class AA state champions.

“I am so elated that the boys had a chance to come back here and defend their state championship,” Greeneville coach Jerry Graham said. “We knew we had a quality team coming back this year. We set goals for the season, and their goal was to get back to this field and defend their state title. We never really worried about our record, we wanted to be prepared for games like this and teams like this.

“These guys were ready for it, and they achieved their goal tonight.”

The Devils had to overcome two lightning delays on Friday that approached two hours in length. They then had to play on a wet track for the second half, but nothing would stand in their way.

Senior Ryan Thompson has had a knack for

SUN PHOTO BY TATE RUSSELL

Greeneville’s Peter Kriebel (left), Ryan Thompson (center), Carlos Romero (11) and assistant coach Michael Connell celebrate after winning the Class AA state championship on May 25.

making big plays in both of the Devils’ title runs. And against the Redskins, he stepped up right on cue.

“I can’t be more proud of any kid than I am of Ryan Thompson,” Graham said.

“He’s a kid that went into a little scoring slump in the middle of the year. We kept telling him that his time was going to come, and did it ever. To break open the game as a senior, that is pretty special.”

Earlier this postseason,

Thompson headed home Greeneville’s lone goal against Sevier County in the Region 1-AA championship game. In the state sectionals, he set up the goahead goal against Catholic with seconds left before halftime.

On Friday, he looked in a beautiful pass from J.P. Vital that bounced to his feet on the right side of the 18-yard box. Thompson put a quick touch on the ball to send it past Loudon

Congratulations GREENE DEVILS!

keeper Noah Feezell just inside the left corner of the frame.

“I saw J.P. looking to the middle, and I had this lane open up on the side of the goal,” Thompson said. “J.P. laid it up perfect, and I just took a touch to finish it.

“It feels amazing to put in all this hard work all season and then see it pay off. To see us come out on top just feels amazing.”

The goal broke open a scoreless tie in the 54th

minute. It seemed to inspire Greeneville to go for more while taking some air out of the Redskins’ sails.

In the 67th minute, a Loudon player pushed over J.P. Vital at the edge of the box in a moment of frustration. The referee awarded a free kick from a few feet left of center. The Devils bench erupted in encouraging shouts of “Devin, that’s your spot.”

Junior center back Devin Vital, J.P.’s twin

brother, came forward and slammed home a goal that allowed Greeneville to take a breath for the first time all night.

“I practice a lot on the free kicks and I was just thinking this is my time to step up,” Devin Vital said.

“Everybody knows that spot is my spot. If the ball is there, I’m going to take the shot. It felt good that my teammates had my back. I just saw the goalie in the middle of the frame, so I hit it as hard as I could to the right side.”

J.P. Vital finished the night’s scoring in the 78th minute when he came flying in for a header that got past Feezell.

On the other end of the field, Greeneville’s defense was once again impenetrable most of the evening.

Keeper Quinten Mitchel only had one shot make it to him all night, and the Redskins were only able to get four shots off against the swarming pressure of Devin Vital, Will Albright, Malachi Ashley and Bryant Renner. Midfielders Matthew Fisher, Josh Sanchez and Cade Miles were also key in keeping the ball away from Loudon.

“We just didn’t want to give them many good looks,” Graham said. “They have some dangerous players with good feet. During the rain delays, we kept telling the kids to surround No. 11 (Francisco Aguilera) and to win the 50-50 balls.

We really just tried to keep the ball away from him.

“I’m really proud of our defense. Not just our back line, but our mids did a great job of winning those balls in the air.”

Congratulations Greene Devils on Your

State Championships!

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Page 4

The Greeneville Sun

Saturday, June 30, 2018

GreenevilleSun.com

DEVILS DOUBLE UP Devils Advance To State Title Match

BY TATE RUSSELL SUN SPORTS WRITER MURFREESBORO — The Greeneville soccer team is back in the state championship game for the second year in a row after another decisive win in the Class AA state tournament on Wednesday.

The Greene Devils secured their chance to defend their state title with a 5-1 win over Stratford in the semifinals.

“To be honest, I feel like we played some of our best soccer,” Greeneville coach Jerry Graham said.

“We had great field conditions to play on. We ran some good combinations, and collectively we played some pretty good soccer.

“This is a pretty great result when you consider the caliber of team Stratford is. They have some kids that can really play, and we were concerned about their pace coming in. How the boys stepped up tonight was really amazing.”

Greeneville will meet Loudon at 4 p.m. central time Friday in the state championship match at Richard Siegel Park.

Loudon beat Fairview 2-1 on Wednesday.

“This is a great feeling to be able to play for a state championship as a senior,” Greeneville forward Ryan Thompson said. “I love playing with these guys and having a chance to defend our state championship feels amazing.

“We have come down here with a lot of confidence. This year has been different. Riding to games, I have not been nearly as nervous as I was

SUN PHOTO BY TATE RUSSELL

Greeneville’s Devin Vital (14) jumps to head a ball past Stratford’s defense on May 23 in the Class AA State Tournament.

SUN PHOTO BY TATE RUSSELL

Greeneville keeper Quinten Mitchel clears a ball on May 23 as Stratford’s Mohamed Sawa attacks the ball and Devin Vital defends.

in the past. We’re playing good right now, and we’re going to carry it over to

Friday.”

Greeneville has scored 11 goals in its first two

Congratulations

state tournament matches while allowing just two goals, and that has Graham feeling really good about his team.

The day did not get off to a good start for the Devils. Less than 30 seconds into the match, senior Seth Crawford went up to head a ball and absorbed the shoulder of Yanike Mashimabi with his face. The blow broke Crawford’s nose and ended his day.

Then in the 17th minute, Mashimabi rebounded a miss and chipped it over Quinten Mitchel in goal to put the Spartans on top 1-0.

“We were really trying to get a goal early, and then we lose Seth with a broken nose. Then we get scored on and are down a

goal. The guys really had to show some resiliency,” Graham said.

J.P. Vital had a handful of chances to get Greeneville a goal in the early going, but was just off target each time. That was until the 23rd minute.

Matthew Fisher sailed a long pass over much of Stratford’s lineup to Vital just outside the box. The All-State striker headed the ball forward and then, with a Spartan leaning on him hard, he powered an equalizer into the back of the net.

“The ball went over my head and a lot times people will give up on that play, but we knew they were playing with a backup keeper right there,” Vital said. “I just had to make sure I got in front

of the ball, got my body in front of the other guy, and then I gave it a little toe poke.

“It felt so good to get that shot. After being down 1-0, I felt so much pressure after missing all of those times. I just had to stay focused and thank God I scored it.”

Vital earned a hat trick in the state semifinal and now has five goals in the state tournament.

In the 33rd minute, Cade Miles stole a misplayed ball from the Spartans and took a few touches before firing from deep. His shot from just beyond the left corner of the 18-yard box came in too hot for Stratford keeper Srey Sarawaty.

“We felt like one of the weaker parts of their team was the keeper and we wanted to send some long shots at him,” Graham said. “We really didn’t get many of them at him, but Cade hit that one with such pace that it just squeezed inside the post.”

Four minutes later, Miles took another long shot, and this time Sarawaty got in front of it.

The keeper spilled the ball in front of the frame and Vital made the mistake hurt by pinning it into the lower left corner of the net. The shot gave Greeneville a 3-1 lead going into halftime.

Six minutes into the second half, Vital found the back of the net again.

He leaped after a ball that bounced high in the box and he beat Sarawaty to it. A tap with his head pushed the ball past the keeper and into the net.

Just a minute later, Vital was taken down on an aggressive run in the box. A penalty kick was awarded and Josh Sanchez slammed it home.

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Page 5

DEVILS DOUBLE UP Greeneville Advances Over Lexington With Ease

BY TATE RUSSELL SUN SPORTS WRITER MURFREESBORO — The Greeneville soccer team came to Murfreesboro for the Class AA State Tournament with one thing on its mind.

Bringing home another state championship.

On Tuesday the Greene Devils made things look easy as they cruised to a 6-1 win over Lexington in the opening round, and now they are two wins from a second consecutive state title.

“It’s always hard to get that first win down here. You want to come down here and start off well to get your feet under you,” Greeneville coach Jerry Graham said. “This Lexington team is pretty good, and has some very good players. I think this was a very good start for us.”

The Devils asserted their dominance early and took the attack to the Tigers. In the opening minutes, they threw a flurry of shots at the goal, but it took until the eighth minute to break through.

The opening goal was started

by Seth Crawford who sent a long pass to Ryan Thompson who then worked around the defense and to the right post.

There he slipped the ball across the keeper’s face to J.P. Vital, who with a quick tap put Greeneville on top 1-0.

“We really wanted to pressure them early,” Graham said. “We almost had a goal in the first five minutes. You hate to leave goals out there, but it was really big to be on that side of the field so much to start the attack. Then we do get the break through in the eighth minute and it was a big confidence boost.”

While Greeneville controlled possession for most of the remainder of the first half, they could not find another goal until just before halftime. They actually struck twice in the final four minutes of the first half to

SUN PHOTO BY TATE RUSSELL

Greeneville’s Will Albright (26) and Lexington’s Isaiah Henry go up to head a corner kick on May 22 in the Class AA State Tournament.

take some breathing room into the break while also dashing the Tigers’ hopes.

“Anything you can get right before half is huge. To get the first was big, but to get two can really put a dagger in the other team,” Graham said. “(Tristan Lowery) is so dangerous for them. One loose foot and it could have been a tie game. That meant that getting to 2-0 was huge and getting to 3-0 meant that we had a chance to rest some guys. That is also very valuable when you

are talking about three games in four days.”

In the 36th minute, Greeneville got a great individual effort from Vital. The striker worked to the end line where his first shot attempt was stopped by goalie Landon Ragsdell. Vital followed the spill and slotted the ball through a narrow window for a 2-0 lead.

With 16 seconds left in the first half, Greeneville made it 3-0 when on a free kick from right of the 18-yard bow, CeJ Jones laid

up a pass to Bryant Renner who sent a header past Ragsdell.

Like it has been much of the postseason, Greeneville’s defense on Tuesday was overwhelming.

The Devils held Lexington to just three shot attempts all night. The Tigers lone goal came on a set piece by Lowery in the 68th minute after the Devils had pulled much of the starting lineup.

A big part of why the Devils backline was so effective on

Tuesday was because of how aggressive they were on offense.

That kept the ball on Greeneville’s end of the field most of the contest.

Outside backs, Renner and Malachi Ashley made deep and challenging runs throughout the game, while on every set piece center backs Will Albright and Devin Vital were threats to find the back of the net.

Vital ended up converting one goal with his head while Albright was close on multiple occasions.

“We wanted to put pressure on them,” Graham said. “Bryant did a great job down that right side and came into the attack adding some speed. They couldn’t account for that extra number. Malachi had some good success down the left side in the second half. I love seeing those guys in the attack because it makes things so difficult on their defense.”

Cade Miles earned the first of Greeneville’s three second-half goals in the 53rd minute. J.P. Vital set him up with a low cross that Miles fired at the frame.

Ragsdell got a hand on the shot, but it was not enough to stop the ball from sneaking across the goal line.

In the 65th minute, CeJ Jones put a corner kick into the box that Devin Vital came flying in at to punch into the net with his head.

Conner DeBusk set up Cooper O’Dell for the final goal of the night in the 74th minute.

Greeneville will be back in action on Wednesday against Stratford at 4:30 p.m. central time at Richard Siegel Park. Stratford opened the tournament with a 2-0 win over Howard on Tuesday.

“We have to go back and focus on what we did well tonight.”

Graham said. “We’ll watch these other teams and find out who we’ll play. We know a little bit about them, and we’ll put a game plan together tonight.”

Page 6

The Greeneville Sun

Saturday, June 30, 2018

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Page 7

DEVILS DOUBLE UP

STATE CHAMPS!

Greeneville Pounds Riverside Into Submission, Gives County First Baseball Title

BY SAM BUNDY SUN SPORTS EDITOR MURFREESBORO – If folks didn’t know Greeneville High School had the best Class AA baseball team in Tennessee before Friday, well, they do now.

The Devils made that perfectly clear with an 11-0 run-rule win in five innings over the Riverside Panthers in the state championship at Middle Tennessee State University.

It’s the first baseball state title ever won by a school from Greene County.

“Everybody take full notice, right?” Greeneville coach Andy Collins was saying with a smile in front of TV cameras after the win. “It’s Greeneville. I’m just excited for all of the town. … It’s very surreal.

But it just feels great.”

It took the Devils just an hour and 14 minutes to get their point across. They cranked out 12 hits and all 11 runs in the first three innings. And the Panthers looked as if they didn’t know what hit them.

“No doubt, we knew coming in that the offense was rolling,” said Greeneville senior shortstop Augustus Fraley. “The offense has been rolling all week. Five home runs in four games.

“I guess you can’t ever really expect 11-0. But once it started rolling, it just never stopped.”

Greeneville hit balls as hard and as far as any team did during the fourday, double-elimination tournament. Nearly every hit the Devils had against Riverside was barreled up, coming off the bat with a resounding “ping!”

After Dalton McLain and Augustus Fraley singled and Jordan Idell walked to load the bases in the bottom of the first inning, Greeneville took a 3-0 lead when Braden Spano crushed a one-out double the opposite way that one hopped the wall in right and cleared the bases.

“As soon as that happened, I’m thinking, ‘We’re in a good spot right here,’” Spano said. “We just kept

SUN PHOTO BY TATE RUSSELL

Greeneville’s Dalton McLain (12) and Augustus Fraley congratulate Jordan Idell (5) after he scores in the Class AA state championship game.

hitting it. We just pretty much laid it on them the whole game.”

Greeneville’s bats were back at it in the second inning. Bryce Buchanan and McLain reached on back-to-back singles with one out. And an out later, Idell leaned on an up-andin fastball and drove a towering shot well over the wall in left field for a threerun homer and a 6-0 lead.

“I’ve visualized this whole tournament fastball, fastball, fastball,” Idell said. “I finally got one middle in, a little bit up, and I just … I just hit it hard. It reminded me of one I hit last year at Tusculum Col-

lege. That one was about the same spot, same pitch, everything. I knew when I hit it that it was gone. I never felt it.”

The third inning was more of the same as Greeneville made it 11-0.

Jake Goodwin had a double. Buchanan reached on a bunt single. McLain had an RBI double. Idell had a two-run single. And Jacques Gillespie-Taylor finished it off with a long sacrifice fly to left.

The hits and runs came so fast and furious that seasoned reporters in the press box wondered aloud, “How could this team have started the season 2-4?”

“You don’t worry about the winning and losing,” said Collins, whose team finished the season 28-11-1.

“It’s a process, and that’s the mindset these guys undertook. As they started

believing in the process a little bit more, then winning took care of itself.

But that’s a hard thing to convince guys of when you start off 2-4.”

While Greeneville’s

offensive onslaught was jaw-dropping, Keylan Newton was just as dazzling on the mound.

Making his first start of the year, the right-hander checked Riverside on two hits, didn’t walk any and struck out two.

“The starts don’t matter,” Collins said. “That kid has broken some kind of school record for appearances.

He’s probably had 26, 27 appearances. That was his role. Yes, he started this.

But he took the mound today just like he’s done in all his other appearances and threw strikes. That’s what we needed from him.”

Newton said he found out on Thursday he was going to start Friday’s game.

“I was a little nervous just because I had never done it before,” he said.

“But I just went to the mound and threw strikes.

That’s all I did.

“Whenever we have a lead, it takes so much pressure off. When we came out from the start hitting the ball like we did and put 3, 3 and 5 on the board in the first three innings, it really helped.”

The championship caps high school careers for Fraley, Idell and Goodwin.

All are seniors.

“To even get here, much less go out on top … this is all I’ve wanted since I got to high school,” Idell said.

“At the beginning of the year, we were so young as a team. I just wanted to win the district championship and play hard in the region and see what could happen. We came together, started playing for each other and here we are.

Incredible.”

Congratulations

PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE SUN BY KENNETH CUMMINGS/JACKSON SUN

The Greeneville High School Greene Devils celebrate in a dog pile after defeating Riverside High School 11-0 in five innings to win the 2018 TSSAA Class AA State Baseball Tournament on May 25.

BASEBALL CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

right thing. You look back on it and say, ‘Man, what we did and how we did things worked.’ I hope it’s had the same affect on everybody else in the program where they can go, ‘What we’re doing is the right thing and it’s going to propel us even more.’”

The Greene Devils got off to a slow start to their state championship season. After six games, they were 2-4. But Collins sold his players on the mantra of keep grinding and good things will happen.

By the time the Greene Devils reached Murfreesboro for the state tournament, they were playing their best baseball.

Behind a shutout on the mound from Idell, the Greene Devils notched their first state tournament win in school history

with a 3-0 victory over Smith County.

The Greene Devils then rallied for three runs in the eighth inning to beat Forrest High School 10-8 in their second game.

After that, the Greene Devils punched their ticket to the state championship game in dramatic fashion when Jacques Gillespie-Taylor belted a three-run, walkoff homer to beat Forrest again, this time 7-5.

And once the Greene Devils took the field at Middle Tennessee State University’s Reese Smith Jr. Field for the state title game, there was no denying them. They run-ruled Riverside 11-0 in five innings to bring home the state championship trophy.

“It wasn’t about me. It was about the kids,” Collins said. “I think they set out to play good baseball and the results took care of themselves.”

GHS Baseball and Soccer!

Page 8

The Greeneville Sun

Saturday, June 30, 2018

GreenevilleSun.com

Saturday, June 30, 2018

GreenevilleSun.com

The Greeneville Sun

Page 9

DEVILS DOUBLE UP

WALK-OFF!

Gillespie-Taylor’s Homer In Bottom Of Seventh Sends Greeneville To Title Game

BY SAM BUNDY SUN SPORTS EDITOR MURFREESBORO – Trying to close out a game in the bottom of the seventh inning against the Greeneville Devils in the Class AA baseball state tournament on Thursday, the Forrest Rockets went with gas.

Turns out, the aptly named reliever Blaize Sweeney was just fuel for the fire.

In a matchup of power vs. power, Greeneville’s big cleanup hitter Jacques Gillespie-Taylor crushed a 3-2 fastball from Sweeney over the center-field fence for a three-run, walk-off homer in a 7-5 win that punched the Devils’ ticket to the state final.

Greeneville will play Riverside for the championship at 2 p.m. on Friday at Middle Tennessee State University.

“It’s a great feeling,” said an emotional Greeneville coach Andy Collins. “It is the kids. It’s their doing. I have nothing to do with it. Their drive and their competitiveness is what’s doing it.”

Greeneville trailed 5-3 going into the bottom of the seventh.

Dalton McLain reached on a one-out bunt single, Augustus Fraley singled to left to put runners at first and second, and Jordan Idell followed with another single to left that scored McLain to pull Greeneville within 5-4.

With Fraley at second and Nick Iezzi running for Idell at first, the Forrest coaching staff went against the book, lifting lefthander Lane Allen and bringing the hard-throwing right-hander Sweeney to the mound to face the left-handed hitting Gillespie-Taylor.

As Sweeney was making his warmup tosses, Fraley jogged over from second to talk with Collins and Gillespie-Taylor along the third-base line.

“I told Coach Collins, ‘This is

SUN PHOTO BY TATE RUSSELL

Greeneville’s Caleb Norris (right) and Andy Barnett (left) embrace Jacques Gillespie-Taylor after his walk-off home run in the Class AA State semifinals on Thursday.

the kid we’ve wanted,’” Fraley said. “I told Jacques, ‘Sit on fastball and let’s put one somewhere.’ And as soon as he hit it, I knew it was gone. Just an awesome feeling.”

For sure, Sweeney’s velocity mixed with Gillespie-Taylor’s strength was a recipe for a walkoff. And Gillespie-Taylor said he, too, knew he had hit a home run as soon as he made contact.

“My approach was just to get a base hit and hand it to Braden (Spano) and let him do the job, but it just went out,” Gilles-

pie-Taylor said. “This is a great feeling. I’m just hoping we can bring the championship home.

That’s the goal.”

Forrest grabbed a 4-0 lead in the first inning. Three runs came against Spano, who started the game on the mound for Greeneville.

Freshman right-hander Ayden Chaney took over for Spano with one out in the first and went the rest of the way for the win. In 6 2/3 innings, he gave up seven hits, two runs, walked two and struck out two.

“A freshman,” said Collins, shaking his head. “I told Ayden, ‘You have nothing to lose. Just go out and attack, attack, attack,’ and that’s what he did. I can’t say enough about him. You gotta understand you never know when your time is coming.”

Chaney didn’t log a lot of varsity innings on the mound during the regular season, but he pitched with the poise of a veteran on Thursday.

“All I wanted to do was throw strikes,” Chaney said. “I was trusting the defense behind me.

I wasn’t going to overpower anything.

“I never expected to be throwing in the state tournament, especially in a game so close to the championship. It’s a crazy feeling. It was amazing out there on the mound.”

As the game wore on, Chaney got stronger. He retired eight of the last 10 batters he faced, including the final six in the sixth and seventh innings.

“He worked both sides of the plate with both fastballs and curveballs,” said Greeneville catcher Avery Collins. “He has a really nasty curveball that he can throw for a strike or throw in the dirt whenever he needs to. That usually gets you a lot of ground balls and flyouts.”

After Forrest took a 5-0 lead in the top of the fourth, Greeneville started chipping away in the bottom of the inning when Fraley led off the frame with a solo homer over the 375-foot sign in center.

The Devils pushed across two runs in the bottom of the fifth to pull within 5-3.

Collins led off the frame with a walk before Jake Goodwin singled to left to put Devils at first and second.

After Keylan Newton, Collins’ courtesy runner, and Goodwin moved to third and second on a groundout, both scored when McLain reached on an error by Forrest shortstop Jaylen Smith.

Greeneville and Riverside enter Friday’s championship with 3-0 records in the tourney. Greeneville is 27-11-1 overall, while Riverside is 27-9-1. “(Playing for a state championship) is a dream everybody has once you come into high school,” said Fraley, one of just three Greeneville seniors. “Now it’s surreal that it’s going to happen tomorrow. It’s just an awesome feeling to get to the point we’ve all been dreaming about for years.”

Congratulations

Greeneville High School on your Baseball and Soccer Championships

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1 Trey Massengill Fr. 2 Jake Godwin Sr. 3 Bryce Buchanan Jr. 4 Garrison Brooks Jr. 5 Jordan Idell Sr. 6 Aaron Finchum Jr. 7 Caleb Norris So. 8 Avery Collins Fr. 9 Blayne Ferguson So.

10 Cj Henley Fr. 11 Jacques Gillespie Jr. 12 Dalton McLain Jr. 13 Noah Moore So. 14 Hunter Richards Fr. 15 Augustus Frailey Sr. 16 Nick Iezzi Fr. 17 Will Hurley Fr. 18 Braden Spano So.

Head Coach: Andy Collins Assistant Coaches: Andy Barnett, Bryan Everhart Managers: David Painter, Tyler Massengill Statistician: Alana Collins

22 Chase Collins So. 24 Keylan Newton So. 25 Ayden Cheney Fr. 28 Walker Townsley Fr.

2018 Greeneville High School Baseball Roster

March 12 Greeneville 6, Pigeon Forge 6 March 15 Greeneville 6, Halls 2 March 16 Jeerson County 1, Greeneville 0 March 16 Greeneville 6, East Robertson 2 March 17 William Blount 10, Greeneville 9 March 17 Powell 14, Greeneville 3 March 19 Grainger 6, Greeneville 4 March 22 Cherokee 1, Greeneville 0

March 23 Greeneville 3, Jeerson County 2 March 26 Greeneville 8, Cumberland Gap 0 March 27 Greeneville 5, Cumberland Gap 4 March 29 Greeneville 8, Harrison 0 March 31 Greeneville 10, Cumberland County 0 April 2 Greeneville 6, Chuckey-Doak 1 April 3 Greeneville 18, Chuckey-Doak 3 April 5 Greeneville 14, Grainger 1

April 9 West Greene 9, Greeneville 6 April 10 Greeneville 15, West Greene 2 April 12 Greeneville 12, Gatlinburg-Pittman 0 April 13 Greeneville 4, Easley (S.C.) 2 April 14 Greeneville 16, Bardstown (Ky.) 2 April 14 Seymour 9, Greeneville 5 April 17 Greeneville 16, Claiborne 6 April 18 Greeneville 5, Claiborne 4

April 19 David Crockett 6, Greeneville 1 April 19 Science Hill 9, Greeneville 1 April 20 Greeneville 9, Sullivan East 3 April 21 Dobyns-Bennett 8, Greeneville 5 April 27 Greeneville 7, David Crockett 6 May 1 Greeneville 17, South Greene 3 May 1 Greeneville 13, South Greene 3 May 2 Greeneville 11, Cherokee 6

Region 1-AA Tournament May 14 Greeneville 5, Unicoi County 0 May 16 Elizabethton 9, Greeneville 4

District 2-AA Tournament May 7 Greeneville 14, Cumberland Gap 4 May 9 Greeneville 16, Claiborne 11 May 10 Greeneville 13, West Greene 3

2018 Greeneville High School Baseball Results Class AA State Tournament May 22 Greeneville 3, Smith County 0 May 23 Greeneville 10, Forrest 8 May 24 Greeneville 7, Forrest 5 May 25 Greeneville 11, Riverside 0

Class AA Sectional May 19 Greeneville 4, Pigeon Forge 2

2018 GREENEVILLE HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL

Saturday, June 30, 2018

GreenevilleSun.com

The Greeneville Sun

Page 11

DEVILS DOUBLE UP Devils Win Away From Playing For Title Greeneville Pushes Across 3 Runs In 8th, Tops Forrest

BY SAM BUNDY SUN SPORTS EDITOR MURFREESBORO – The story from the Class AA baseball state tournament keeps getting better for the Greeneville Devils.

With a palpitating 10-8 win in eight innings over the Forrest Rockets at Blackman High Wednesday, the Devils are one win from playing in the state final on Friday at Middle Tennessee State University.

Not bad for a team with just three seniors. Not bad for a bunch that got off to a 2-4 start to the season.

“I think we still believe the same as we have all year,” said Greeneville left fielder Caleb Norris. “ … No one believed in us except the guys in the clubhouse. We’re going through the state tournament and no one really expected us to be here. But we’re coming out and playing strong together.”

Together being the operative word.

With every twist of Wednesday’s game, it seemed a different Devil stepped forward to swing momentum Greeneville’s way.

When one faltered, another would pick them up as if to say, “Follow me. I know the way to victory.”

It was resiliency of the highest level.

“Today really showed that we’re just a bunch of brothers,” said Greeneville senior shortstop Gus Fraley.

“Everybody has each other’s back. Whoever doesn’t do something in the lineup, the next guy’s got you. It’s the same way in the field. If you

don’t make a play, somebody else is going to come right behind you and make a play.”

In a game in which Greeneville led 6-1, Forrest scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to grab a 7-6 lead.

In the top of the seventh, the Devils were down to their last three outs, but were undaunted.

Jacques Gillespie-Taylor worked a walk to lead off the frame and Braden Spano followed with a long single to center field that put Devils at first and third.

Norris then stepped to the plate. And after falling behind 0-2 in the count, he lifted a sacrifice fly to center

that scored Gillespie-Taylor to tie it 7-7.

“We work in practice on just getting the job done in situations like that,” Norris said. “I knew with a runner on first, I couldn’t hit a ground ball because that might end up being a double play. I knew I had to get a ball out there to the outfield to get the job done, and I was able to get it done.”

Norris’ game-tying fly ball was a pick-me-up for Greeneville reliever Keylan Newton, who had given up three of Forrest’s four runs in the sixth.

With new life, Newton held Forrest scoreless in the bottom of the seventh, striking

out two.

The right-hander wound up pitching the last 2 1/3 innings for the win. He gave up four hits, three runs (two earned), walked one and struck out two. “(Norris’ sacrifice fly) was a momentum change for me,” Newton said. “After that, we were tied and playing to get the lead again. We weren’t losing. That allowed me to go back out to the mound, relax and just throw it.”

In the top of the eighth, Greeneville pushed across three runs for a 10-7 lead.

Dalton McLain – who was 3-for-5 out of the lead-off spot – singled to left, moved to second on a bunt by Fraley

and scored on a double to left by Jordan Idell for an 8-7 lead.

Gillespie-Taylor followed with a double to the gap in right that scored Idell to make it 9-7.

Gillespie-Taylor was then bunted to third by Blayne Ferguson and scored when Norris reached on an error for the 10-7 lead.

Forrest got an unearned run in the bottom of the eighth and had the tying run at the plate with a runner on first and two out. But Newton induced a fly ball to right that Bryce Buchanan squeezed for the final out.

Greeneville will play Forrest again at 2 p.m. central time Thursday for a berth into Friday’s championship game. Forrest defeated Smith County, the team Greeneville defeated in its opener on Tuesday, 13-1 in a loser’s bracket game Wednesday evening.

Forrest has to beat Greeneville twice to keep the Devils from advancing to the title game.

“I think we’re going to be all right,” said Fraley, who had an RBI double on Wednesday. “Everybody is running low on pitching, but I believe our offense is more dominant.”

Perhaps nobody benefitted from Greeneville’s I-got-your-back approach on Wednesday more than Gillespie-Taylor.

After striking out four times on Tuesday and taking a called strike three in his first at bat in the first inning Wednesday, Gillespie-Taylor carried frustration with him to the mound in the bottom

of the first. With the strike zone elusive, he walked the first three batters he faced and gave up a run on a passed ball.

But when Greeneville first baseman Braden Spano launched a home run over the 355-foot sign in the gap in left to tie the game 1-1 in the top of the second, it renewed Gillespie-Taylor.

“That took a lot of weight off me,” he said. “I just went back out to the mound with a clear head, just got focused and got going. I had a bad day (Tuesday), but Braden tying the game with that home run helped me get it out of my head and get the win.”

Spano, who finished 4-for4 and is 5-for-8 in two games in the tourney, drilled the home run on a 3-2, belt-high fastball on the inner half of the plate.

“Three-two, you know you’re most likely going to get a fastball,” he said. “I was looking for it and drove it pretty well.

“It felt good to get the game tied back up. I knew Jacques was going to come back out the next inning and throw strikes.”

Gillespie-Taylor didn’t walk another batter and gave way to Newton with Greeneville leading 6-3 with two out in the bottom of the sixth. In 5 2/3 innings, the big righthander gave up five hits, five runs (two earned) and struck out two.

The left-handed hitting Gillespie-Taylor also found his groove at the plate following Spano’s home run.

He finished 2-for-4 with a double, a home run and three RBI.

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Page 12

The Greeneville Sun

Saturday, June 30, 2018

GreenevilleSun.com

DEVILS DOUBLE UP

DEVILICIOUS

Greeneville Finally Tastes Victory In Baseball State Tournament

BY SAM BUNDY SUN SPORTS EDITOR MURFREESBORO – What happened here in the Class AA baseball state tournament at Blackman High School on Tuesday is something that will be talked about for generations of Greeneville fans.

Pitching the biggest game of his life and likely making the last mound appearance of his career, Greeneville senior Jordan Idell shut out a potent Smith County Owls’ lineup 3-0 in the Devils’ opening game of the double-elimination tourney.

It’s the first victory ever by a Greeneville team in the baseball state tournament, and just the second state tournament victory by a team from Greene County. North Greene is the other school to accomplish the feat.

“This is a great feeling,” Idell said. “In the fifth inning when it was still a 1-0 game, Coach (Andy) Collins came to me and said, ‘This is your game.

You’re going all the way.’

I was just going out there and getting outs.”

This was vintage Idell.

The right-hander mixed in his sneaky-fast fastball with his plethora of off-speed pitches, kept the ball down in the zone and worked both sides of the plate to stifle Smith County.

The Owls entered Tuesday averaging 11 runs per game in the playoffs, and it was just the second time they had been shut out all season.

“In and out. Changing speeds. Creating movement. Keeping them off balance,” Collins said. “It’s not giving in. You can give in, put the ball down the middle and let them hit, or you can make them work for it.

“Not giving in is huge, especially against an ag-

SUN PHOTO BY TATE RUSSELL

Greeneville third baseman Jacques Gillespie-Taylor tags out Smith County’s Jase Holder (right) on May 22 in the Class AA State Tournament.

gressive hitting team like that.”

In his seven innings, Idell gave up six hits, walked none and struck out four.

As can be the case with a pitcher who isn’t overpowering, Idell walked the tight rope at times against the Owls, who had at least one runner on base in five innings.

But Idell has never been a one-man show. And the defense behind him on Tuesday turned in a performance worthy of an Oscar for its supporting role.

“I felt good with my stuff and with the defense behind me,” Idell said. “We

just had a bulldog mentality. That’s the only way to win down here.”

When Smith County put runners on first and second with one out in the first inning, Greeneville second baseman Bryce Buchanan made a smooth play on a ground ball and third baseman Jacques Gillespie-Taylor reeled in a towering popup on the infield to end the inning.

When Smith County’s Bryson Neal led off the second inning with a single, Idell made a defensive cameo by picking off Neal at first.

When Smith County put runners on first and second

with two out in the third, Greeneville catcher Avery Collins put a throw on the bag at third that Gillespie-Taylor grabbed and put a tag on the feet of an Owl trying to steal third to end the inning.

When Smith County put runners on first and second with two out in the fifth, Greeneville left fielder Caleb Norris ran down a sizzling liner headed for the corner to end the inning.

When Smith County’s Bryant Goolsby, Tennessee’s Mr. Baseball in Class AA, led off the bottom of the sixth with a single to left, Buchanan fielded a ground ball and shoveled

to shortstop Gus Fraley coming across the bag at second, and Fraley threw on to first baseman Braden Spano for a double play.

Greeneville center fielder Dalton McLain followed that with the catch of the game, tracking down a deep fly ball to the gap in left and making a back-handed grab over his left shoulder on a dead run to end the inning.

“Those eight guys behind me have really stepped up in the last few weeks,” Idell said. “They’ve been making plays behind me and it makes me more comfortable when I know they’re going to be there for me.

They got the job done again today with some great plays.”

Smith County pitcher Eli Martin was impressive as well. He also went the distance, gave up eight hits, walked just one and struck out 11.

But on this day, the Devils got hits when they needed them.

In the first inning, McLain led off with a double to center, moved to third on a bunt by Fraley and scored on a single by Idell.

And in the fifth, the Devils took advantage of some wildness by Martin and a defensive miscue by the Owls to pad their lead.

With two out in the inning, Caleb Norris took a Martin fastball to the back, Nick Iezzi reached on an error by Smith County second baseman Jase Holder and CJ Henley worked a walk to load the bases.

Buchanan, batting in the No. 9 hole, then blooped a single over the first baseman’s head that scored Norris and Iezzi for a 3-0 lead.

“I’m always looking fastball on the first pitch and (Martin) threw me one outside,” Buchanan said.

“I was looking to drive it, but I threw the bat at it and it just went in the right place at the right moment.

I was just trying to get the runners in and it happened for me.

“I knew there were two outs, so I was going hard out of the box. When I saw the ball fall in, I knew I had come up big for my team.

It’s one of the best feelings I’ve had in my baseball career.”

Fraley finished 2-for-2, while Idell and McLain each finished 2-for-4.

Greeneville improves to 25-11-1 and will play Forrest at 12:30 p.m. central time on Wednesday at Blackman High. Forrest (23-15) defeated Covington 5-3 on Tuesday.

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Page 13

DEVILS DOUBLE UP

SUN PHOTO BY TATE RUSSELL

Greeneville’s Keylan Newton sends a pitch to the plate on May 25 against Riverside.

SUN PHOTO BY TATE RUSSELL

Greeneville’s Garrin Shufer (18) congratulates Devin Vital (14) after scoring a goal on May 22 as Lexington goalie Landon Ragsdell sits in front of the frame.

SUN PHOTO BY TATE RUSSELL SUN PHOTO BY TATE RUSSELL

Greeneville’s Seth Crawford (1) and Cade Miles celebrate a goal on May 22 in the Class AA State Tournament.

The Greeneville baseball team swarms Jacques Gillespie-Taylor after he hit a walk-off home run in the Class AA State Tournament on May 24.

Congrats Greene Devils 2018 TSSAA Baseball and Soccer State Champs!!

SUN PHOTO BY TATE RUSSELL

Way to go!

Greeneville’s Jake Goodwin (2) and Bryce Buchanan (3) get excited after Buchanan scored on May 25 against Riverside in the Class AA state championship game.

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Page 14

The Greeneville Sun

Saturday, June 30, 2018

GreenevilleSun.com

DEVILS DOUBLE DOWN Winning State Championships In Boys Soccer And Baseball!

GHS Wins Class AA Boys Soccer State Championship A celebration erupts as the Greeneville High School boys soccer team is awarded the 2018 TSSAA Class AA State Championship trophy (on May 25). The Greene Devils beat Loudon 3-0 in Murfreesboro. Sun Photo By Tate Russell

GHS Wins Class AA Baseball State Championship The Greeneville High School Greene Devils hold up their 2018 TSSAA Class AA Baseball State Championship trophy after defeating Riverside High School 11-0 in 5 innings Friday (May 25) in Murfreesboro. Photo By Kenneth Cummings/ Jackson Sun

Congrats from all the staĚ&#x2020; at The Greeneville Sun for an amazing year and a job well done!

The Greeneville Sun

17 Reed Mitchel So. 18 Garrin Shuffler Jr. 21 Peter Kriebel Fr. 22 Connor DeBusk Fr. 24 Matthew Fisher Sr. 25 Darren Dietz Fr. 26 Will Albright So. 27 Ryan Thompson Sr.

31 Malachi Ashley Jr. 32 Samuel Crawford Fr. 33 Jacob Hillyer Fr. 44 Quinten Mitchel Sr. 48 Colby Freeman Fr. Head Coach: Jerry Graham Assistant Coaches: Michael Connell, Keith Bailey, Rustin Jones

Home matches in CAPS March 13 at Morristown East 9-3 March 16 vs. Mountain Brook (AL) 3-2w March 17 vs. George Mason (VA) 2-4 March 18 vs. Murfreesboro Central Magnet 2-3

April 10 at Sullivan South 5-1 April 12 TENNESSEE 8-1 April 17 VOLUNTEER 9-1 April 19 UNICOI COUNTY 7-0 April 25 ELIZABETHTON 7-0 April 26 at Jefferson County 6-0

May 1 FARRAGUT 3-0 May 3 SCIENCE HILL 0-0 May 8 UNICOI COUNTY 7-0 May 10 SULLIVAN SOUTH 6-0 May 15 PIGEON FORGE 5-0 May 17 at Sevier County 1-0

2018 Greeneville High School Boys Soccer Results

March 20 CAK 1-0 March 22 BEARDEN 3-0 April 3 at Sullivan Central 8-0 April 5 vs. Houston 3-1 April 6 vs. Central Gwinnett (GA) 3-2 April 8 vs. Hardin Valley 2-0

State Tournament May 22 vs. Lexington 6-1 May 23 vs. Stratford 5-1 May 25 vs. Loudon 3-0

May 19 KNOXVILLE CATHOLIC 3-1

2018 GREENEVILLE HIGH SCHOOL SOCCER

9 Calvin Hood Jr. 10 John Stewart Jr. 11 Carlos Romero Fr. 12 J.P. Vital Jr. 13 Drew Renner So. 14 Devin Vital Jr. 15 Josh Sanchez Sr. 16 Karel Szobody Jr.

2018 Greeneville High School Boys Soccer Roster 1 Seth Crawford Sr. 2 Cade Miles Sr. 3 Bert Bradley So. 4 Bryant Renner Sr. 5 Matthis Stoever Jr. 6 Will Grant Taylor Jr. 7 CeJ Jones So. 8 Kevin Sanchez Sr.

Page 16

The Greeneville Sun

Saturday, June 30, 2018

GreenevilleSun.com