Quarterfinal clash
Mavericks’ season ends in Greeneville thriller
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Marcus Brown fights through contact for extra yards against Greeneville during Friday’s Class 4A quarterfinal. The Mavericks leaned on the senior’s tough running and a late surge from freshman quarterback JD Gillum, who nearly engineered a fourth-quarter comeback before Anderson County fell 28-21 to the Green Devils. - Tony Cox
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Anderson County’s JD Gillum went 23-for-44 through the air for 351 yards in the Mavericks’ quarterfinal showdown against Greeneville. - Tony Cox
All things must come to an end, and this was the case for the 2025 football season for Anderson County High School.
In a matchup that seems to happen every year around this time, the Mavericks made a trip to Greeneville for a Class 4A playoff game.
The game marked the fourth-consecutive time that Anderson County has tangled on the gridiron in the state quarterfinals.
As it turned out, the game would be the Mavericks’ last contest of the season as they came up on the short end of a 28-21 decision against the Greene Devils on a cool rainy night in Northeast Tennessee.
With the win, Greeneville avenged last year’s 28-14 postseason loss to the Mavs.
The Greene Devils won in 2023, prevailing 28-17.
In 2022, ACHS, at home, routed Greeneville, 38-7, on its way to a state championship and a perfect 15-0 season.
Friday night’s contest was also a tale of two halves as the defenses took center stage for the inaugural 24 minutes of the postseason tilt.
The two prolific offensive attacks were all but stifled in over the first half — or at least points came at a premium. Both teams amassed yards, but only the Greene Devils scored before halftime, making it 7-0 at the break.
The lone touchdown came on an explosive play as Caden Baugh, the Greene Devils quarterback and Class 4A Tennessee Titans Mr. Football semifinalist, lofted a 79-yard touchdown pass to Cole Franklin with 8 minutes, 41 seconds remaining in the opening quarter.
Early in the second half, the Greene Devils (12-1) found the end zone again on a 38-yard run by Jude Dyer, extending the home team’s advantage to 14-0.
Anderson County got on the scoreboard in the third frame on a one-yard touchdown plunge after the Mavericks recovered a Greene Devil fumble.
Jackson Payne added the ensuing extra point, making the score, 14-7.
Baugh’s 17-yard scoring scamper helped Greeneville regain a 14-point lead before the Mavericks would rally to knot the contest at 21-21.
Quarterback J.D. Gillum threw a 43-yard scoring strike to Brayden Sharpe to make it 21-14. Thompson tied the game later in the final frame on Thompson’s 2-yard TD plunge.
Thompson again had a big night for the Mavs as he rushed for 92 yards and a pair of TD’s on 17 carries. He also hauled in five receptions, amassing 44 receiving yards. Sharpe had five catches for 84 yards.
Gillum went 23-for-44 through the air for 351 yards. He had one touchdown and one interception for the Mavs, who finished 9-3, and won another Region 2-4A title.
Earlier, Anderson County handed Alcoa its first league loss in more than a decade.