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Star Correspondent

For Elizabethton and Greeneville, the teams have prepared, conditioned, worked out in the summer heat, and played nine weeks of football for this one final regular-season opportunity to capture the Region 1-4A title and set themselves up for a postseason run.

All of that comes to a head Friday night at Burley Stadium in Greeneville as the Cyclones and Greene Devils meet in what promises to be an intense night of hard hits and heart-stopping moments for players and fans alike.

Greeneville enters the game with a 7-1-1 (4-0-1) record, with the only loss coming to Alcoa (31-13) and a tie recorded against Volunteer. The Cyclones come into the contest with a 6-2 (5-0) record, with losses to two Class 6A teams: Science Hill, 35-14, and Dobyns-Bennett, 28-21.

“It’s why you do what you do and why you go through all the work,” said Cyclones head coach Shawn Witten. “That’s why you load up with Science Hill and Dobyns-Bennett on the schedule for these games. These are playoff-type games, and you just have to buckle up.”

Greeneville is a well-balanced team with skilled players on the outside who can make you pay if you’re not focused, combined with the hard-nosed running of Carson Quillen, creating a two-headed monster.

“They don’t have a weak link—their roster is really solid,” said Witten. “We have to compete. We need to have good habits and trust the process, focusing on the little things between snaps rather than the outcome. We have to tackle, block, and execute offensively. This is why you sign up—to face adversities and overcome obstacles.”

Fans who have attended past games at Burley Stadium know how intimidating the atmosphere can be. One thing the Cyclones must guard against is letting their emotions become unhinged due to a bad call or an off-field incident.

“Greeneville is a really tough place to play,” Witten said. “It’s a tough environment. We haven’t had a lot of success against them in the last two years. We have a good plan, and the guys are ready. We need to hold our ground and get off to a good start.”

The Cyclones know they must effectively move the football and keep the Greene Devil offense off the field to manage possessions. If they can do that, they have a great chance of returning to Elizabethton with the region title.

“Time of possession and first downs—we have to move the chains by moving the football and fighting for five. That’s what we tell our guys,” Witten said. “Those guys are really good in the box. We’ll have to fight for yards.”

Game time is set for 7:30 p.m. Friday in Greeneville. The game was initially scheduled for Thursday but has been moved to Friday night.