are the 2018 Devils the best in school history?

[Swipes]

1 hour ago, Romansfive8 said:

There's been a lot of great teams come out of Greeneville High, but I believe starting with the 2009 team it started something bigger; they set the bar by making it to the 1st state championship game. They paved the way so speak for starting the Greeneville High Football championship runs in the past decade. The 2010, 2011, 2017 & 2018 Championship teams have set the standard for others who will go on to play Football for Greeneville, and I also believe it has created a positive noise/challenge to other NET teams to get there. 

There's No doubt in my mind the 2018 Team is the best that I have had an opportunity to see come out of Greeneville High and for that matter, the whole state of TN.  Why do I believe this? (Their unselfishness, leadership, an unwavering confidence that they were not going to be denied a WIN and that showed consistently throughout every game in a dominating fashion. On both sides of the ball they had Lots of talent, size, speed, discipline, and definitely their STRENGH & CONDITIONING. They had a huge target on their backs from the get go. The coaching staff, fan base, and most of the state of TN expected them to repeat. They never waiver once under pressure.  Fact is they dominated in every aspect of the game in every game)... 

I know that I did not have the opportunity to see every team in the state of TN play this year, but with the NFHS, and some of the televised games, it has allowed a lot of us to be able to watch other teams play.  Yea sure maybe the likes of Alcoa, or Knox Central, Oakland would have put up a good argument, but let's be real here.  After watching all the 2018 state championship games, BIG GREENE in my humble opinion is undeniably hands down another lever above all the rest.  There was just something very special about this 2018 team and they for sure will be remembered as being one of the most dominate, if not "THE DOMIMANT TEAM" in the state of TN. for 2018.   3peat coming 2019 GO BIG GREENE!

 

I agree with everything you just said except that the 2009 team was the one that started something bigger.  The culture shift changed my senior year in the 07 football season when Coach MCCurry was hired.  The new weight room and weight lifting program was put in place going into that season and "Football Period" was created. There was no well I have a job so I can't lift in the summer or I have to go to a band camp because I'm in band.  McCurry instilled a different mind set.  It was you don't lift you don't start, you miss workouts you don't have your name on the back of your jersey.  Ballard came back that season to be the OC (He had told me for 2 years he would be back my senior year and he kept his promise).  Bentley, Spradlin, Hammonds, and Ballard all started together that 07 season.  Devil camp was started that year also and still a tradition that the Devils do every year.  (Funny story about McCurry at Devil camp that I will never forget.  We were running a drill that was called the Gauntlet (1 MLB vs 3 Linemen on rip through drills and getting to the Ball Carrier) T. Stewart the other MLB beside me stopped in the middle of the drill because his chinstrap had came undone to fix it.  That was a big mistake in the eyes of McCurry so McCurry grabbed his helmet off and chucked it into the Cemetery and screamed "We will not be soft.  I'm tired of us being the Nail instead of the Hammer.  We will be the Hammer no matter what and you need to get that into your minds!"  There was a reason that my Junior year we went 4-6 and that 07 year made it to the Quarter Finals for the 4th time in school history and started the run of conference championships with basically the same team and ended up being 10-3.  The following year in 08 they made it to the Semi's before Maryville beat them and 09 made it to State.  When the TSSAA decided to go to 6 classifications and Greeneville Decided to play in the classification they were suppose to that helped out the 09 team a lot. The 09 team would have had a hard time making it out of the Quarterfinals if they would have moved up to 5a (They already had loses against the 1 and 2 seeds from district 1 5a that year).  The only thing I wished was that my Senior class got to go through the weight program they have now instead of 1 year in the system to see what we actually could have done over a 4 year period (I can tell you my strength and size went up big time  from my Junior to Senior year) 

Edited December 13, 2018 by Swipes

[Greendevil87]

6 hours ago, Swipes said:

I agree with everything you just said except that the 2009 team was the one that started something bigger.  The culture shift changed my senior year in the 07 football season when Coach MCCurry was hired.  The new weight room and weight lifting program was put in place going into that season and "Football Period" was created. There was no well I have a job so I can't lift in the summer or I have to go to a band camp because I'm in band.  McCurry instilled a different mind set.  It was you don't lift you don't start, you miss workouts you don't have your name on the back of your jersey.  Ballard came back that season to be the OC (He had told me for 2 years he would be back my senior year and he kept his promise).  Bentley, Spradlin, Hammonds, and Ballard all started together that 07 season.  Devil camp was started that year also and still a tradition that the Devils do every year.  (Funny story about McCurry at Devil camp that I will never forget.  We were running a drill that was called the Gauntlet (1 MLB vs 3 Linemen on rip through drills and getting to the Ball Carrier) T. Stewart the other MLB beside me stopped in the middle of the drill because his chinstrap had came undone to fix it.  That was a big mistake in the eyes of McCurry so McCurry grabbed his helmet off and chucked it into the Cemetery and screamed "We will not be soft.  I'm tired of us being the Nail instead of the Hammer.  We will be the Hammer no matter what and you need to get that into your minds!"  There was a reason that my Junior year we went 4-6 and that 07 year made it to the Quarter Finals for the 4th time in school history and started the run of conference championships with basically the same team and ended up being 10-3.  The following year in 08 they made it to the Semi's before Maryville beat them and 09 made it to State.  When the TSSAA decided to go to 6 classifications and Greeneville Decided to play in the classification they were suppose to that helped out the 09 team a lot. The 09 team would have had a hard time making it out of the Quarterfinals if they would have moved up to 5a (They already had loses against the 1 and 2 seeds from district 1 5a that year).  The only thing I wished was that my Senior class got to go through the weight program they have now instead of 1 year in the system to see what we actually could have done over a 4 year period (I can tell you my strength and size went up big time  from my Junior to Senior year) 

Thank you for posting this. Great Incite

[Romansfive8]

6 hours ago, Swipes said:

I agree with everything you just said except that the 2009 team was the one that started something bigger.  The culture shift changed my senior year in the 07 football season when Coach MCCurry was hired.  The new weight room and weight lifting program was put in place going into that season and "Football Period" was created. There was no well I have a job so I can't lift in the summer or I have to go to a band camp because I'm in band.  McCurry instilled a different mind set.  It was you don't lift you don't start, you miss workouts you don't have your name on the back of your jersey.  Ballard came back that season to be the OC (He had told me for 2 years he would be back my senior year and he kept his promise).  Bentley, Spradlin, Hammonds, and Ballard all started together that 07 season.  Devil camp was started that year also and still a tradition that the Devils do every year.  (Funny story about McCurry at Devil camp that I will never forget.  We were running a drill that was called the Gauntlet (1 MLB vs 3 Linemen on rip through drills and getting to the Ball Carrier) T. Stewart the other MLB beside me stopped in the middle of the drill because his chinstrap had came undone to fix it.  That was a big mistake in the eyes of McCurry so McCurry grabbed his helmet off and chucked it into the Cemetery and screamed "We will not be soft.  I'm tired of us being the Nail instead of the Hammer.  We will be the Hammer no matter what and you need to get that into your minds!"  There was a reason that my Junior year we went 4-6 and that 07 year made it to the Quarter Finals for the 4th time in school history and started the run of conference championships with basically the same team and ended up being 10-3.  The following year in 08 they made it to the Semi's before Maryville beat them and 09 made it to State.  When the TSSAA decided to go to 6 classifications and Greeneville Decided to play in the classification they were suppose to that helped out the 09 team a lot. The 09 team would have had a hard time making it out of the Quarterfinals if they would have moved up to 5a (They already had loses against the 1 and 2 seeds from district 1 5a that year).  The only thing I wished was that my Senior class got to go through the weight program they have now instead of 1 year in the system to see what we actually could have done over a 4 year period (I can tell you my strength and size went up big time  from my Junior to Senior year) 

Fair statement on the culture change beginning in 2007 and I agree.  Let me put it this way about what I meant about the 09 starting something bigger and hopefully it will make more sense in the way I see it.  With the 09 team being the 1st to make it to the championship round, I believe it left an lasting impression on the teams and community to follow and everyone was believing & saying hey we’ve made it this far once already, we can do it again and even win. That 1st taste of getting to final round just left a lingering hunger, a deeper thirst to get that 1st championship.  Driven by a culture change from 2007 to becoming a well recognized and respected powerhouse in 2018. Big Greene is now the Hammer that drives the nail!

Edited December 14, 2018 by Romansfive8

[Greendevil87]

1 minute ago, Romansfive8 said:

Fair statement on the culture change beginning in 2007 and I agree.  Let me put it this way about what I meant about the 09 starting something bigger and hopefully it will make more sense in the way I see it.  With the 09 team being the 1st to make it to the championship round, I believe it left an lasting impression on the teams and community to follow and everyone was believing & saying hey we’ve made it this far once already, we can do it again and even win. That 1st taste of getting to final round just left a lingering hunger, a deeper thirst to get that 1st championship.  Driven by a culture change from 2007 to becoming a well recognized, respected powerhouse in 2018. Big Greene is now the Hammer that drives the nail. 

Very true. Both you guy's are Great Devil's. Love the conversation

[Swipes]

10 hours ago, Romansfive8 said:

Fair statement on the culture change beginning in 2007 and I agree.  Let me put it this way about what I meant about the 09 starting something bigger and hopefully it will make more sense in the way I see it.  With the 09 team being the 1st to make it to the championship round, I believe it left an lasting impression on the teams and community to follow and everyone was believing & saying hey we’ve made it this far once already, we can do it again and even win. That 1st taste of getting to final round just left a lingering hunger, a deeper thirst to get that 1st championship.  Driven by a culture change from 2007 to becoming a well recognized and respected powerhouse in 2018. Big Greene is now the Hammer that drives the nail!

The 09 team definitely  left a good taste in the mouth with everyone in the community and that first time making it there the whole town of Greeneville seemed to be there (I was there with former players that played on that 07 team and played with a lot of those guys that made huge impacts on that 09 team).  That 09 team should have won that game also but had 3 mistakes that stood out to me. (The muff punt, the missed int that went through McNeeses hands, and Our DB getting beat deep on one play when I know the coaches at that point in the game had told the secondary whatever you do don't get beat deep) . We are definitely the Hammer Now and I was so proud of this year team to make it back to back (I use to run the Flag Football program at the Y so I've seen these Seniors since they were little playing together and had quite a few of them as a summer camp counselor and proud of how they have grown as not only football players but also becoming men) 

[Greendevil87]

Yes the thing that bothered me the most about that championship game in 09 and believe me I'm not trying to hurt any feeling's or bring back up bad memories that's the last thing I would want to do. But I told my brother seating in the stands countless times thru the season that I wish we would stop running up and trying to field short punts.that it was going to come back and bite them. And sure enough at the absolute worst time possible it happened. Still bothers me to this day. If we had let that ball hit the ground and got away from it . We had just enough time to take our time score and not leave them enough time to do anything. And even if did bounce we were going to have great field position inside their 40. But live and learn I guess when you go watch GHS now if it's short they get away from it most every time. So that's a good thing

[Greendevil87]

Congratulations to the Devil's signing today