Another physical game on tap for ACHS
Anderson County cleared a postseason hurdle when it defeated Elizabethton at home in the second round of the TSSAA Class 4A football playoffs Friday night.
The Mavericks’ 30-24 victory over the Cyclones set the stage for ACHS’s quarterfinal matchup against top-ranked Greeneville in a showdown between two undefeated teams.
Both teams are 12-0 and the Mavericks are ranked No. 2 in the state behind the Greene Devils.
Anderson County and Greeneville have been on a collision course all season and they’ll play for a berth in the state semifinals this week at ACHS.
The Mavericks, who defeated the Cyclones twice this season, and avenged last season’s postseason loss to Elizabethton (6-4) last week, will now take on a team that ended their season four years in a row from 2017 to 2020.
Greeneville defeated ACHS 28-24 in the second round of the 2020 playoffs. The Greene Devils also eliminated Anderson County, 24-7, in the second round in 2019.
In 2017 and 2018, the Greene Devils outlasted the Mavs in the state quarterfinals.
But ACHS is looking forward to another matchup against Greeneville.
“We’re really excited,” said running back Nick Moog, who rushed for 135 yards and caught a touchdown pass last week. “They’re going to be physical.”
Eli Davis, who had a late sack that stopped Elizabethton’s last-gasp comeback drive and netted the Mavericks a safety, said his team wouldn’t be intimidated by the Greene Devils.
“Nothing’s changing for us,” he said. “We’re going to do what we do.”