Chattanooga Brainerd gave Greeneville what GHS Coach Caine Ballard said was "their best shot," but it wasn't enough to halt the Greene Devils in the TSSAA Class 4A state playoffs.

The Panthers gave the Greene Devils a scare when they went ahead 14-7 early in the second quarter, but Greeneville responded with 31 straight points and went on to a 38-22 victory in a second round game at Burley Stadium Friday night.

"I told the kids this week that being in the final 16 was special, but being in the final eight is extra special," Ballard said after a post-game pep talk to his players at midfield. "It just gets better each game."

Senior tailback B.J. Spradlin rushed for 119 yds. and scored four touchdowns to lead Greeneville to victory and a berth in the state quarterfinals next week. After meeting two straight teams from Chattanooga in the past two weeks at Burley Stadium, Greeneville must hit the road to Chattanooga Red Bank, the state's top-ranked and unbeaten Class 4A squad, next Friday. Red Bank drilled Knox Fulton 55-22 in the second round Friday.

But the Devils (9-3) were enjoying the win over the Panthers on Friday. After seldom being tested over the final half of the regular season, Greeneville had to put up a solid fight against Brainerd, who used their speed to chalk up 330 total yards against a solid Devil defense.

"They unloaded the bus and the first four kids that came through that gate, they did some back hand-springs for about 50 yds. down the field," Ballard smiled when talking about the athletic ability of the visitors. "I think they liked the (artificial) turf. I was afraid that a team that had great speed could give us trouble on this turf. But our defense stepped up. We adjusted some to it ... what you can adjust to with speed like theirs."

The visitors actually had more yards in the game than did Greeneville (330 to 278). But Brainerd threw three pass interceptions, and the Devils got some great yardage out of Landon Morrison on punt and kickoff returns that helped set up the team in good field position.

Ryan Hughes pinned up Brainerd with a punt that rolled out of bounds at the Panthers' 4-yd. line after GHS's first possession. Kip Grooms then nailed Brainerd's Dino Montgomery on a reverse for a loss and the Panthers had to punt from their end zone. Morrison hauled in the punt at the GHS 41 and returned it to the 29.

Greeneville moved to score in three plays, with Spradlin breaking over right tackle for 18 yds. Ben Ogle booted the PAT.

"They (Brainered) sold out to try to stop the run, bringing seven and eight guys, and B.J. was able to pop it through the line and nobody was home," Ballard said.

But the Panthers came right back, marching 74 yds. in nine plays, with quarterback Anthony Broom hitting Jackie Reeves for a touchdown pass from 9-yds. out. Maleek Rooks, Broom and Reeves were workhorses in the drive on the ground that set up the TD pass. The PAT was blocked by Nick Craney, leaving the Devils up 7-6.

Brainered scored on their next possession as well, getting the ball in good field position at the GHS 46 when Ballard rolled the dice and went for it on fourth and two from his own 45. The run by Spradlin came up a yard short.

Reeves scored on an 18-yd. run, Montgomery ran for the two-point conversion off a fake kick, and suddenly the momentum had switched with Brainerd up 14-7.

But the Devils showed some spunk, taking the ensuing kickoff and marching down for a Ben Ogle field goal of 28 yds. to cut the gap to 14-10. The big plays in the drive were passes from Wes Quarles to Taylor Shuffler for 20 and 21 yds.

Greeneville then regained the lead for keeps after Brainerd got itself in a bind by fumbling the ensuing kickoff. Although Desmond Careathers recovered his bobble, the Panthers were hemmed in at their own 3 yd. line and eventually had to punt from the end zone, and the ball went out of bounds at the GHS 30.

The Devils moved in to score, with the highlight being a 28-yd. run by quarterback Quarles on a scramble after he couldn't find an open receiver. Spradlin scored from the 2-yd. line and the PAT put GHS back out front 17-14.

Brainerd appeared to be heading goalward just before intermission, with Broom hooking up with Jermain Williams on a brilliant throw and catch for 46 yds. to the GHS 12. But Chaz Story intercepted a Broom pass in the end zone to halt the threat.

Greeneville's defense then stepped to the forefront in the third quarter as the Panthers had three possessions without a first down. Spradlin finished off a 70-yd. drive with a 16-yd. TD run behind good blocking from linemen Jacob Penton, Andy McNeese and Colt Carpenter.

Young Tanner Stewart came in to lead part of that drive after Quarles had to go off the field to tend to an injury.

After Morrison returned a line drive Brainerd punt from his own 42 to the Panthers' 17, GHS got some breathing room on the scoreboard when Quarles hooked up with Morrison on a 17-yd. touchdown strike. That moved the score to 31-14.

Story came up with his second interception of the night on the first play of the final quarter. Then Nick Craney picked off Broom near midfield to set up Greeneville's final score, a 5-yd. run by Spradlin after Quarles had hit Rob Wright on a 34-yd. pass to the 5-yd. line. That made it a 38-14 game.

Brainerd never quit and got another score with 1:36 left on the clock when Broom passed 40-yds. to Maleek Rooks. Broom, on a keeper, got a two-point conversion run.

The Panthers tried on onside kick, but Russell Ottinger smothered it for GHS and all they had to do was take a knee to run out of the clock.

For the game Quarles hit 12-of-18 passes for 139 yds. and a TD. Rob Wright caught five passes for 68 yds., and Shuffler had three receptions for 45.

Brainerd got 75 yds. rushing from Broom while Rooks added 47 on the ground and Reeves got 41. Broom hit 9-of-28 passes for 163 yds. and two TDs, but he had three aerials picked off.