GHS Mr. Football nominees and winners
1988: Brigham Lyons - Nominee
Brigham Lyons (1988-1991) was the first player nominated for Mr. Football from Greeneville. His nomination was in the Class 3-A Back category. Lyons was the East Tennessee Player of the YEar, and 1,373 yards rushing his junior year, and 1,722 his senior year. Lyons was also a standout track athlete, and won the state championship in the 300 meter low hurdles. After GHS, Lyons played for MTSU, rushing for over 2,200 yards, a school record.
1993: Dustin Moore - Winner
With 4.4 speed and more yards than any other back in GHS history, Dustin Moore (1991-1993) was the first GHS player to bring home the Mr. Football trophy. Moore's size and speed made him an attractive recruit for the University of Tennessee.
1996: Byron Gillespie - Finalist
Gillespie had over 1,500 yards rushing his senior season, leading the IMAC conference in both yards and points scored. Gillespie's efforts took Greeneville to the second round of the playoffs where they faced Cleveland, who had the state's longest winning streak at 54 games. Depsite a had fought game in which Gillespie had 119 yards, the Devils lost..
2002: Cody Baugh - Nominee
Cody Baugh (2000-2002) quarterbacked Greeneville's first wide open, passing style offense, and set both school and conference records. He passed for over 3,200 yards and 36 touchdowns his senior year.
2010: William Carmichael - Winner
Willie Carmichael brought home the second Mr. Football trophy to Greeneville during the Devil's run to their first state championship title. Carmichael threw for 12 touchdowns but ran for 19 more and almost 2,000 yards rushing
2011: Terrell Rollins - Winner
A Greeneville player brought back the hardware for the second straight year as Terrell Rollins won the defensive award, back when the award was divided among offense and defense. It was a bitter sweet win as one of the other finalists was teammate Jamal Hall, himself a standout on the defense.
2011: Jamal Hall - Nominee
Nominated alongside teammate Terrell Rollins.
2015: Desmond Dabbs - Semifinalist
All conference, and an all around athlete, Dabbs was the workhorse of Greeneville's offense. He gained 2,422 yards and 31 touchdowns his senior year. Against Knox Central in the second round of the playoffs, Dabbs carried the ball 42 times for 273 yards and 3 touchdowns.
2017: Cade Ballard - Winner
Cade Ballard became the first Junior from GHS to win the Mr. Football award, having helped the team to a perfect 15-0 record and their third state championship. Cade passed for 3,148 yards (a school record) and 38 touchdowns (a school record), and ran for 985 yards and 21 touchdowns.
2018: Cade Ballard - Winner
Cade Ballard became the 18th player in Division 1 to be named Mr. Football in back-to-back years. Cade passed for 9,399 yards, 123 touchdowns, and only 9 interceptions, rushed for 2,669 and 60 touchdowns, and started all 55 games of his high school career. He received a commission to West Point upon graduation.
2019: Ty Youngblood- Finalist
Youngblood has started all 52 games of his high school career and has led the team defensively each season since his Sophomore year. His stats don't do justice to his contribution, as the team has compiled a 49-3 record over that tenure, and like other recent team members, there were few games when he was needed beyond the 2nd quarter. Still, Youngblood amassed 209 solo tackles, 162 assists, and 34 TFL. On offense, he has carried the ball 305 times for 2,070 yards and 41 touchdowns. Ty has a 3.96 GPA ans scored a 30 on the ACT. He will attend Furman University upon graduation.
2021: Mason Gudger - Finalist
With the Devils trailing Science Hill 21-0, an 80 yard touchdown run by then sophomore Mason Gudger helped spark Greeneville to the come-from-behind victory. Mason's 4,134 yards rushing moved him to 2nd for a career at GHS, behind Brigham Lyons' 4,470 yards. Mason also 204 points scored on 30 rushing and 4 receiving touchdowns set a new school record for Total Points in a Season. His 98 yard run from scrimmage for a touchdown at Elizabethton in the Quarterfinals in 2020 is also a school record. Mason accumulated 5,205 All Purpose Yards: 4,124 rushing (64TDs), 524 receiving (6TDs), 44 punt return yards and 503 kickoff return yards (1TD). Mason also maintained a 3.63 GPA at Greeneville.