Folks, it is week 8 in prep football action. As the postseason nears, teams are jockeying for position in region battles and staking claims for who is the best of the best as the regular season is in the home stretch. That’s enough horse racing metaphors, time to take a look at the top action going on in the East Tennessee area.
*Games with final scores were played on Thursday
CLASS 6A
- Maryville 35 (7-0, 3-0 Region 2-6A), Bradley Central 13 (5-2, 2-1): Well, that was an interesting first half. The Bradley Central Bears went into the locker room at halftime with a 10-7 lead over Maryville. That is not a typo. For a moment, things looked to be really interesting down the interstate in Bradley County. The Maryville offense was struggling to get anything going and was turning the ball over multiple times. However, the Rebels quickly snapped out of it in the second half. Carson Jones and Parker McGill got things rolling on offense and the Rebel defense held the Bears to just a field goal to run away with it.
- Farragut (4-2, 2-0 Region 1-6A) vs. Dobyns-Bennett (6-0, 3-0): The Farragut Admirals needed to take down Science Hill in Week 7 to get a boost of momentum. They did just that to the tune of 35-13 on the road. Now, Farragut is back home and will host an undefeated Indians squad that has allowed just 17 points all season. However, this will be D-B’s biggest test in weeks. Farragut possesses great offensive weapons in quarterback Dawson and receivers Matt White and Trace Corum. Farragut will find out a lot about itself and the winner of the match will be in control of Region 1.
CLASS 5A
- West 39 (8-0, 3-0 Region 3-5A), Powell 27 (7-1, 3-1): It was going to be the epic showdown of the week and it lived up to its billing, even though it looked like it was heading for a blowout. Despite opening the lead to 32-14 in the third quarter, West found it difficult to hold off Powell and the passing attack of the Panthers, led by QB Jordyn Potts. With under three minutes left, Powell had the ball at its own 3, trailing 32-27 after a furious comeback attempt. However, after a high snap on the opening play of the drive, Potts was pressured, tried to make something happen and ended up tossing the ball to West’s Ethan Scott, who could’ve literally walked the couple of yards into the end zone for the pick-six. For now, West has proven it’s the top dog in 5A in the area. They’ve shown they can defensively stifle teams and now, they have shown they can win in shootouts. QB Baker Dance and RB Isaiah Mattress are deadly and stars are all over the field for the defense. This may not be the final chapter with these two, though. Stay tuned for the postseason.
- Carter (5-2, 2-1 Region 2-5A) vs. Knoxville Central (5-1, 2-0): The Hornets will be hosting one of the biggest games for the Carter program in years on Friday. Not only are the two-time defending 5A champs in town, but Carter is in the midst of a surprise season in which they are in contention for Region 2 (seriously). It will be a tall task to handle the well-disciplined and talented Bobcats, for sure. This is especially the case since Central hasn’t played since Sept. 19 when the Bobcats lost to Powell. This should be a competitive contest and Central SHOULD have the edge, but don’t underestimate the upstart and stingy Hornets.
CLASS 4A
- Sullivan South (6-0, 3-0 Region 1-4A) vs. Greeneville (4-2, 2-0): It was a rough start with tough losses and COVID issues, but over the last three weeks, Greeneville has looked more like Greeneville. Two road wins at Austin-East and Tennessee High was followed by a 77-0 walloping of Sullivan Central. Now, the Greene Devils travel on the road to face an old-time rival in the Rebels, who are perfect on the year and have won every game by at least 14 points. Greeneville seems to be hitting its stride a week out from a huge showdown against Elizabethton, but they cannot afford to look past the Rebels.
DIVISION II
- Knoxville Grace (7-0, 3-0 D-IIAA East) vs. Chattanooga Christian (1-2, 1-1): Grace has a chance to continue its best start since 2013 (12-0) with a region win over the Chargers on Friday. As you can see by the records, the Rams have played much more football and are doing it at a high level. After avoiding a scare against Knoxville Webb last week, expect Grace to look sharper this time.
- West Greene (2-4) vs. Knoxville Catholic (2-3): It may be a non-classification game, but Catholic really needs a win to get its confidence back as they are set for a big three-game grind the end the regular season after this game. The Irish only have one true win on the field this season and have suffered consecutive region heartbreakers against McCallie and Brentwood Academy. The host Buffaloes have won back-to-back games after an 0-4 start but just don’t have the talent to keep up with Catholic.