Football
Another full slate of region games awaits Sumner County teams on Friday, and Week 7’s contests hold major significance in the playoff races.
Beech visits Gallatin in the Sumner County Game of the Week, which will also be shown locally as WUXP-30’s Friday Night Rivals contest beginning at 7 p.m.
Meanwhile, in Hendersonville, the Commandos (4-2 overall, 1-2 in Region 6-5A) host Station Camp (3-3, 1-2) in a game that both teams need to keep pace in the Region 6-5A playoff chase. Hendersonville is in a better position, having defeated Hillsboro, but the Bison are desperate to remain afloat in the postseason picture.
Pope John Paul II (4-2 overall, 1-2 in Division II-Class AA East/Middle Region) begins a three-game, four-week stretch of region contests as the Knights host Montgomery Bell Academy on Friday. PJP II can reach five wins for the first time since 2006 with a victory.
Portland (1-5 overall, 1-1 in Region 5-4A) hosts Springfield in a Region 5-4A contest that can move the Panthers forward toward the postseason with a victory, while White House (0-6 overall, 0-2 Region 5-4A) is in must-win territory if the Blue Devils have any hope of returning to the playoffs. White House hosts Macon County at 7:30 p.m.
Westmoreland (2-4 overall, 2-2 Region 4-2A) will try to bounce back from last week’s loss to Jackson County as Eagleville pays a visit in a Region 4-2A contest at Eagle Stadium.
Beech
Gallatin
Run-heavy teams collide
Both Beech (4-2 overall, 3-1 in Region 6-5A) and Gallatin (5-1, 3-0) love to run the football, and folks who don’t like commercials may love this game, too.
The Buccaneers have attempted to milk the play clock in recent region games, running it down as far as two or three seconds before snapping the ball against Cane Ridge.
If Beech wants to stop Jordan Mason, it can start by keeping the ball out of his hands as long as possible. The Buccaneers can do that with Chaz Williamson, who rushed for 129 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries against Springfield last week.
On the other side, Mason carried the ball 40 times at Station Camp last week for a school-record 298 yards. Is another 40-carry game in the works this week? Head coach Mark Williams might like to trim that number a bit, but taking at least 30 carries is a very likely plan for the Green Wave senior.
With both defenses likely to load up the box in defense of each other’s rushing attack, an occasional pass may very well prove to be a big play for both teams.
Station Camp
Hendersonville Commandos
Home-field advantage
Hendersonville has played particularly well at home as of late, going 19-2 at Memorial Stadium since the beginning of the 2013 season.
One of those losses came to Station Camp at the end of the 2013 season, but the Commandos returned the favor, defeating the Bison on the road two weeks later in the second round of the Class 6A playoffs.
Hendersonville has won nine consecutive games at home, with its last loss being a 24-7 setback at the hands of Centennial in the second round of the 2014 playoffs.
Station Camp won the turnover battle last week, collecting four turnovers while committing three, but two of their miscues were returned for touchdowns as Gallatin ran back a pair of interceptions for scores.
PJP II
Searching for an upset
Pope John Paul II is one win away from the first 5-win season since 2006. The Knights haven’t won more than one region game since that season, which is also the last time PJP II defeated Montgomery Bell Academy.
A victory over the Big Red would put the Knights in a position to avoid an unfavorable opponent in the first round of the Division II-Class AA playoffs. The Knights travel to Baylor in two weeks and host McCallie in their final region game on Oct. 21.
Portland
Panthers seek to rebound
Portland suffered a 35-7 loss at Lebanon last week, but the Panthers can’t dwell on that setback any longer as Springfield visits Edgar Johnson Stadium for a 7 p.m. kickoff on Friday.
The Panthers and Yellow Jackets renewed their acquaintances last season with Springfield prevailing by a 45-14 margin. Portland won three out of four games from 2005-2008, with the lone setback coming in 2006.
It isn’t a must-win game for the Panthers, as Portland already has one region victory, but a second one would go a long way toward a repeat playoff appearance.
White House
Blue Devils in desperate times
White House isn’t in such a good spot this week, as the Blue Devils host Macon County in a contest White House simply must win before facing Pearl-Cohn and Maplewood in the final two region games of the season.
That will not be an easy task, as the Tigers are averaging nearly 34 points per game this season, while the Blue Devils have scored more than 14 points in a game only once – a 48-27 loss at Portland. White House is on an eight-game losing streak, and another loss means the Blue Devils would have to win both games against Pearl-Cohn and Maplewood to have a chance to reach the playoffs.
Westmoreland
Westmoreland looking to continue region competitiveness
Westmoreland has certainly put the first two weeks of the season in the rear-view mirror, playing tight games since Region 4-2A play began.
The Eagles’ two region losses have come by a total of three points after last week’s 16-14 loss at Jackson County.
However, Westmoreland can keep pace with a victory over Eagleville this week. Westmoreland owns a 2-1 record against the other Eagles, having won the last two meetings.