6-point football preview: On the road again - Five Sumner teams on byes; other three squads face tests away from home

Pope John Paul II High senior quarterback Ben Brooks (2) leads the Knights into this week’s game at Baylor seeking the team’s fifth victory.

Week 8 represents Sumner County’s lightest week, with three teams involved in three separate games.

Five squads – Beech, Gallatin, Hendersonville, Station Camp and Westmoreland – are on byes as the county is finishing up fall break.

The remaining three teams also are traveling for their region battles on Friday, as playoff battles are tightening with only three weeks remaining in the regular season.

Three points about the teams in action, and three more about the teams that aren’t:

Knights still seeking breakthrough

Pope John Paul II has had a pattern of alternating wins and losses during the past six games.

The Knights (4-3 overall, 1-3 DII-AA East/Middle) are coming off their bye week that followed a 49-27 loss to Montgomery Bell Academy on Sept. 30.

PJP II visits Baylor (5-2, 1-2) seeking to defeat the Red Raiders for the first time and to win a region contest against a team other than Father Ryan for the first time since 2008 (a 14-9 victory over Knoxville Webb).

Baylor is also coming off a bye week after a loss, as the Red Raiders suffered a 42-7 loss to rival McCallie on Sept. 30.

PJP II’s challenge will be to score more than once against the Red Raider defense. Only two teams – Brentwood Academy and McCallie – have scored more than seven points against Baylor, and both won.

In the other five games, Baylor’s defense has allowed a total of 20 points, including two shutouts.

Battle of Panthers

Portland visits Maplewood for the first time on Friday, seeking to snap a four-game losing streak.

The Panthers – those on the visiting side – have scored more than 14 points just twice this season (21 in a loss to Greenbrier and 48 in a victory over White House the following week).

Portland senior wingback Lonnie White (5) cuts away from White House Heritage defenders during a game earlier this season. Portland is scheduled to visit Maplewood on Friday evening.

Maplewood’s Panthers suffered their worst loss since a 73-14 loss to Hillsboro in 2000, falling by a 52-7 margin against Region 5-4A leader Pearl-Cohn on Sept. 30. Quarterback Bobo Hodges threw a touchdown pass to Yusuf Ali for Maplewood’s lone score.

It is scheduled to be Maplewood’s fourth and final home game of the regular season, but the school’s football field will have to be repaired after vandals damaged it on Monday evening.

Portland (1-6, 1-2 Region 5-4A) can pull even with Maplewood (5-2, 2-1) in the region race with a victory, but a loss will not eliminate the guests from postseason contention.

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Blue Devil blues

White House was eliminated from postseason contention with its loss to Macon County on Sept. 30, and the Blue Devils’ road gets tougher this week as they visit Pearl-Cohn in the next-to-last region contest.

The Firebirds (6-1, 3-0) have been nothing short of scorching hot in the last five weeks, outscoring opponents 239-41 in their current five-game winning streak. Pearl-Cohn rolled up 485 yards of offense in their Sept. 30 victory over Maplewood.

White House head coach Jeff Porter and the Blue Devils visit Pearl-Cohn on Friday, seeking to stop their 10-game losing streak.

Pearl-Cohn can win the Region 5-4A title with a victory and a Springfield loss to Macon County.

The Blue Devils’ losing streak reached 10 games with the loss to Macon County, the longest since White House dropped 16 straight during the 1954-56 seasons. White House’s longest losing streak occurred after the program’s inception in 1943, when the Blue Devils lost their first 21 games over four seasons.

Mason seeking record hat trick

After Gallatin returns from the bye week, senior Jordan Mason will resume his quest to hold the triple crown of rushing records.

Mason’s 200-yard performance last Friday gave him the all-time career record, and his 307-yard effort two weeks ago stands as the single-game record. He has 1,890 yards on 215 carries with 21 touchdowns through eight games. Mason is 330 yards shy of the school’s single-season record, set by Jeremy McMurry in 1992 (2,220 on 279 carries in 15 games). Gallatin visits Hillsboro and hosts Cane Ridge in its final two regular-season games.

Who will be left out of Region 6-5A playoff spots?

When teams return from fall break, Region 6-5A will have two weeks to settle four playoffs spots.

Cane Ridge is undefeated and plays Glencliff this week, and the Ravens will be locked in the postseason with a victory. That leaves three spots for four teams to fight over – Beech, Gallatin, Hillsboro and Hendersonville.

Beech is currently second by way of its victory over Gallatin, with both teams at 4-1 in 6-5A competition.

Hillsboro is 2-2, with the Commandos a half-game behind at 2-3.

The Commandos are currently the team that needs the most help, which would likely come from either Beech or Gallatin, in the form of another Hillsboro loss. Hendersonville’s victory over the Burros could serve as the crucial tiebreaker to decide who gets into the playoffs.

Westmoreland in position to clinch

Westmoreland, depending on Friday’s results, could be in a position to clinch a playoff spot next week at Cascade.

The Eagles are 3-2 in Region 4-2A play entering this week’s open date. The two teams that could catch them – East Robertson and Eagleville – have already lost to Westmoreland. That means Westmoreland only needs one win – or one loss by both East Robertson and Eagleville – to punch its ticket to the Class 2A playoffs. That could happen this week, without the Eagles taking a single snap.

Friday’s games

East Robertson at Watertown

Jackson County at Eagleville

Zion Christian Academy at Community

Open date: Forrest, Westmoreland, Cascade

Friday’s games

White House at Pearl-Cohn

Portland at Maplewood

Macon County at Springfield

Friday’s games

Cane Ridge at Glencliff

Hillsboro at Hunters Lane

Open date: Beech, Gallatin, Hendersonville, Station Camp

Friday’s games

Father Ryan at Brentwood Academy

Pope John Paul II at Baylor

Open date: Montgomery Bell Academy, Ensworth, McCallie