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Ravenwood Head Coach Will Hester has his squad in the 6A quarterfinals against visiting White Station Friday.
Some big guns went down in the state football playoffs Friday night, leaving the door wide open for several Midstate teams to make a push for a berth in the BlueCross Bowl and vie for state championships
Three defending state champions lost (Knoxville West in 5A, Fulton in 4A, Union City in 1A), and another favorite, unbeaten Boyd-Buchanan, lost in Class 2A.
Here’s a breakdown of each bracket, with quarterfinal action in Division I (semifinals in DII) being played Friday night.
CLASS 6A
Favorite: Maryville (12-0). No news here. The nationally ranked Rebels were everyone’s favorite going in and have done nothing to disprove that.
Top contender: Ravenwood (11-1). The Raptors reached the title game last year and had Maryville on the ropes. The Raptors are in a favorable position to return to Cookeville, with White Station at home Friday and then the winner of Whitehaven-Wilson Central in the semifinals.
Wrong place, wrong time: Oakland (11-1). The Patriots would arguably be the top contender, but Oakland is in the same bracket as Maryville and will have to beat the Rebels (providing they avoid an upset with visiting Blackman) in the semifinals to compete for a 6A title. A date with rival Smyrna stands in the way of that.
Overview: This bracket is still the most intact, as far as returning BlueCross Bowl members and favorites still being alive. Of the eight quarterfinalists, seven were expected to be there. Only Wilson Central (6-6) has shaken up things, pulling off two upsets en route to a game at Whiteheaven (11-1).
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Independence and quarterback Andrew Bunch will battle Hillsboro Friday in the 5A state playoffs.
CLASS 5A
Favorite: Independence. Despite the defending champ Knox West returning to the field, most around the state have had the Eagles penciled in as their champion. Independence, behind a stingy defense and explosive offense, led by QB Andrew Bunch and Mr. Football finalist Nate Johnson at WR, has been ranked No. 1 most of the season in the 5A Associated Press poll.
Top contender: Centennial. It won’t be easy, having to play a tough Henry County squad again before a potential rematch with Independence, which handed Centennial its only loss 38-7, in the semifinals. If Mr. Football finalist Tyrel Dodson and the Cougars pull the upsets, the BlueCross Bowl matchup should actually be an easier game.
Wrong place, wrong time: Hillsboro. The Burros are defending 5A runners-up and have played well this year. However, they have the unenviable task of taking on Bunch and Independence this week, and their reward for an upset win would be another daunting task against Centennial or Henry County.
Overview: One of the least exciting brackets for a few years, Class 5A is arguably the best bracket in the field this year, particularly for Midstate teams. Don’t be surprised if Ooltewah (10-2) awaits the winner from the West in the BlueCross Bowl.
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Springfield quarterback Dewayne Buckner (5) is stopped by Pearl-Cohn’s Rontavius Groves (5) during during a recent game. The two teams match up again Friday in the 4A quarterfinals.
CLASS 4A
Favorite: Knox Catholic. If you unseat the best, then you have to be taken seriously, and despite having four losses, Catholic has certainly impressed in the first two rounds — a 53-7 win over Sullivan East and 28-25 win over defending champ Fulton.
Top contender: Pearl-Cohn. Another four-loss team, but anyone who has kept a close eye on the Firebirds knows that Pearl-Cohn has had arguably the toughest schedule in 4A. With an offense that has skill all over the place and a defense that has allowed 17 points combined in two playoff games, don’t be surprised to see the Firebirds in Cookeville.
Wrong place, wrong time: Marshall County (11-1). This team could easily be labeled favorite or top contender, having outscored its first two opponents 103-20. But an unfavorable matchup against a hot East Hamilton team awaits, with a win landing either Greeneville (11-1) or Catholic.
Overview: There are still some tough teams left in this bracket, with basically only Fulton as the major upset victim. This is the toughest of all eight brackets to pick. With Memphis East (11-1) lingering around in the West, there are still six or seven teams that could legitimately win the title.
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Mr. Football finalist Zach Weatherly and CPA will battle White House-Heritage in the 3A quarterfinals Friday.
CLASS 3A
Favorite: Alcoa (11-1). This is 3A’s version of Maryville. Coach Gary Rankin’s squad is gunning for its ninth state title since 2004. The defending runners-up (who were beaten 7-0 by CPA in last year’s title game) have lost to only Maryville this year.
Top contender: CPA (11-1). The Lions aren’t as dominant as last year’s unbeaten state champs, but until someone unseats them, they are as good a pick as anyone to return to Cookeville. Mr. Football finalist Zach Weatherly and running back Chip Omer have aspirations of back-to-back titles. You could easily swap the Lions with Liberty Tech (12-0) in this spot.
Wrong place, wrong time: East Ridge (12-0). Coming off a 28-0 win over Chattanooga Christian sets East Ridge up with a favorable matchup against Notre Dame (9-3) in the quarterfinals. However, Alcoa looms in the semis.
Overview: Expect some dazzling semifinal matchups between Alcoa and East Ridge in the East and CPA and Liberty Tech in the West. Combined the four teams would have just two losses should this happen.
CLASS 2A
Favorite: Marion County (11-1). Tyner won’t be an easy quarterfinal matchup, but Marion County is playing as well as any team in 2A right now.
Top contender: Trezevant (9-3). This is a team that finished runner-up in 4A last year, and the Memphis squad has flexed its muscles thus far in the 2A playoffs after moving down, having won its first two games by a combined 106-0. Granted those two teams were a combined 4-16.
Wrong place, wrong time: The Midstate. This is a classification that isn’t well represented with Midstate teams anyway, and no local squads reached the quarterfinals.
Overview: With Boyd-Buchanan out of the picture, Hampton (12-0) and Marion County should take advantage. Manassas is still alive despite a 5-7 mark, but a rude awakening happens Friday against Trezevant.
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Nashville Christian’s Carter Clark (25) scores a touchdown during a recent game. The Eagles battle unbeaten Marion County Friday in the 1A quarterfinals.
CLASS 1A
Favorite: Nashville Christian (11-1). Thanks, Peabody. If you talked to Nashville Christian faithful prior to the season, being in the same bracket as Union City usually accompanied postseason talk. With Peabody snapping the two-time defending champs’ 39-game winning streak, the door is wide open for Coach Jeff Brothers, Mr. Football finalist Daniel Bituli and the rest of the Eagles.
Top contender: Columbia Academy (12-0). The Bulldogs face a very stiff challenge in South Pittsburg (9-3) this week, but the Pirates better bring their defense. No team has held Columbia Academy to fewer than 40 points. Multi-talented athlete Taylor Thompson and his squad could be poised for a BlueCross Bowl run.
Wrong place, wrong time: Wayne County (12-0). Mr. Football finalist Preston Rice (31 TDs, 2 INTs) has had Wayne County on a roll all season, and Friday’s quarterfinal matchup with Nashville Christian should be one of the best games of the night. One of these teams will unfortunately pack it in for the season.
Overview: Don’t count out Harriman (9-3), which has cranked up its offense during the playoffs, scoring 100 points in two games and knocking off defending runner-up Coalfield. The Nashville Christian-Wayne County winner will be rewarded with a very tough matchup against an 11-1 Dresden squad, which has simply outscored its first two playoff foes 118-14.
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Brentwood Academy head coach Cody White talks with his players during a recent game. The Eagles battle Baylor at home in the DII-AA semifinals Friday.
DIVISION II-AA
Favorite: Brentwood Academy (10-1). Many have pegged the Eagles as favorites all season, with offensive options such as Jeremiah Oatsvall and Cam Johnson and an offensive line that rivals anyone’s.
Top contender: MBA (10-1). The defending champs have just one blemish all season — albeit a nasty one to Brentwood Academy. With Ty Chandler in the backfield, the Big Red should escape Christian Brothers and punch a ticket to Cookeville for a rematch with BA.
Wrong place, wrong time: Baylor (9-2). In any other season, Baylor is good enough to win a state title, and that could still happen. The Red Raiders’ two losses, however, have come to Brentwood Academy and MBA.
Overview: As is usually the case in DII-AA, any of the four teams left in the semifinals are as good as most teams in the state (in any classification) and could win it all. It’s actually tough to label any win being an “upset” at this point.
DIVISION II-A
Favorite: St. George’s (11-1). A favorite to reach Cookeville going in to the playoffs, nothing has changed.
Top contender: Northpoint Christian (12-0). If you’re still unbeaten at this point, you’ve done something right. A first-round blowout win was followed by a squeaker over DCA (15-14).
Wrong place, wrong time: University School of Jackson (9-3). Having come off an upset over unbeaten FRA last week, the Bruins could be primed for making a run. However, a trip to the BlueCross Bowl will be tough, with Northpoint Christian in the way.
Overview: The hardest bracket to pick since the beginning. USJ has knocked off the defending champs (Knox Webb) and one of only two unbeatens in the bracket. St. George’s avenged its only loss last week (42-10 over Lausanne). No Midstate teams left after DCA, Friendship Christian and FRA went down last week.