The new Associated Press statewide top 10 polls were released yesterday, and while nearly all of the classifications were pretty straightforward, Class 5A had one interesting development. Gallatin received a first-place vote, yet the Green Wave did not garner enough poll points to be ranked in the top 10.
It seems the jury is still out on Chad Watson’s squad despite a 5-0 start and three shutouts (including one of Mt. Juliet) in that start. There is only one way to garner that respect – keep winning. By the time their Oct. 25 showdown with also-unbeaten Beech rolls around, if the Green Wave are still perfect, they should be in the top five. It’d be really hard to keep them below one-loss teams such as Kirby, Page and South Doyle, and especially below two-loss Henry County.
But that’s still four weeks out, and there’s a lot of football to be played before then. Oakland is a unanimous No. 1 in Class 6A and the only one of the nine top-ranked teams to not need any further discussion this week.
What we will discuss on this week’s 615Preps Podcast is some of the top games from last week, and some surprises and underachievers at the halfway point. Check it out beginning Wednesday morning on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio and other various streaming outlets.
In the meantime, catch up on news from around the region:
Joyce: At midpoint of season, teams’ identities are pretty clear | Daily News Journal
Tennessee high school football statewide Associated Press poll after Week 5 | Tennessean
Tennessean Midstate high school football top-10 rankings after Week 5 | Tennessean
CITY CAFE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Brentwood QB Cade Granzow, K Thomas Day | Franklin Home Page