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There’s lots to go over from Week 7 games – so here’s six games that greatly affected region races:
Pearl-Cohn 14, East Nashville 0: There’s been plenty of talk about East Nashville’s defense, but the Firebirds showed that they could keep that side of the ball tidy as well. It’s Pearl-Cohn’s region to lose now, and they’ll clinch with one more win. East Nashville has to face Stratford in two weeks, with a win securing a home playoff game for the Eagles. But let’s keep Nov. 22 in mind – that’s the date of a potential quarterfinal clash should both teams keep winning, and Pearl-Cohn would host again.
Beech 35, Hillsboro 21: It’s official – the Oct. 25 clash with Gallatin will be for the Region 6-5A title. Now the only question is will both teams be unbeaten when they get there? Beech should be, as they have a non-region game with Station Camp in two weeks, but Gallatin has a rivalry game with Hendersonville on Oct. 18, and that won’t be a cakewalk. Both teams are off next week, so they’re only one win away from setting up a potential Game of the Year candidate.
Brentwood 24, Independence 7: Cade Granzow outdueled Ethan Cash to keep the Bruins atop Region 6-6A. Brentwood hasn’t clinched the region title yet, but a win over one of Franklin or Centennial will do the trick. As for the Eagles, whether they get a home game in the first round of the playoffs depends on whether they can beat Ravenwood.
CPA 28, Lipscomb Academy 7: We have to throw out CPA’s overall record now. It simply doesn’t matter anymore. What matters is the lumps the Lions took with a hard early-season schedule have set them up for later success, and Lipscomb Academy found that out the hard way.
Creek Wood 49, White House Heritage 27: This region – Region 5-4A – has been hard to figure out, but this week wasn’t kind to the Patriots, who are probably going to need to beat both White House and Montgomery Central to make the playoffs. In short, the loss to Creek Wood was damaging. The Red Hawks aren’t safe, either. With games against Portland and Springfield left as well, their clash with White House in two weeks is a must-win.
Franklin 42, Centennial 41: Could Franklin be a potential 6A spoiler? They’ve certainly been much improved over the last three weeks, and the Rebels now have some momentum headed into their open date next week. In two weeks, they host Brentwood in a game that could clinch a playoff spot for them.
And here’s six more that also had a significant impact:
MBA 24, Pope John Paul 10: Outside of region play, it’s been a really good year for the Knights. Inside of it, however, it’s been anything but pleasant. MBA locked up a playoff spot with the victory, and the Knights are now in full-on desperation mode, needing wins over both MUS and St. Benedict to reach the postseason.
Page 24, Summit 14: An upset? Depends on who you ask, but don’t tell that to the Patriots – they established themselves as the region favorite with this result. They’re not nearly in the clear, though, as they draw Columbia in two weeks. If the Lions win that game, they’ll do Summit a big favor, potentially forcing a three-way tie for the region title. In that case, if Summit wins out, the Spartans will take the top seed due to total victories.
Hendersonville 30, Wilson Central 9: Talk about a needed win – the Commandos got it. They ended their three-game slide with a convincing victory over Wilson Central and put them mostly back in control of their own destiny. A region title is still in play, but they will need help from – wait for it – Wilson Central, as the Commandos need to avoid a three-way tie for the top spot at all costs. If the Wildcats defeat Lebanon in three weeks, then the Nov. 1 showdown between Hendersonville and Mt. Juliet would be winner-take-all for the 4-6A title, provided both teams take care of their next region game.
Portland 41, White House 29: Oct. 18 is becoming another big date for region title chances, as that’s when the Panthers will play Springfield, possibly for the Region 5-4A title. If it takes three wins in this region to make the playoffs, White House is running out of time. They’ll need to win three of their last four games, and none of them are near-certain wins.
Knoxville Catholic 36, Brentwood Academy 31 (Thursday): As crazy as it sounds to say this – it’s very possible that Brentwood Academy won’t be participating in the postseason. The loss at Knoxville Catholic puts the Eagles in a bad spot – they can’t afford another region loss if they hope to finish in the top four. And with Baylor and Ensworth left to play, BA may need help to get in the playoffs. In this region, that’s asking for trouble.
Nashville Christian 28, USJ 27: One of those battles for first place, the Eagles kept their undefeated season going by edging USJ on the road. However, they’re only halfway through region play, as all four of the remaining games on their schedule are against West Region teams in Division II-A.
