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Six notable results from the opening round of the TSSAA playoffs:
Summit 27, Gallatin 14: Stuck on Highway 109? No big deal. It only seemed to fire up the Spartans that much more. Not only that, but Summit did what most teams couldn’t do all season – limit Spencer Briggs. By being willing to commit 10 or even all 11 defenders in the box at times, they dared Gallatin to throw, and the Green Wave couldn’t take advantage. A late start made for a worse night for Gallatin, and an excellent season in Chad Watson’s first year comes to a premature end. It won’t be the rematch most expected, but Summit visiting Page in round two makes for a whale of a sequel now that the Wade brothers are back doing damage.
Mt. Juliet 20, Riverdale 14: Coach suspended for one game? No big deal. Despite not having Trey Perry on the sidelines due to his ejection last week, Mt. Juliet’s defense forced four Riverdale turnovers and made home-field advantage count in the Golden Bears’ opening-round victory. They’ll get Perry back next week, and they’ll also get a date at Oakland.
Beech 6, Columbia 3: Columbia’s defense held Beech to 199 total yards, but they gave up one big play to Tysean Jefferson and that was the difference. Jefferson made a touchdown-saving tackle on a long Christian Biggers run, which proved critical when the Bucs came up with an interception a short time later to end the drive. Beech held the Lions to 152 total yards in the defensive struggle. The Bucs may see more of the same when Shelbyville comes calling next week.
Giles County 28, Fairview 7: Don’t think a lot saw this upset coming. Giles County scored twice in the fourth quarter to end the Yellow Jackets’ season with an 8-3 mark. That game turned out to be the swing game in Region 5-3A’s sweep over Region 6.
Gordonsville 20, Copper Basin 6: Combined with Whitwell’s victory at Monterey, the Tigers will host the second-round meeting this week. You certainly don’t plan for a home playoff game when you’re a 3-seed, but Gordonsville will get to do just that after going to the very southeast corner of the state and coming back with a first-round victory.
DeKalb County 45, Tullahoma 34: The Tigers have had a strong second half of the season and they continued it in the opening round of the Class 4A playoffs. Up next is a trip to Marshall County, and if they catch the other Tigers looking ahead, they just might be dancing a little while longer.
