Less than 24 hours after Gov. Bill Lee’s executive order gave Tennessee high school teams the green light to begin practice with contact, Metro Nashville appears to have put that plan on hold for its teams.
A letter sent Wednesday to public and private school administrators within Davidson County requests that all competitions be delayed until at least after Labor Day, then clarified the date in a tweet stating that no games shall occur until at least Sept. 8.
A follow-up tweet detailed that Metro Nashville Public Schools are to continue with non-contact practice through Aug. 7.
Who gets affected by Metro Nashville’s announcement?
The short answer: Many teams statewide could be indirectly affected, as region games will need to be rescheduled. That could force some swaps for several teams down the line.
There are 13 Division I and 10 Division II programs within Davidson County’s limits, and those 23 teams could see each of their first three games disappear as a result of the decision. None of the Division II programs fall under Metro Nashville Public Schools’ jurisdiction, so the decision solely lies with each individual program as to whether they’ll take the field or not. But the Division I schools will fall under the request.
As many as 20 games in Week 1 could be affected, with opponents of Davidson County teams potentially needing to find alternative opponents or take the week off. Area teams scheduled to play Davidson County opponents in Week 1 include Brentwood, Cheatham County, Mt. Juliet Christian, Nolensville, Northwest, Pope John Paul II and Smyrna.
Week 2 games (potentially 15 total) would affect Brentwood, Cheatham County, Green Hill, Independence, Pope John Paul II, Stewarts Creek and Wilson Central, among others.
Nineteen more area games in Week 3 could change, with Beech, Friendship Christian, Gallatin, Green Hill, La Vergne and Smyrna as area teams affected that week. With Week 3 being a region week, those games are necessary for region standings and will have to be rescheduled.
Games involving affected teams
- Week 1
- Antioch at Nolensville
- Brentwood at MBA
- Northwest at Hunters Lane
- Davidson Academy at FRA
- Evangelical Christian at CPA
- Glencliff at Lipscomb Academy
- Goodpasture at Mt. Juliet Christian
- Hillsboro at Maplewood
- Hillwood at Cheatham County
- Howard at Stratford
- McGavock at BGA
- Oakhaven at Whites Creek
- Pearl-Cohn at Cane Ridge
- Pope John Paul II at Overton
- Silverdale Academy at DCA
- Smyrna at East Nashville
- Trezevant at Ensworth
- USJ at Nashville Christian
- Father Ryan at South Warren (Ky.)
Week 2
- Cane Ridge at Brentwood
- Cheatham County at Whites Creek
- CPA at Independence
- DCA at Webb School
- East Nashville at Maplewood
- Father Ryan at BGA
- Green Hill at Hillwood
- Hillsboro at Ensworth
- Hunters Lane at Sycamore
- Lipscomb Academy at Pope John Paul II
- MBA at Pearl-Cohn
- Nashville Christian at Goodpasture
- Overton at Wilson Central
- Stewarts Creek at Antioch
Week 3
- Antioch at La Vergne
- Beech at Glencliff
- BGA at Goodpasture
- CPA at Greater Atlanta Christian (Ga.)
- DCA at Friendship Christian
- East Nashville at Giles County
- Ensworth at Knoxville Catholic
- Father Ryan at Baylor
- FRA at Lipscomb Academy
- Hillsboro at Gallatin
- Hillwood at Hunters Lane
- Maplewood at Lawrence County
- MBA at St. Benedict
- McGavock at Cane Ridge
- Nashville Christian at Davidson Academy
- Overton at Smyrna
- Stratford at Pearl-Cohn
- Whites Creek at Green Hill
Follow Chris Brooks on Twitter @615Preps.