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Time for a weekly look at some of the trending teams and players in the area, in either direction:
Stock up
Metro’s imminent return: They’re back. Metro Nashville teams kick off this Friday and it’s a great thing for all involved. For my money, it should have happened long ago, but I’ve been pretty clear on that. Still, it’s enough time for those teams to still compete for playoff spots and for the players who need this season to get game film for recruiters. Welcome back.
Lipscomb Academy: The Mustangs’ big win at Goodpasture clearly sets the hierarchy in Division II-AA’s Middle Region. Next week’s battle with CPA should all but decide the region champion, and that’s a big reason why it’ll be our Spotlight Game of the Week for the first Friday in October. Luther Richesson has clearly hit his stride leading the Lipscomb offense.
Kenwood: Hard not to include the Knights on this list after their 61-14 drubbing of Northwest. Corben Howard, Jaylen Washington and Tishun Miles led the attack that ripped the Vikings and got Kenwood its first victory of the season. Beware, however: Henry County comes calling this week, before four consecutive road games in October. They’ll have to earn everything they get the next six weeks, but the offense could just help them do that.
Stock down
Metro home games: The downside of Metro’s return is that their home games won’t have fans. A couple of games that were to be hosted by Metro teams (Stratford-Green Hill on Oct. 1 and Cane Ridge-Smyrna on Oct. 2) will now be hosted at the opposing teams, which will allow Metro fans to attend their teams’ games. Don’t be shocked if more games swap to allow for those fans to see their kids play in person. You can stream the games at home and we can give you highlights from the sidelines as they happen, but it still isn’t the same as being there in person.
East Robertson: The Indians just suffered a bad loss to Jackson County on Friday, putting a major dent in their playoff hopes. They’ve already played and beaten Cascade, so their season might just come down to being able to defeat Westmoreland on the road on Oct. 16. Aside from the Cascade victory, East Robertson has managed just 22 points in four other games so far this season. That won’t cut it against either Trousdale County or Watertown, and Westmoreland’s defense hasn’t given up more than 17 in a game. That puts a lot of pressure on the Indians’ defense to get stops.
Stewarts Creek: The Red Hawks could have put themselves in a good playoff position with a win at La Vergne, but their 32-27 loss, compounded with Metro’s return to play, means the path to (and in) the playoffs got quite tougher. The good news is that they will not have to face Cane Ridge, and winnable games with Antioch, McGavock, Overton still remain before they end the regular season against Smyrna. The Red Hawks are still probably a playoff team, but a region championship is now less likely.
