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Six things that stood out from Week 9’s results:
Hillsboro’s march continues: Hillsboro made a statement with its 35-31 win over Cane Ridge on Friday, and that statement is they’re a lot better than your typical No. 3 playoff seed will be. The Burros can’t finish any higher than third, so it’ll send them on the road in the Class 5A playoffs, but their first-round opponent — whether it’s Shelbyville or somebody else in Region 5-5A not named Summit — can’t like these developments at all.
Rumble in the jungle: A battle of Tigers saw DeKalb County’s version escape with a last-minute score to defeat Macon County 24-20 and win the Region 3-4A title for the school’s first-ever region crown. It means that DeKalb County will have a favorable path in the postseason, while Macon County missed a grand opportunity to get closer to its first region title since 2003.
Irish eyes are smiling: Father Ryan locked up at least the No. 2 seed in the East Region of Division II-AAA with their convincing win over defending DII-AAA champ McCallie. That’ll mean a home playoff game for the first time in seven years. The Fighting Irish have won four straight against good competition, so if you haven’t taken them seriously by now, it’s time to start. They can still win the region title, but it’ll take two Brentwood Academy losses, plus a win over Knoxville Catholic to do it.
DCA makes a statement: And that statement is they’re not going anywhere. Especially now that they’ve clinched the East Region title in Division II-A with their 49-17 thumping of The King’s Academy. The Wildcats earned home-field advantage through the semifinals with the win. With the way DCA and Davidson Academy are both playing these days, it’s not hard to imagine an all-Midstate BlueCross Bowl between the two.
Tripped up: Pope John Paul II suffered a tough 17-8 loss at MUS, damaging their region title hopes. The Knights aren’t out of the picture yet, however. Because playoff seeding is determined simply by the number of region wins and not winning percentage, there’s a chance for as much as a four-way tie for first place in the West Region, which would be a mess. JPII’s overall record would certainly help in tiebreakers with more than two teams, so the Knights’ game with Centennial this week is a must-win.
Summit’s unexpected off week: Summit was getting set to play Shelbyville in a game that was huge to the Region 5-5A race before the Golden Eagles had to shut down on Friday due to positive COVID-19 tests. That hands the Spartans the region title with two weeks to play, though they would have liked to get a game in this week. They currently don’t have a game scheduled for Week 10, either. 2020 has just been tough on some teams’ schedules. Pearl-Cohn had been floated as a possibility, but the Firebirds found a game at Brainerd, so unless something changes, Summit’s still waiting.
