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With a week to play in the regular season, there’s still a lot left on the table for many teams. Let’s get to it:
Stock up
Independence: The Eagles had to wait a few extra hours, but Saturday was a good day for Jaxson Campbell and his Independence teammates as they knocked off Brentwood to set themselves up with an opportunity to win Region 6-6A. They’ll have to beat Ravenwood to do so, but they’ve largely handled every test they’ve had this year. We might not have been talking about Indy enough. That changes now.
Beech: The Buccaneers have flown a bit under the radar this season, in part due to a two-week COVID-related shutdown. But they’ve won six straight since a close loss at Powell to begin the season and their domination of Gallatin helped ascend them to this week’s No. 1 ranking in Class 5A. They can’t overlook Hillwood this week, as the Hilltoppers can play spoiler on senior night. But Beech is in a good spot to make a run in Class 5A, and if we’re looking ahead (this is stock watch, after all), a potential quarterfinal with Summit is a premier game.
Riverdale: The Warriors are hoping to get Jameson Holcomb back soon and they handled previously-unbeaten Warren County last week. It won’t be an easy road to a rematch with Oakland, but it’s there all the same. Riverdale’s defense will give them a chance.
White House: It didn’t look great for the Blue Devils following their 48-27 loss to White House Heritage on Oct. 9. With Creek Wood and Montgomery Central still to play, White House’s playoff prospects were fading fast. But some old-school football helped them hold off Montgomery Central last week and give them a shot to get in the 4A dance. It boils down to an elimination game with Greenbrier, and the area’s longest-running consecutively played rivalry — with its 78th edition this week — has the stakes as high as ever.
Stock down:
Stewarts Creek: The one way nobody wanted to see a team’s season end just happened to the Red Hawks. A 14-day quarantine will keep them from playing their first-round playoff game and subsequently ends their season. Ben Caudill’s first year as Stewarts Creek’s head coach went well and he has them going in the right direction. It’s a shame that they won’t get to go out on their terms this season.
Montgomery Central: Last year’s finale against White House Heritage was one of those win-or-else games, but this one is not. The Indians’ shutout loss to White House eliminated them from playoff contention and puts a sour end to a tough season where offense was hard to come by (6.9 points per game) and they had to miss the first two games while Montgomery County schools were not in competition.
Summit’s game reps: The Spartans will be the most well-rested team entering the postseason, but they’ll have some rust to knock off first. Summit has played once this month and unless they find a late addition to the schedule this week, they’ll have only played once since the last Friday in September when they take the field for their first-round Class 5A playoff game. Not ideal for a team that has high aspirations, but they should be a healthy bunch ready to go.
Rossview: The Hawks could have been playing for a region title had they beaten Hendersonville last week, but their 42-21 loss to the Commandos drops them into an elimination game against Lebanon. The likely path for the winner of that game is a trip to Oakland to open the postseason. What a difference two weeks makes.
