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Six things I thought about following Friday — and Saturday’s — second round action:
Exit, stage right: I had Ravenwood and Springfield going farther than the second round, I’ll admit it. But both squads — attempting to better runner-up finishes in their respective classes — won’t get the chance to be the contenders I thought they could be after stumbling in the second round. The Raptors, who lost quarterback Trevor Andrews in the game to injury, succumbed to a red-hot Franklin team that will give Brentwood a run for its money in the 6A quarterfinals. Springfield, meanwhile, had a 12-game home winning streak snapped by a solid Hardin County squad, which leaves only Nolensville among coverage area teams in Class 4A.
Speaking of Brentwood: Cade Granzow’s knee is just fine, thank you. The Bruins’ senior quarterback – days after signing to play baseball at Auburn (and will walk on for football as well) — tossed an underhanded go-ahead touchdown pass in the final minute to upend visiting Independence and avenge a 26-21 loss in Week 10. Granzow left last week’s game after three plays and did not return, but his reemergence into the lineup spurred the Bruins on to the quarterfinals.
Reed, MBA offense come alive: At the end of a first half that saw Baylor drain the clock on each of its possessions, MBA found itself down 10-0 when a defensive lapse on the final play of the second quarter allowed Elijah Howard to sprint for a 64-yard touchdown. From there, however, MBA’s offense took control of the game, especially through quarterback Marcel Reed, who dashed 56 yards for a score to put the Big Red on the board in the opening minute of the third quarter. Reed tossed two touchdown passes and added another one on the ground in the second half to lift MBA to its ninth consecutive state semifinal appearance.
Light ‘em up: High score of the week goes to Goodpasture, hanging 61 on CAK to nail down the Cougars’ first semifinal trip since 2010, when Goodpasture was still in Class 3A. Brendan Jones ran for six touchdowns in the victory. Their 61 points was also the most since the Cougars scored 61 on Macon County that same season. Now, Goodpasture joins fellow Middle Region foes Lipscomb Academy and CPA in the semifinal round, as the Cougars will visit the Lions next week with a spot in the championship game on the line. And BGA nearly made it a region foursome, dragging ECS to overtime before falling 14-13.
“Rematches! Get your rematches here!”: Next week features several games between teams that met earlier this season. Trousdale County visits Watertown in Class 2A, Nolensville heads to Tullahoma in Class 4A, Northeast visits Henry County in 5A, Riverdale travels to Oakland and Franklin heads to Brentwood in 6A. In Division II, Nashville Christian goes to Davidson Academy in Class A, Goodpasture visits CPA in Class AA, Brentwood Academy hosts McCallie and MBA hosts MUS in Class AAA. Tullahoma, Brentwood and MBA were the only teams of the bunch who hosted the first game and will do so again.
Looking ahead to Black Friday: With the Division II semifinals next week, Division I has the day after Thanksgiving all to itself. So, which area teams could be hosting semifinal games on Nov. 27? There will be at least two, but if they win their quarterfinal games, as many as five teams could be at home: Gordonsville (1A), the Trousdale County/Watertown winner (2A), Nolensville (4A), Northeast (5A), and the Oakland-Riverdale winner (6A).
