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The last two days, we’ve grouped some teams into two tiers, contenders and sleepers. But there’s a third tier that could threaten to cause chaos in those first two tiers, and that’s where this group comes in.
This might be called the fun group of the bunch. They’re the Potential Noisemakers, teams that have the ability to catch someone on an off night or get on a hot streak and disrupt the standings or playoffs.
They’re also teams that, if certain things go right for them, can be sleepers or maybe even contenders.
Let’s take a look at some teams that could fit the bill:
Eagleville: Landing in Class 1A wasn’t a bad thing for the Eagles. Landing in a region with Fayetteville was, but with Marcus Colins and Kaden Snitzer leading the show, Eagleville has a chance to disrupt some plans this fall.
East Robertson: Double-cover Taylor Groves. The Indians are daring you to do it. And if teams choose to do so, Shaun Groves may have a huge year drawing single coverage. If the defense can keep them in games, East Robertson might wreck some Class 2A plans.
Stratford: The defense definitely needs to keep Stratford in games, so quarterback Cameron Davis can go win them for the Spartans. With the Hillwood transfer joining D’Arco Perkins-McCallister on a younger squad, their new region has really only one hurdle to clear.
White House: Dropping from Class 4A to 3A, the Blue Devils may have landed in the perfect region to make a run this season. Ranen Blackburn may try to do everything for White House, but he might not need to if some younger players grow into their roles.
White House Heritage: Malachi Illaramendi – try saying his name three times fast. But be careful – he may get by you while you try. He’ll carry the load for the Patriots who, like their cross-town brethren, may have landed in the right region to make a move.
Greenbrier: The Bobcats landed in the wrong region for having top-seed hopes with Pearl-Cohn seemingly aiming to go on a rampage during the regular season. But Greenbrier has some pieces in place to maybe pull an upset or two and get themselves into the top four without needing help.
DeKalb County: The new kid in DeKalb County’s region, Upperman, is getting all the first-place votes. No matter. They still have to go through the Tigers in order to win the region and Steve Trapp’s team has no plans on letting go of that region title they snatched away from another set of Tigers that’s next on this list…
Macon County: If you’re going to put DeKalb County on this list, you might as well put Macon County here too, because both teams have the same opportunity to mix it up coming out of Region 4-4A. If the offensive line can hold up, Braydee Brooks can make things happen downfield with Cameron Houston.
Page: Page gets rid of Summit and along comes Nolensville to take their place. The Patriots get a fair trade-off there, but they still might feel like they’re running uphill. Jake McNamera needs to have a big year, but they can make a play for the region and more in Class 5A.
Green Hill: Green Hill will be a playoff team if the Hawks can beat the teams they’re supposed to beat in their region, namely Hunters Lane, Station Camp and White County. But have they improved enough from year one to year two to do more than make a run at fourth place?
Hendersonville: Hendersonville can be a noisemaker right off the bat just by hanging with Oakland for a while. The Commandos’ schedule is tough, but that showdown with Beech is what makes or breaks their chances at a region title. Crossing over with Region 6-6A gives Hendersonville a shot at going a couple rounds or more into the playoffs.
Clarksville: The Wildcats will certainly find inspiration from the offseason’s events, including the tragic death of Juland Lafortune. His teammates will play for him this year and that could be more than enough to make noise on the field.
Lebanon: A wide-open region awaits the Blue Devils in 2021, and another year of growth for Jalen Abston will serve Lebanon well as they try to win their first region title since 1990.
Columbia Academy: Division II-Class A could be a wide-open race and with talents like Collins Malone leading the way, the Bulldogs will put their hat in the ring in 2021.
BGA: They might be in a loaded region, but don’t discount BGA with Brett Brown at quarterback. He could be due for a big year and the Wildcats could be in for a wild ride.
Father Ryan: The Irish might be pretty good defensively, but they do need to get a new quarterback up to speed. It appears that Matthew Derrick will get the nod and he’ll face some stiff competition in Father Ryan’s region.
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