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Some things that stood out during Week 6 games on Thursday and Friday:
An admission: Summit is underrated. On this Saturday morning, they’re the favorite in my mind to get to the BlueCross Bowl from the western side of the 6A bracket. (Ravenwood will have something to say about that beginning next week, though). We know what Destin Wade and Keaten Wade are capable of, and Brady Pierce still does not get enough recognition for his contributions on both sides of the ball. But it’s their ability to adjust and improvise – shown after Beech had frustrated them early in Friday’s game – that puts them among the top teams in the state regardless of classification.
Upsets of unbeatens: Entering Week 6, 14 area teams were either 4-0 or 5-0. That list shrunk to 10 following this week’s games. Lipscomb Academy fell at Oakland and Smyrna suffered its first loss to visiting Riverdale. Those weren’t surprises. DCA’s 20-point loss at Silverdale and Pearl-Cohn’s close loss at Tullahoma were. Both teams are expected to be state contenders in their respective classifications, so those results were a bit shocking.
MBA gets defensive: MBA’s defense was the star of the show in its 21-0 victory over visiting Brentwood Academy. The Big Red held BA to 150 yards of total offense and did not allow a third-down conversion in 10 tries. They did give up two first downs on fourth-down attempts, but that was it for the Eagles offensively.
An efficient stat line: Green Hill’s Kaleb Carver made the most of his five touches on Friday, scoring on four touchdown receptions and a kickoff return just before halftime of the Hawks’ 56-27 victory over visiting White County. Carver finished with 231 yards of total offense.
Turnarounds continue: Coach of the Year honors may very well come down to Rockvale’s Rick Rice and Station Camp’s Brent Alexander. Both teams continued their impressive starts on Friday – the Rockets knocked off Nolensville to get to 4-1, while the Bison rolled past West Creek to improve to 6-0. Both teams also have big region matchups next week that could significantly alter their playoff ambitions. Rockvale gets Stewarts Creek at home, while Station Camp entertains Mt. Juliet.
First-place showdowns loom next week: That Mt. Juliet-Station Camp showdown is just one of several battles for first place in their respective regions. Others for outright first-place honors include Smyrna at Cane Ridge, Ravenwood at Summit, Shelbyville at Lebanon, Columbia at Page, Macon County at Upperman, and Fairview at White House. There are a few others that will determine at least a share of first place, as well.
