Rematches define Week 3 of the postseason. The same is true for the Midstate as there are 10 rematches in the 615 Preps coverage area set to go down on Friday night.
Of those 10, which are the best?
Taking in factors such as how good the first game was, revenge factor and overall rivalry between the schools, we broke down the 10 ranking them from 1-10.
1. Riverdale vs. Oakland
This year’s Battle of the ‘Boro was arguably the best game of the year as Riverdale rallied late to beat the Patriots 25-24. That loss was Kevin Creasy’s first ever region and home loss at Oakland. It also ended Riverdale’s 11-year losing streak to the Patriots.
Can the Warriors do it again? Oakland will be looking for revenge and the Warriors know it. This rematch has ‘Game of the Year’ written all over it.
2. Brentwood vs. Ravenwood
Atmosphere-wise, this year’s Battle of the Woods was one of the best. What followed was a 17-0 Brentwood win.
Ravenwood will be looking for some revenge and the Raptors have history on their side. In 2018 and 2019 Brentwood won the regular season matchup only to lose to Ravenwood in the postseason. On Friday night, the Raptor-faithful will be looking for history to repeat itself.
3. Upperman vs. Macon County
Defense was the name of the game when these two squared off back on Sept. 1. Upperman won that slugfest 14-7 and would go unbeaten the rest of the regular season.
Macon County rallied from that loss as the Tigers won nine in a row to set up a long-awaited rematch with the Owls. Don’t expect a high-scoring game as it’ll likely be another low-scoring affair again.
4. CPA vs. FRA
It’s a shame that these two are playing this week instead of two weeks from now in Chattanooga for a gold ball. CPA won the first meeting 24-7 but it was a one-score game for much of the night.
CPA’s defense forced five turnovers that evening and another outing like that will see them punch their ticket yet again to the DII-AA title game. A healthy dose of Ty Clark III could shake things up for the Panthers.
5. MTCS vs. Columbia Academy
Not one, not two but three overtimes were needed to decide the Week 1 matchup between Columbia Academy and MTCS. The Cougars walked away from that game with the 33-31.
Eli Wilson vs. Montae Baldwin is the matchup to keep an eye on as the two Mr. Football semifinalists have been putting on shows week in and week out this season. They combined for 307 yards and five touchdowns in the first meeting.
6. Page vs. Centennial
Will Centennial’s line be able to hold up against Page’s front seven this time around? They’ll have to play much better this time as Eric Hazzard and co. continually harassed Elisha Nieves in the Patriots’ 24-12 win back on Oct. 20.
Page has been on a roll since losing to Independence early in the year with no game decided by single digits. Centennial came the closest during that stretch and has also won some close games to keep its season alive.
7. Smith County vs. East Robertson
It was an ugly game full of penalties and TV timeouts when Smith County traveled to Cross Plains and picked up a 14-7 win over the Indians. No TV timeouts this time around should make the flow of this game go a little smoother.
That would help the Indians who have been on a roll since that loss. Going to Carthage against a red-hot Owls team won’t be easy though. This game will either be a low-scoring slugfest or a shootout.
8. East Nashville vs. Liberty Creek
East Nashville beat Liberty Creek 27-13 in the first matchup but don’t let that score fool you. The Wolves kept it a one-score game much of the night before East pulled away in the fourth quarter.
Since then Liberty Creek hasn’t lost again and is averaging 47.7 points during its current seven-game winning streak. As good as the East Nashville defense is, they can’t afford to overlook the Brian Rager-led Wolves.
9. Pearl-Cohn vs. Marshall County
Pearl-Cohn gave up a season-high 17 points to Marshall County in their Week 11 matchup and committed several penalties. The Firebirds still rolled to a 42-17 win.
While they’ll have to play a cleaner game than they did the last time and much cleaner than they did against Station Camp, the Firebirds are still the heavy favorite as they host the Tigers yet again.
10. McCallie vs. MBA
The Big Red are hot right now winning four of their last five games. That stretch includes wins over Brentwood Academy (24-21), Ensworth (17-14 OT), and Lipscomb Academy (14-6).
This week’s matchup presents a much bigger challenge though as they head down to Chattanooga and try to avenge a 35-0 loss they suffered to McCallie on Sept. 22. That seems like it might be too big of a challenge to overcome.
