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Week 10 is here and so are the matchups that should shake things up around the MidState.
Between huge non-region matchups and region games that will shake up the standings, there’s no denying that this week’s slate of games is the biggest so far this season.
Here’s a little more insight on each of our top-10 games for the second to last regular season week of the year.
Spotlight Game: Ravenwood (8-0) at Oakland (8-0)
It doesn’t get much better than the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in our large class rankings facing off for a huge non-region matchup late in the season.
Ravenwood’s rolled through its schedule and seems to be one of the best teams around in all phases of the game. Femi Babalola’s stood out throwing the ball while Maverick Chance’s legs have given opponents fits seemingly every week.
Oakland’s backfield was bolstered by the return of Daune Morris a few weeks ago. They’ll be at 100% this week though as T.T. Hill is also set to return and complete the three-headed monster alongside Morris and Craig Tutt.
Antioch (4-4, 2-1 Region 5-6A) at Smyrna (4-4, 2-1)
The No. 2 spot in the region is up for grabs in this one as both teams have already lost to Stewarts Creek.
Antioch enters this game off of a much-needed off week. The Bears started the year 3-0 before losing four of their last five games. In those losses, they were outscored 128-34.
Smyrna’s had the exact opposite trajectory. Prior to last week’s 21-0 loss, the Bulldogs had won three straight and four of their last five after starting the season 0-2.
Clarksville (8-0, 5-0 Region 7-6A) at Rossview (7-1, 4-1)
Is Rossview the Montgomery County team that will finally dethrone Clarksville? The Wildcats have not lost to another Montgomery County schools since 2020.
Last year’s game between the two was one of the closer ones during that streak. It was close early on before the Wildcats pulled away for the 28-7 win.
Aside from a 10-3 win over Springfield, Clarksville has rolled through its schedule. Rossview did lose Kirkwood by nine and won narrow games against Dickson County and McGavock since that loss.
Cookeville (7-1, 3-1 Region 4-6A) at Green Hill (8-0, 5-0)
As much as it would be easy to look ahead to Mt. Juliet on Halloween night, Green Hill can’t afford to do that with Cookeville coming to town.
A win in this game would solidify the Hawks as a top-two seed in the region. They’ll also be looking for some payback after losing on the road by eight to the Cavaliers last season.
Cookeville’s lone loss on the year came at home to Mt. Juliet by 17. A dominant win over the Cavs would give Green Hill a good idea on where they land heading into the season-finale.
CPA (8-0, 4-0 DII-AA Middle) at FRA (8-0, 4-0)
If Oakland and Ravenwood weren’t playing, this would have been the easy choice for this week’s Spotlight Game.
These were the top two teams in Division II-AA last season with CPA handing FRA its only two losses of the season. Through nine weeks, they again look to be the two best teams in the division.
Since starting the year off with a pair of close wins over Brentwood Academy and Pearl-Cohn, CPA’s rolled in its last six games winning them by an average 34.2 points. FRA’s been just as dominant with no game coming closer than 20 points.
East Robertson (7-1) at White House Heritage (6-2)
A win here for either team would solidify their dream of being considered a true state contender.
For East Robertson, it would show that the Indians are just fine without Isaiah Groves. As for White House Heritage, it would show that the Patriots really are a force to be reckoned with in the 3A bracket.
East rolled in this game last year to a 49-21 win but the Indians were at home and had Isaiah Groves. White House Heritage’s offense has just gotten better with sophomore quarterback Xavier Murray putting up video game-like numbers weekly.
Fairview (4-4, 2-0 Region 6-3A) at Sycamore (3-5, 1-1)
Both of these team’s have been the definition of Jekyll and Hyde this season. Neither team has been able to put together a winning streak that lasted more than two games.
Fairview enters this matchup off of a blowout loss to Independence while Sycamore had a bye and a 36-point win over Cheatham County the week before.
Led by junior standout back Hunter Hicks, the War Eagles have shown spurts of greatness at times. Fairview meanwhile needs a win to stay in contention for the top spot in the region and set up a winner-take-all scenario with White House Heritage next week.
Kenwood (3-5, 3-2) at Kirkwood (6-2, 3-2)
Don’t look now but Kenwood’s won three straight and looking like a true contender for a top-two spot in the region. To do that though they’ll have to beat Kirkwood first and then close out the year with a win over Rossview.
Kirkwood’s in a similar spot. If the Cobras win this week, wins again next week against West Creek and Clarksville beats Rossview, Kirkwood will finish as the No. 2 team in the region.
The Cobras ended a long losing streak last year when they played at Kenwood. They left that game with a 29-20 win.
Lipscomb Academy (3-5, 2-1 DII-AAA East) at Brentwood Academy (5-3, 1-2)
The key storyline in this matchup is Ty Snell going against George MacIntyre. Can the standout eighth grader upset the Eagles led by the future Tennessee Volunteer?
Snell’s sparked the Mustangs’ offense last week to a season-high 47 points in a win over Knoxville Catholic. He and junior receiver Cam Blivens have formed a duo that should be one of the best through the rest of this year and next season.
As for the Eagle’s Paul Wade seems to have woken a sleeping giant. Brentwood Academy’s defense is much improved aside from losses to CPA and McCallie. They also scored 63 points againt Knoxille Catholic two weeks ago, the most points a Brentwood Academy team has scored since 2016.
Page (8-0, 3-0 Region 6-5A) at Centennial (5-3, 2-1)
After rolling through the first nine weeks of the season, Page should finally face a bit of a challenge as the Patriots look to close out the regular season unbeaten.
Up first is Centennial and the Cougars were their biggest region competitor last year. Page won the regular season matchup 24-12 and the postseason game 14-7.
After winning four of their first five games, Centennial has struggled a bit the last three weeks. They did beat Glencliff 64-0 but that win was sandwiched between a 10-3 loss to Nolensville and a 20-10 loss to Brentwood.
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