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Postseason play is in full swing officially as teams from all around the state dreaming of raising gold come March.
Who are the true state title contenders though?
Looking at the state as a whole I decided to take a shot at predicting this year’s eventualy state champions. While we cover the Midstate as a whole, I tried to stay as unbias as possible when it came to making these picks.
Here’s a look at the six boys teams I have winning gold next month.
Class 4A: Whitehaven Tigers
I wanted to pick an area team like Hillsboro, Franklin or Brentwood here, but it just feels like it’s Memphis’ year. Take your pick of which team that is but I’ll go with Whitehaven.
The Tigers are hot entering postseason play winning 16 straight games. An 11-point neutral site win over Hillsboro is included in that run.
Class 4A seems to be as open as any class this year but if I were to guess early on, I’d lean heavily on Whitehaven coming out of that chaos at the top.
Class 3A: Hume-Fogg Blue Knights
Is this a homer pick? Sure. Do I think the Knights have what it takes to come out on top in a loaded 3A field? Absolutely.
Depth is the biggest thing Hume-Fogg has going for it as is their size. The Blue Knights have a few standouts like Michael Nwoye, Alonzo Rhodes and Isiah Ring, but they have the depth overall for any player to standout any given night.
First-year head coach Ross Fleming has also introduced a defensive presence that would give anyone in the state fits given their size.
Class 2A: Loretto Mustangs
Class 2A to me comes down between Alcoa and Loretto. The Tornadoes don’t have a bonafide star like they did the last few years.
As for Loretto, it could be argued that they’re one of the best 15 teams in the state regardless of class.
The addition of Grayson Burleson has only added to a Mustang team many expected to be great entering the year. You don’t go unbeaten in the regular season with an average team and the Mustangs have the talent to make some serious noise over the next few weeks.
Class 1A: Eagleville Eagles
Chattanooga Prep is the presumed favorite to repeat by many in Class 1A and for good reason. However, there’s just something about the Eagles that I like.
Like I mentioned with Hume above, Eagleville is deep and any player has the potential to go off any given night. They’re also battle-tested going 3-0 against 4A programs.
It’s clear that Eagleville and Chattanooga Prep are the two favorites for the 1A title entering the postseason. Why not the Eagles?
Division II-AA: Knox Webb Spartans
This is another case where I’d like to pick an area team like JPII or MBA, but Knox Webb is something different this season.
Winning by an average of just over 21 points per game, the Spartans have not lost to an in-state team this season. The likes of Greeneville, Bartlett and Tyner Academy have come close, but none succeeded.
I think it’s a three-horse race in DII-AA between Webb, JPII and Briarcrest but right now I lean towards the Spartans.
Division II-A: PCA Lions
Goodpasture or PCA: pick your champion.
These two have been the two best teams in DII-A all year. I hope that we end up with them on opposite sides of the bracket and get the championship we deserve.
At the moment, I’d lean towards PCA by the slightest of margins. I like Goodpasture’s backcourt of Rhett Broussard and King Keary but the Lions’ size is the difference here.
I’m not sure any team to can matchup man-to-man with PCA’s Preston Wade (6’8), Chris Washington (6’7) and Aiden Bolden (6’5). This is a hungry side looking to avenge last year’s title loss and I think they get it done.
