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Postseason football has arrived which means it’s time to make some predictions before a single snap.
Everyone around the state is anxiously awaiting to see what nine teams will be raising gold on that first weekend in December. The road there won’t be easy though.
Knowing what we know from what was a loaded slate of regular season action, our crew decided to take some shots and make state championship predictions.
Here’s a look at each of their nine state champions:
Class 6A
Cam: Oakland 34, Ravenwood 31: A true classic! Oakland gets one more play than the Raptors and goes back-to-back as Justis Haggard scores the game-winning touchdown in overtime.
Chris: Oakland 24, Ravenwood 21: The Patriots add another gold ball to the shelf, but not without by far their toughest challenge from the Raptors.
Isaac: Ravenwood 30, Oakland 28: Far be it from me to doubt Oakland as they are the kings of 6A football, but Ravenwood may be the most impressive team of this entire season.
Joe: Ravenwood 28, Oakland 24: A rematch of last year’s classic, Ravenwood’s duo of Femi Babalola and Maverick Chance once again lead the Raptors past Oakland and to their first state title since 2015.
Konner: Antioch 21, Oakland 18: Antioch may be one of the biggest surprises in the state this year, and Andre Adams has set the Bears up in a prime position to make a run. If you want to beat this team, your defense must be on point.
Scott: Oakland 42, Ravenwood 35: The Patriots try to get one for the thumb this year and they will line up against the one team that can match them talent for talent. The Raptors will give them a game, but Kevin Creasy owns Finley Stadium.
Tyson: Oakland 35, Southwind 28: Holding Kelvin Perkins and the Jaguars to 28 points would be Oakland’s best defensive showing in a dominant season but Creasy said this was the best Oakland team for a reason
Class 5A
Cam: Page 28, Sevier County 24: The Patriots finally break through with their physical line play and balanced offensive attack to bring much needed jubilation to Rudderville.
Chris: Page 28, Sevier County 21: The Patriots flip the script on the Smoky Bears and finally bring gold back to Rudderville after four years of heartbreak.
Isaac: Beech 31, Sevier County 28: Beech has been knocking on the door for the past few years and I think this is where they break through.
Joe: Page 38, Powell 35: In storybook fashion, the Patriots finally get a gold ball as they kick a last-second field goal to beat Sevier County and avenge that first state title loss to the Panthers.
Konner: Beech 28, Sevier County 27: Beech has the physicality, experience, and star power to go the distance. DK Williams and Kaden Powell have been unstoppable and look ready to finish the job.
Scott: Page 30, Sevier County 28: The Patriots should get a volume discount with the number of rooms they book on a yearly basis in Chattanooga. This time they will arrive with a new offense and revenge on their minds. The Page locker room should have some new carpet in the form of a bearskin rug.
Tyson: Page 28, Sevier County 20: Page finally gets it done as this might be their best team, avenging last year’s loss to the Smoky Bears.
Class 4A
Cam: Alcoa 28, Pearl-Cohn 20: Alcoa moves up in class and continues their streak, 11 in a row. Pearl-Cohn comes to play but “to be the man, …”.
Chris: Anderson County 37, Pearl-Cohn 34: The eastern half turns out to be a melee that the Mavericks somehow survive, and they have enough left in the tank to win a rematch of the 2022 final.
Isaac: Greeneville 31, Springfield 21: Neither Springfield nor Pearl-Cohn will have a cake walk to Chattanooga but I think whoever comes out of the East this year will have taken the much tougher path and be more prepared for a hard fought title game.
Joe: Greeneville 38, Pearl-Cohn 27: The Firebirds make it a dogfight early but the Greene Devils pull away late for their first state title win since 2018.
Konner: Pearl-Cohn 16, Alcoa 14: Despite a brutal schedule, Pearl-Cohn is peaking at the right time. Coach Brunetti’s squad is battle-tested and ready to bring one back to Nashville.
Scott: Alcoa 38, Pearl-Cohn 28: The class may have changed, but the Tornadoes remain the same. Alcoa moved up to make a statement.
Tyson: Greeneville 34, Springfield 24: The Greene Devils. will cap off a dominant season with a dogfight of a win over a talented Springfield squad.
Class 3A
Cam: Westview 35, Tyner Academy 34: Graham Simpson returns to get a gold ball, but it’s the Chargers defense that stops the Rams late to win the 3A crown.
Chris: Westview 33, Gatlinburg-Pittman 23: Last year was a sample of the Chargers’ potential on the big stage, but now they cash in to claim the throne as a new reign begins.
Isaac: Westview 45, Tyner Academy 42: With Alcoa in 4A, I think Graham Simpson should be able to lead the Chargers to a close win over a supremely talented and athletic Tyner team that played Nashville Christian to the wire during the regular season.
Joe: Westview 56, Tyner Academy 45: Graham Simpson leads the Chargers back to the top in a shootout establishing Westview as the team to beat in Class 3A for the foreseeable future.
Konner: Westview 56, Tyner Academy 42: Averaging 52 points a game, Westview is an offensive juggernaut. Graham Simpson has the Chargers looking like clear favorites to take it all.
Scott: Tyner Academy 42, Westview 40: Graham Simpson brings his aerial circus back to town but this time he faces a young and hungry Rams team with energy to burn. Any team that can take Jared Curtis and company to the brink is formidable enough for me.
Tyson: Tyner 42, Westview 38: Tyner Academy showed that they can hold their own against a top quarterback in Jared Curtis and I see them doing that again against Graham Simpson.
Class 2A
Cam: East Robertson 28, Gordonsville 21: The Indians use a balanced offense and a physical, talented defense to knock off a very experienced Tiger team.
Chris: East Robertson 30, Marion County 28: Cross Plains gets to plan a celebration as the Indians atone for their loss two years ago.
Isaac: Gordonsville 22, East Robertson 21: This game is tough for me as East Robertson appears to be the favorite with all of the skill they have. Gordonsville though is the definition of smash mouth and have a legion of monsters on the line.
Joe: East Robertson 28, Gordonsville 21: A rematch of the first scrimmage I saw back in August, the Indians finally bring a gold ball back to Cross Plains thanks to a late touchdown.
Konner: East Rob 14, Gordonsville 8: East Rob is tough, talented, and undefeated against a stacked schedule. With Zach Groves leading the charge, this team looks built for a title run.
Scott: East Robertson 35, Gordonsville 14:The Indians have been playing amazing football this year and there is no reason to believe they will stop. The Tigers have an easier path to make it to the party, but the Indians have scheduled for the path less traveled.
Tyson: East Robertson 29, Happy Valley 24: Two teams look to finish off a perfect season, but the Indians come out on top to bring another gold ball to Cross Plains.
Class 1A
Cam: South Pittsburg 27, McKenzie 21: No strangers to playing each other for a state championship, South Pittsburg avenges last season’s runner-up finish with a gold ball.
Chris: South Pittsburg 27, McKenzie 26: The Pirates steal a classic late in a battle of the two best in 1A.
Isaac: Coalfield 24, McKenzie 20: Coalfield has been my sleeper team this year outside of our coverage area, and while they could fall short either to South Pitt in the Semis or to McKenzie in Chattanooga, I’m sticking with the Jackets to relive the glory days of ‘98.
Joe: South Pittsburg 34, McKenzie 21: Hungry after last year’s title loss, the Pirates beat a familiar foe to get back to the top of Class 1A.
Konner: South Pittsburg 64, Richland 56: Averaging 51 points per game with multiple 70+ outings, South Pittsburg’s offense is unstoppable. Since their opening loss, they’ve been on a mission.
Scott: McKenzie 28, South Pittsburg 21: Since 2021, every odd year McKenzie and South Pittsburg meet in the Scenic City. Like a love/hate relationship you can’t get over, it’ll happen again. This time the Pirates get jilted at the altar.
Tyson: South Pittsburg 42, Richland 21: South Pitt has been dominant this season with only two games held under 40 points.
Division II-AAA
Cam: Baylor 31, Brentwood Academy 27: Baylor withstands a late push from the Eagles to get past their championship woes and keep the gold ball in the Scenic City.
Chris: Brentwood Academy 31, Baylor 28: Shock special! Their scheduled meeting in the regular season got stormed out, but the Eagles end Chattanooga’s run of titles in AAA and cap a perfect season of their own.
Isaac: Baylor 37, Brentwood Academy 21: We have finally been freed from the annual boarding school bowl this year thanks to Ensworth. However, Baylor is the best team in the state and nationally ranked for a reason.
Joe: Brentwood Academy 35, McCallie 34: Mother Nature robbed us of this matchuper earlier in the year. At some point Chattanooga’s chokehold has to come to an end and the Eagles have the roster to finally get a Middle Tennessee program back to the top.
Konner: Baylor 35, Brentwood Academy 21: Ranked top 25 nationally with stars like Gabriel Osenda, Briggs Cherry, and David Gabriel Georges, Baylor’s battle-tested schedule and talent make them the clear favorite. It’s hard to pick against a team this complete.
Scott: Baylor 31, Brentwood Academy 27: We were robbed of this game early in the season, so the fates will let us have a shot at the encore on the biggest stage. David Gabriel-Georges against Larry Sanders. Briggs Cherry against Crews Jenkins and Paul Wade in his second year will make it a highlight.
Tyson: Baylor 35, Ensworth 31: Ensworth has been the only outsider to take down one of the Chattanooga powerhouses, but Baylor will survive for another state title.
Division II-AA
Cam: BGA 31, FRA 24: BGA uses their championship experience to outlast the Panthers. The Wildcats get revenge for the 2nd season in a row, this time bringing home gold.
Chris: BGA 31, FRA 30: If it’s indeed these two, clear three hours midday on Dec. 4 as this could very well be the best of the nine title games. A highly-motivated BGA crew breaks through against the only team to hand them a loss this year.
Isaac: BGA 38, FRA 22: Before FRA’s loss to Antioch, I had them going all the way. Seeing their defense picked apart so effectively gave me cause for concern while BGA would love nothing more than to show everyone that their loss to FRA was just an off night for them.
Joe: FRA 31, BGA 28: As dominant as BGA has been this year, there’s something telling me I can’t pick against the Panthers in what could be the best championship game of the weekend.
Konner: BGA 24, FRA 21: After falling in last year’s title game and dropping a tough one to FRA, BGA is hungry. With Kaedyn Marable and Maddox Porter leading the way, redemption feels within reach.
Scott: BGA 28, FRA 21: Kaedyn Marable gets a second shot at the Panthers after their region title hopes were dashed by a really bad half of football. Since that loss to FRA, the Wildcats have played with an edge, It will be a battle, but it is hard to beat really good teams twice in a year.
Tyson: BGA 28, FRA 24: In a rematch of a close game earlier this season, BGA finds their groove and finally reaches the promised land.
Division II-A
Cam: Nashville Christian 42, Friendship Christian 21: Jared Curtis and TJ Ward go for 3 touchdowns each as the Eagles achieve perfection and back-to-back state titles.
Chris: Nashville Christian 45, Friendship Christian 24: The Commanders kept it respectable the first time, and they’ll do so again, but it’ll be the Eagles capping their first perfect season.
Isaac: Nashville Christian 32, Friendship Christian 20: If this were any other year, I’d be tempted to pick Friendship. However this year they will be competing with a five-star quarterback in Jared Curtis and Power Four running back in TJ Ward.
Joe: Nashville Christian 42, Friendship Christian 24: Jared Curtis avenges his freshman season state title loss to Friendship Christian capping off the Eagles’ first unbeaten season.
Konner: Nashville Christian 42, Providence Christian 21: Back-to-back? Absolutely. Jared Curtis continues to prove he’s that guy, and despite some defensive questions, NCS has shown they have exactly what it takes.
Scott: Nashville Christian 45, USJ 21: Nobody below DII-AAA has given the Eagles much trouble this year. The Eagles just have so many weapons that can hurt you.
Tyson: Nashville Christian 42, Friendship Christian 28: Friendship is the only DII-A team to have Nashville Christian’s number but the Eagles aren’t picking up the phone ending Jared Curtis’ career on top.
