#TNHSFB: Week 9 Recap/Top Stories
We are three weeks away from the start of postseason play, so every game is crucial going forward. While Week Nine provided a lite schedule, we still had several high caliber games and close finishes.
Home Bulldogs Upsets Cleveland
Throughout the state of Tennessee, this game between Bearden and the road Blue Raiders might not get as much publicity as other games but it will here as this was an upset and a setback for Cleveland. The home Bulldogs had a great defensive performance in their 14-10 win over Cleveland and a victory many thought would not happen as Bearden came into this contest sitting at 2-5 while the Blue Raiders were 5-2 and sitting pretty for strong playoff positioning.
For the home Bulldogs, this was a big program building win as Bearden has an overall young team that is learning on the job and this victory over the Blue Raiders proves that their process is working. The season isn’t over either for Bearden as they could possibly sneak into playoffs, so maybe this win can propel them into postseason play.
Cleveland (5-3) must now regroup and find the mojo they had at the beginning of the season as this is a talented team that can cause damage in the Class 6A playoffs. They have the quarterback in Drew Lambert Drew Lambert 6'2" | 210 lbs | QB Cleveland | 2023 State TN and the senior leadership around him in Destun Thomas Destun Thomas 6'2" | 195 lbs | WR Cleveland | 2022 State TN , Tetoe Boyd, Jr Tetoe Boyd, Jr 5'9" | 200 lbs | RB Cleveland | 2022 State TN and Tate O’Bryan Tate O’Bryan 6'3" | 195 lbs | LB Cleveland | 2022 State TN to lean on and get things right as they inch closer to the playoffs.
Defensive Clash Won by the Patriots
The game of the state for Week 9 was crosstown rivals Oakland versus Riverdale and the game didn’t disappoint for atmosphere, smack talking or physical play but it was the home Patriots that just had too much talent in their 24-7 victory over the Warriors.
These two teams and schools don’t like each other and you could see the disdain and emotion on the field prior to kickoff and it filtered throughout the game. One team however was able to harness that emotion, play calm and take command of the game and that was Oakland. The Patriots played like a champion, like they knew how to compete and handle the situation at hand. Riverdale played solid defense in spurts but the Oakland offense busted some big plays and would eventually put up 24 points by halftime.
Photo: stateoftnhsfb.com
The 2nd half became more competitive as Elijah Herring Elijah Herring 6'2" | 225 lbs | LB Riverdale | 2022 State TN , Caleb Herring Caleb Herring 6'6" | 215 lbs | LB Riverdale | 2023 State TN , Alex Mitchell Alex Mitchell 6'1" | 215 lbs | LB Riverdale | 2022 State TN and the Riverdale defense made adjustments and played much better as they went on to shut out Oakland in the final 20 minutes of the game.
It still wasn’t enough because the Patriots are just as good on defense as they smothered the Warriors offense most of the night. New Tennessee Tech commit Ethan McLaurin Ethan McLaurin 6'2" | 230 lbs | DL Oakland | 2022 State TN and his defensive line teammate Caleb Cole were forces up front, causing havoc in the backfield on a consistent basis. The Patriots secondary was pretty salty as well as the Warriors passing game was basically non-existent.
Oakland walked away the winner but these are of the better teams not only in the Class 6A ranks but the entire state as well. The one big difference right now is that Oakland is a cut above the Warriors and everybody else as possibly the top overall program in the state! (Don’t tell Maryville I said this lol)
Rockvale Earns 1st Ever Playoff Berth
The biggest feat yet in the young Rockvale program took place last Friday when they defeated Blackman, 50-45 and earned their first ever playoff appearance. These Rockets have come out of nowhere this season to put up a current record of 7-1 and a 3rd place finish within their Region. It’s been an outstanding collection of good football from everybody on this Rockvale team as they play cohesive, together ball and they keep fighting till the very end.
Led by quarterback Logan Nowacki and senior linebacker Gabe Lockridge Gabe Lockridge 6'0" | 200 lbs | DB Rockvale | 2022 TN , the Rockets are still a young program overall but to earn a postseason berth this early in their existence speaks volumes to the coaching staff and their direction for their players.
These Rockets still have to finish out the regular season with games vs. Coffee Co. and Oakland but soon enough it will be time for postseason play and a new season with new territory nobody in this Rockets program have been a part of yet. No matter how this 2021 season finishes for Rockvale, this will be a successful year regardless and a great jumping off point for this program and their future going forward.
Memphis Area Showdown Goes To MUS
Coming off a loss to Briarcrest Christian the week prior, the MUS Owls needed to get back on the winning side of things and they did in a big way by defeating a talented Christian Brothers team, 31-9 and re-establishing themselves as a force from the West Tennessee region.
The Owls have worked through a tough schedule this year but have maintained their effort and consistency throughout. This win over the Purple Wave was a commanding victory for the Owls as they took control early and didn’t relinquish their edge one bit. It was a nice performance from the MUS offense, led by quarterback George Hamsley George Hamsley 6'5" | 200 lbs | QB MUS | 2022 State TN and two way talent Hunter Barnes Hunter Barnes 6'0" | 180 lbs | ATH MUS | 2022 State TN but it might have been the Owls defense , led by junior linebacker Stryker Aitken Stryker Aitken 6'1" | 215 lbs | LB MUS | 2023 TN that shined the brightest last Friday night.
Holding a Purple Wave offense to nine points is a great feat, especially with star back Dallan Hayden Dallan Hayden 5'11" | 190 lbs | RB Christian Brothers | 2022 State TN running the show. This Christian Brothers team has struggled since losing starting quarterback Ashton Strother Ashton Strother 6'2" | 205 lbs | QB Christian Brothers | 2022 State TN earlier this season but they are still quite talented, so this convincing win over the Purple Wave is an eye opener and very well may be the victory that MUS needs to take their team to another level.
D2-Class AAA is the toughest postseason path to take but the Owls know that path as they worked through and competed their way to the championship last season, so you can’t sleep on MUS going forward as they know what it takes to win at the right time of the year.
Etc …..
– Undefeated season no more for the Station Camp Bison as they took their first loss of the year last Friday by the hands of Portland, 33-27. This was a trap game from the jump for the Bison as they faced a good Panthers team with big games on the horizon along with the region title up for grabs. That region is now at play for the top contenders now due to the Bison’s loss last week.
Station Camp, Mt. Juliet and Green Hill all have a shot at winning the Class 5A-Region 5 title and over the next two weeks, these three teams will face each other and determine who the victor will be. It all starts this coming Friday with Green Hill hosting the current leader in the clubhouse Station Camp. This Bison have the best shot at winning this region as they already have a win over Mt. Juliet but their loss to Portland puts things closer for both the Golden Bears and Hawks to take over Region Five. These next two weeks should be fun to watch!