TN HS Football Playoffs: 1st Round Recap/Notes

Germantown Hits The Road, Defeats Ravenwood    - A clash of 6A powers took place in Round One Friday night where you had Germantown, out of Memphis come into Williamson Co. and take down the #1 seed Ravenwood by the score of 30-20. This was a strong win for the Red Devils as they have had some struggles down the stretch but might have righted the ship with this victory over Ravenwood. It was a nice balanced game from Germantown where they exploded early with points, taking a commanding lead while their defense stifled [player_tooltip player_id='60841' first='Chris' last='Parson'] and the Raptors offense.    Throughout the entire contest, the Red Devils defense, led by studs [player_tooltip player_id='295469' first='J'Addison' last='Brown'], [player_tooltip player_id='258668' first='D.J.' last='Allen'], [player_tooltip player_id='258818' first='Daniel' last='Anderson'] and others, bottled up Parson and the Raptors passing game, getting pressure in the backfield while their secondary locked down receivers. It was an outstanding defensively called game that helped lead the Red Devils to round two and pick up confidence moving forward.   In our playoff preview for Class 6A, we predicted Germantown to make it to the title game and by their performance in Round One, they sure are making us look good! The path will be tough for the Red Devils but this team is well equipped to make a deep run and hold up that Gold Ball.    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/Dareal1_Dj/status/1589330131490701313?s=20&t=2-cmgZBfKdew1dGP4J0LDA </div></figure>     Cyclones Demolish Carter to Advance to Round 2   - One of the biggest surprises from Round One came out East where Elizabethton crushed Carter, 54-7 and made the road Hornets look pedestrian for most of the night. The surprise comes as Elizabethton has struggled to score points sometimes this season and they scored 54 total while the Hornets have a prolific, high scoring offense that just could not do anything right against the Cyclones. It was a difficult night for the road team but a lot of those frustrations came by way of the Elizabethton defense.    Led by stud junior [player_tooltip player_id='149385' first='Mason' last='Ball'], who produced 14 tackles, 3 for loss, 1 sack and one interception, the Cyclones defense constantly frustrated [player_tooltip player_id='102362' first='Chandler' last='Wilson'] and the Hornets offense, putting consistent pressure on him while playing tremendous coverage on the back end. It was easily the best defensive performance from the Cyclones all year and they will need more just like this as their path won't get any easier.    For just one night though, Elizabethton put on a show and showed signs of past dominance against a good Carter team that many felt could cause some noise in the playoffs. Anderson County is next for the Cyclones, so they definitely have their hands full but Elizabethton should be up for the challenge and feeling confident with a solid defense at their disposal.      East Tennessee Powers Win with Ease   - Most of the top teams from the East Tennessee region took care of business with ease in Round One and made statements towards other teams in their path that they are ready for postseason play. As things sit right now, Knox. West is the best from out East and they handled David Crockett with no issue, beating the Pioneers, 56-7. The Rebels have been dominant this season, so it will be a challenge to knock them off.    Two teams the Rebels defeated this season, Alcoa and Maryville demolished their opponents as well. Led by stud senior [player_tooltip player_id='302319' first='Jordan' last='Harris'], who put forth a monster performance, the Tornadoes shut out Johnson Co., 42-0, advancing to the next round and already looking like a championship caliber team in the first round. Maryville looked much the same as they had no problems in their 49-0 shutout over Morristown-East. The Rebels wanted to make a statement, showing they are ready for money season and they did just that.    Anderson Co. had a great opening round performance as they took down Seymour, 55-6, continuing to flex their muscles on offense while their defense, led by [player_tooltip player_id='102213' first='Eli' last='Davis'] and a strong senior core, stayed consistent shutting down the opposition. The Mavs are legit and a strong contender to win the 4A title but some strong opponents lay in their way.    One of those teams that the Mavs may have to see soon is Greeneville and this undefeated team continued their winning ways in Round One with a commanding 45-6 win over a sneaky good Fulton team. The Green Devils have been nothing but consistent this year and one of the more dominating teams in the state, so it's no question they are a strong 5A title contender.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/11/elidavis.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-506012" width="366" height="366"/></figure>       Williamson Co. Schools Falter in Round One   - The 1st round didn't go too well for some of the top teams out of Williamson County, especially the 6A-Region 7 teams as only one squad came out with a victory. All the teams from this region had tough first round matchups, so a loss was already possible but I didn't expect to see them all lose, except for the Brentwood Bruins who defeated a good Collierville team, 17-7.    We already mentioned Ravenwood above, who went down at home to Germantown, 30-20 but they weren't the only WilCo teams to go down to defeat. Centennial saw their season end early as well when they were defeated, 46-28 by Bartlett. It was a tough first round matchup for the Cougars but they battled and fough as long as they could but the Panthers were just too good. Watch out for Centennial next season though as they have a strong core of juniors returning.    It was an up and down, injury riddled season for Independence that came to an end last Friday night when they went down to defeat on the road to Houston, 27-10 in what was a hard fought contest that the Eagles just couldn't keep up with by the end.    Brentwood was the lone Region 7 victor and a team that could continue making noise in the coming rounds as they sport a technique sound, physical defense and an offense that has gotten better through the back stretch of the season.    Overall, the Williamson County teams in Region 7 had good seasons but unfortunately had to see their championship aspirations go away early in Round One and now must look to the offseason and build up the youth in lure for the next Fall football year.    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/DamonSisa24/status/1589673998610092032?s=20&t=2-cmgZBfKdew1dGP4J0LDA </div></figure>     Class 3A: Big Matchups Set for Second Round    - After many of the top teams in 3A went chalk through the first week of the playoffs, round two is much more challenging with several high caliber games taking place this coming Friday. The headline contest of the 3A ranks in round two pits the Eagles of East Nashville traveling west to take on a 9-2 Waverly ball club that is tough to beat at home. The Eagles are 9-2 as well and have played a tough schedule this season, so I expect East to be ready for a hard fought game.    Out in East Tennessee, a 10-1 Gatlinburg-Pittman team must hit the road in round two as they travel to a sneaky good Chuckey-Doak team that could slip up and beat the Highlanders if they aren't ready to play. Pittman put on an offensive show in Round One where juniors [player_tooltip player_id='207312' first='Brady' last='Hammonds'], [player_tooltip player_id='149163' first='Carlos' last='Orr'] and Whitman Whaley had monster performances and those three will again be heavily leaned upon against a good Black Knights defense.   Another strong game to pay attention to this week is Fairview traveling over to Smith Co., who is a region champ and formidable opponent that is also a strong contender to win the 3A title. The Yellow Jackets are a run heavy team, especially with [player_tooltip player_id='153469' first='Layden' last='Grant'], that likes to control the clock and that might be a good recipe to defeat the Owls. I see this game going two ways, either Smith Co. wins in a blowout or the Yellow Jackets will pull the road upset but shall see come Friday night.      Round Two Matchups   Class 1A   - Oliver Springs (6-5) at Cloudland (6-5)   - Unaka (7-4) at Coalfield (10-1)   - Gordonsville (8-3) at South Pittsburg (9-2)   - Whitwell (9-2) at Clay Co. (10-1)   - Dresden (9-2) at Fayetteville (11-0)   - Moore Co. (10-1) at McKenzie (11-0)   - B.T. Washington (5-5) at Peabody (9-2)   - Lake Co. (8-3) at MASE (11-0)   Class 2A   - Monterey (9-2) at Hampton (9-2)   - South Greene (6-5) at York Institute (7-4)   - Westmoreland (7-4) at Tyner Academy (10-1)   - Bledsoe Co. (7-4) at East Roberson (10-1)   - Riverside (9-2) at Mt. Pleasant (9-1)   - Adamsville (6-5) at Lewis Co. (10-1)   - Union City (9-2) at Westview (9-2)   - Huntingdon (9-2) at Fairley (10-0)    Class 3A   - Gatlinburg-Pittman (10-1) at Chuckey-Doak (10-1)   - Pigeon Forge (6-5) at Alcoa (10-1)   - McMinn Central (6-5) at Sweetwater (9-2)   - Loudon (7-4) at Giles Co. (8-3)   - Fairview (8-3) at Smith Co. (10-1)   - East Nashville (9-2) at Waverly (9-1)   - Millington (7-4) at Covington (9-2)   - Ripley (5-6) at Dyersburg (7-4)   Class 4A    - Gibbs (7-4) at Greeneville (11-0)   - Elizabethton (6-4) at Anderson Co. (11-0)   - Upperman (9-2) at East Hamilton (8-3)   - Red Bank (9-2) at Stone Memorial (10-1)   - Hardin Co. (7-3) at Pearl Cohn (9-2)   - Marshall Co. (10-1) at Lexington (8-3)   - South Gibson (7-4) at Haywood (11-0)   - Obion Co. (6-5) at Milan (8-3)   Class 5A   - Knox. Central (7-4) at Daniel Boone (11-0)   - Morristown-West (7-4) at Knox. West (11-0)   - Walker Valley (5-6) at Powell (9-2)   - Oak Ridge (6-5) at McMinn Co. (9-2)   - Page (9-2) at Mt. Juliet (9-2)   - White Co. (9-2) at Nolensville (11-0)   - Portland (6-5) at Henry Co. (9-2)   - Springfield (9-2) at Munford (11-0)   Class 6A    - Farragut (9-2) at Science Hill (7-4)   - Bearden (7-4) at Maryville (8-3)   - Blackman (9-2) at Coffee Co. (9-2)   - Lebanon (9-2) at Oakland (10-1)   - Smyrna (9-1) at Beech (10-1)   - Clarksville (8-3) at Cane Ridge (10-1)   - Germantown (9-2) at Houston (9-2)   - Brentwood (8-3) at Bartlett (9-2)   D2-Class A   - DCA (7-4) at Friendship Chrst. (10-0)   - Lakeway Chrst. (5-6) at USJ (9-1)   - Trinity Chrst. (5-6) at Nash. Christian (8-2)   - MTCS (9-2) at Jackson Chrst. (9-1)   D2-Class AA    - CPA (6-5) at Lausanne (8-1)   - FRA (10-1) at Chatt. Christian (9-2)   - Davidson Acad. (6-5) at Knox. Webb (9-0)   - Silverdale Acad. (8-3) at Lipscomb Acad. (10-0)   D2-Class AAA   - Christian Brothers (7-4) at MBA (10-0)   - McCallie (9-2) at Ensworth (7-3)   - MUS (8-3) at Baylor (8-2)   - Pope Prep (8-3) at Brentwood Acad. (8-2)