Class 3A Region Preview/Predictions (Part 2)

<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Grinding through our 3A preview, here we provide predictions for regions 5 through 8 as well as give our pre-season player superlatives and more! </h2>     1. East Nashville   2. Stratford   3. Liberty Creek   4. Maplewood   5. RePublic    Region MVP: ‘26 (RB) [player_tooltip player_id='971296' first='Keith' last='Johnson'] - East Nashville    Off. POTY: ‘26 (RB) [player_tooltip player_id='971296' first='Keith' last='Johnson'] - East Nashville    Def. POTY: (DB) [player_tooltip player_id='1159809' first='Antoni' last='Morton'] - East Nashville    Lineman POTY: (OL) [player_tooltip player_id='1286224' first='Jaylen' last='Jackson'] - East Nashville    Underclassmen POTY: (WR/S) [player_tooltip player_id='1130964' first='Jaxyn' last='Law'] - Stratford    Coach of the Year: Damien Harris - East Nashville    - As you can see above with who took all the superlatives, East Nashville is without question the top team in this region and it's by a wide margin. The Eagles have been one of the more consistent programs in this state over the past decade and the reign on top should continue this year led by a strong rush attack with Johnson and a stout defense, spearheaded by Morton, [player_tooltip player_id='835861' first='Austin' last='Kent'] and their secondary. Will this Eagles team be good enough to get back to Chattanooga for the 3A title? Not sure that but we will certainly find out.    Everybody else in this region is fighting for 2nd, 3rd and 4th place and a chance to compete in postseason play. The next best team looks to be Stratford. The Spartans have a few good pieces at their skill positions that can be difference makers. Glendarrius Humphrey and junior standout [player_tooltip player_id='1130925' first='Vantrease' last='White, Jr'] are two guys to watch for Stratford this Fall. Liberty Creek is still building and growing their program. They will be young this year, so there might be some challenges, however I feel they will still be competitive enough to reach the playoffs.    - - - - -    3A-Region 6   1. Fairview   2. White House-Heritage   3. Sycamore   4. Cheatham Co. Central   5. Stewart Co.    Region MVP: (RB) [player_tooltip player_id='1200977' first='Travon' last='Murry'] - Fairview    Off. POTY: ‘26 (RB) [player_tooltip player_id='1199149' first='Hicks' last='Hunter'] - Sycamore    Def. POTY: ‘26 (LB) Canyon McHam - Fairview    Lineman POTY: (OL) [player_tooltip player_id='390643' first='Parker' last='Davis'] - Fairview    Underclassmen POTY: ‘27 (QB) [player_tooltip player_id='317160' first='Xavier' last='Murray'] - White House-Heritage    Coach of the Year: Scott Murray - White House-Heritage    - The Yellow Jackets yet again look like the team to beat in this region but it's not by a wide margin as I feel White House-Heritage is right on their heels. Fairview will do what it is they do and that's run the football. They have a bell cow back in Murry to lean on along with a strong offense line, led by Davis, junior [player_tooltip player_id='1117926' first='Samuel' last='Rood'] and rising sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1635686' first='Blaze' last='Parker']. Their defense should be solid too. Junior Canyon McHam is a dude that I feel will break out on the scene as the region defensive MVP. The Patriots have a potentially high scoring offense that might give Fairview troubles. They have an up and coming stud at quarterback in Murray along with a highly productive wideout in [player_tooltip player_id='1557110' first='Aric' last='Lopez'], who could be a sleeper for Mr. Football. The O-line doesn't look too bad either, so pieces are in place for the Pats to be quite good offensively.    Sycamore is a team neither of the top two teams should sleep on as this could be the best War Eagles squad in some time. They have a solid offensive line to block for Hunter, led by senior [player_tooltip player_id='850430' first='Jeff' last='Bell']. Their defense may be underrated as well with junior linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1004582' first='Silvio' last='Rizzo'] being one of the best tacklers in the Mid-TN area. I would not be surprised to see the War Eagles finish at least in 2nd place. Cheatham Co. and Stewart Co. should battle for the final playoff spot with the Cubs holding the edge headed into the season.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/alopez.jpg?w=400" alt="" class="wp-image-1394711" style="width:299px;height:auto" /></figure>   - - - - - -    3A-Region 7   1. Dyersburg   2. Covington   3. Westview   4. McNairy Central   5. Ripley   6. Scotts Hill   7. Bolivar Central   8. Liberty Tech    Region MVP: (DT/OL) [player_tooltip player_id='611975' first='Kalen' last='Edwards'] - Dyersburg   Off. POTY: (RB) [player_tooltip player_id='1110699' first='Skylan' last='Smith'] - Covington   Def. POTY: ‘26 (DE) [player_tooltip player_id='1275120' first='Jysen' last='Grant'] - Dyersburg    Lineman POTY: (DT/OL) [player_tooltip player_id='611975' first='Kalen' last='Edwards'] - Dyersburg    Underclassmen POTY: ‘26 (WR) [player_tooltip player_id='964719' first='Donteze' last='Joy'] - Westview    Coach of the Year: Bart Stowe - Dyersburg    - This region should be fun as I could see three teams in Dyersburg, Covington and Westview all compete for the region title with McNairy Central being my sleeper team to watch. The Trojans are the reigning champs and return a good chunk from last year's team, including a talented D-line with Edwards and Grant. Their run game will be the offensive feature that should gain Dyersburg another region title. The big showdown with them and Covington should be fun as the Chargers love running the ball and must do it against the Trojans defensive front seven. Smith is a ball carrier that can cause damage with his speed. Westview has an interesting team with talent sitting within a lot of areas that just need time on the field to shine.    The Chargers have a solid senior class with [player_tooltip player_id='841242' first='Will' last='Borgens'] and a strong O-line leading the way along with some talented underclassmen like Joy, [player_tooltip player_id='1103496' first='Asa' last='Barnes'] and others to build around for the future. McNairy is a team to keep an eye this Fall as their roster looks better than some may think. They have a talented back in Kelby Taylor that can be their go-to guy along with some solid pieces in line like [player_tooltip player_id='848852' first='Jackson' last='Arnwine'], Calvin Philmore and others. I don't know if the Tigers can crack the top three but they will certainly play spoiler. Ripley should be right there with McNairy, competing for the final playoff spot. They have a super senior in [player_tooltip player_id='1110709' first='Sammie' last='Smith'] that will be their top guy at both running back and linebacker.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/dyersburg.jpg?w=550" alt="" class="wp-image-1394720" style="width:345px;height:auto" /></figure>   - - - - -    3A-Region 8    1. Sheffield   2. Bolton   3. Wooddale   4. Hamilton   5. Memp. East   6. Lakeland Prep   7. Douglass    Region MVP: (WR) [player_tooltip player_id='466266' first='Radarious' last='Jackson'] - Sheffield   Off. POTY: (RB) Jamarks Wright - Wooddale    Def. POTY: (DL) [player_tooltip player_id='1142885' first='Isaiah' last='Lackey'] - Sheffield    Lineman POTY: (OL) [player_tooltip player_id='835860' first='Keshaun' last='Adams'] - Sheffield    Underclassmen POTY: ‘26 (DE/LB) [player_tooltip player_id='1648762' first='Henry' last='Flowers'] - Bolton    Coach of the Year: Clarence Marshall - Bolton    - It's another year where Sheffield should be the class of this region and the team to beat to take over this region. The Knights have the top player in the entire classification with Jackson, a dynamic game changer that opposing teams won't be able to handle. They will also be strong on defense with a disruptor on the D-line in Lackey. Sheffield is the clear cut favorite but that second place spot is up for grabs with me thinking Bolton is best qualified. Watch out for the Wildcats this Fall as they appear to be on the rise. They have an athletic senior to lean on in Daniel Wade along with youthful talent on defense that should stand out this season.    Wooddale should be right there with Bolton fighting for second place, especially with possibly the best back in the region with Wright. The Cardinals will lean heavily on their rushing attack this year along with their defense to get them into postseason play. Hamilton senior [player_tooltip player_id='1170987' first='Kavion' last='Yancey'] is one of the best overall prospects from this region that will be asked to do a lot for his Tigers defense. His play along with the rest of defense will be important for Hamilton as they try to compete for a top four and postseason spot. Memp. East is a team that is picked fifth but could surprise me and others by taking the 3rd or 4th place in this region. They are young but have some up and coming talent to keep an eye on.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/ilackey.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1394721" style="width:329px;height:auto" /></figure>