Bartlett Stifles Kirkwood, Advances to 2nd Round

Postseason play has officially kicked off and Prep Redzone Tennessee was in Clarksville Friday night for a much expected first round matchup between Bartlett and Kirkwood where the road team from Memphis shut down the Cobras, 38-7 and advanced to round two. 

The game didn’t start the way Bartlett wanted as they gave up an opening drive touchdown to Kirkwood and trailed early 7-0. Sophomore Miles Reding Miles Reding 5'10" | 165 lbs | QB Kirkwood | 2027 TN commanded a nice drive where he scrambled and found senior two-way talent Moses Byrd Moses Byrd 6'3" | 235 lbs | EDGE/DL Kirkwood | 2025 State TN for the touchdown. 

It was an impressive drive by the Cobras but that was pretty much the end of the night offensively for Kirkwood as the Panthers defense shut them down the rest of the way. 

Almost immediately after the Cobras score, the Panthers answered right back with only 2 plays from scrimmage. Senior back Geron Johnson Geron Johnson 6'0" | 185 lbs | RB Bartlett | 2025 State TN took the carry and raced down the sideline, breaking through would-be tacklers to find the end zone. The score was tied at 7-7 with Kirkwood still right there but the Panthers would break their spirit on the next possession. 

Pinned back inside their own redzone, Reding dropped back for a pass but was pounded to the dirt with a blitz from Brandon Whitehead that jarred the ball loose and it was recovered in the end zone by the Panthers to push their lead out to 14-7. 

You could see the talent within the Panthers team starting to take over and there was nothing Kirkwood could do about it. The Cobras have a stud up front in Kamari Blair Kamari Blair 6'6" | 295 lbs | OL Kirkwood | 2026 State TN and he handled himself well but the rest of the Kirkwood offensive line could not sustain blocks as the Bartlett front seven harassed Reding all night long. 

After another three and out from the Cobras offense, Bartlett punched another score on the board after a beautiful deep ball from Alex McAlpin Alex McAlpin 6'0" | 165 lbs | QB Bartlett | 2025 TN to junior stud wideout Dylan Shannon Dylan Shannon 6'2" | 190 lbs | WR Bartlett | 2026 State TN . This wouldn’t be the last time you heard from Shannon in this game and he is definitely a player to keep an eye on over the coming off-season. 

The Panthers took a nice lead into the break at 21-7 and was probably one score away in the second period from putting the game away. Bartlett took the ball first in the second half and methodically drove the ball down field to eventually kick a field goal and push the score to 24-7. 

Kirkwood was barely hanging on and you could see the wear and tear taking a toll on the Cobras offense as the Panthers physically dominated the home team throughout this round one matchup. 

The Panthers defense would once again force a Cobras punt then take the ball immediately down field where McAlpin tossed a nice throw down the sidelines to Shannon where the junior pass catcher found the end zone for the second time. This was a coming out party for Shannon! 

Bartlett was on its way to a first round victory but needed to throw some more points on the board before they boarded buses. A future Power Four player, linebacker Austin Howard Austin Howard 6'3" | 225 lbs | LB/EDGE Bartlett | 2025 State TN played some key snaps on offense, providing several blocks in the run game but in the 4th quarter, he displayed his receiving abilities. He caught a short pass from Kamarion Alexander, made an athletic move then raced down the sideline towards the end zone. 

Another score would be put on the board, bringing the final score to 44-7 and Bartlett would advance to the second round of the Tennessee High School football playoffs. It was an impressive performance from the Panthers and one that showed how good this team can be. 

For the home Cobras of Kirkwood, it was a solid season that finished at 8-3 and a second place finish within their region. This was a season of experience for this program and a nice move in the right direction. The Cobras will be moving down to the 4A level next year, which could be an outstanding move that generates eventual championships.

There is plenty of talent on the Panthers roster with some great leaders and gamers to go on a deep run and potentially compete for the 6A title. They have to re-focus now and move on from this win to face a familiar opponent in Houston but I think they can and should be a team to watch moving through these playoffs.