TNHSFB Week Two Statewide Recap

<h2 class="wp-block-heading">We had some all-time classic games go down in last week along with some surprising teams moving to 2-0 and remaining undefeated. It was another great week of HS football Tennessee that we recap here for you with some of the best storylines from "Week Two." </h2>     Week Two Top Stories    Stock Up   - Last Friday in West Nashville, two private school powers in Ensworth and Nash. Christian played a classic, competed in one of the best games we have had in the Mid-Tennessee area in sometime with the home Eagles coming from behind to take the 42-41 victory over the Tigers. This was an all-time classic but more importantly, it was a banner win for the Nash. Christian program, who proved it can play with the big boys and win. Early on, it looked like Ensworth would walk away with the victory but behind the play of [player_tooltip player_id='402548' first='Jared' last='Curtis'], the Eagles made a furious comeback to put themselves in position to win in the end and they did!   The Eagles were down with seconds remaining until they scored a touchdown to be down one. The staff decided to go ahead and win the game in regulation. They chose wisely as they called for Curtis on a quarterback draw and he found paydirt to put the Eagles on top by one and move their season record to 2-0. The biggest thing this game showed me is that with Curtis behind center and several others around him, the Eagles are big time legit and could potentially compete alongside other D2-Class AAA programs. Ensworth is probably beating themselves up over the loss as they had several chances to extend the lead and play their way to victory but that didn't happen. Nash. Christian hung in there and found a way in what could go down as the best game played from the 2025 season.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/08/jcurtis.jpg?w=982" alt="" class="wp-image-941718" style="width:302px;height:auto" /></figure>   - - - - -    - Page has begun their 2025 season at 2-0 after two road victories and a win last Friday over Green Hill, 44-21. The win over the home Hawks was impressive. Many people around the state, including myself, expected this game to be much closer but the Patriots flexed their muscle in a big way, proving they are one of the top teams coming out of the Mid-Tennessee region. Their offense against Green Hill had a strong night. The staff received balance play all across the board from their running back duo of [player_tooltip player_id='1532741' first='James' last='Pierre'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1571091' first='Isaac' last='Otey'] running through the Hawks defense towards [player_tooltip player_id='693877' first='Cameron' last='Kruse'] and the passing attack doing enough damage in the air. What might have been the most impressive about the Pats offensive performance was the play up front in the trenches.    The starting five on the O-line for Page had an excellent game, paving the road for their backs while keeping the Green Hill pass rushers in-check. Seniors [player_tooltip player_id='402552' first='Jordan' last='Curll'] and [player_tooltip player_id='853121' first='Jacob' last='Rathbone'] are key leaders on this team that set the tone early and maintained their physicality throughout. This was a good win for Page as they went on the road and faced a good Green Hill team that could win their region and go on a deep run in the 6A playoffs. The Patriots proved they are still a formidable team and a squad built to chase down another title opportunity. We shall see how things play out but I would be surprised to not see Page in Chattanooga at the end of the season.    - - - - -    - Staying on the 5A level, the defending champs in Sevier Co. had a commanding victory in “Week Two” as they dismantled Jefferson Co., 41-7 on their way to a 2-0 start to their 2025 season with a balanced performance from both their offense and their defense. The Smoky Bears have clicked well on offense early on but I really like how their defense is playing, especially after a suffocating showing last week against the Patriots. The Sevier Co. defensive front seven swarmed the Jefferson Co. backfield all night long, receiving steady contributions from the likes of [player_tooltip player_id='1103040' first='Jaxson' last='Perry'], [player_tooltip player_id='1647122' first='Preston' last='Huskey'], [player_tooltip player_id='1308269' first='Graven' last='Wilson'], [player_tooltip player_id='1543020' first='Joey' last='Galazin'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1577078' first='Parker' last='Newman']. All five of those guys along with others, provided constant pressure into the backfield and was a key force behind the Smoky Bears victory.    All the hype and excitement about this team goes to [player_tooltip player_id='1142902' first='Cooper' last='Newman'] and the Sevier Co. offense but it's their defense that I think can lead them back to the promise-land and compete for back to back 5A titles. Now they must remain healthy throughout the year while continuing to improve but I like this defensive unit for Sevier Co. and their potential to be the best defense on the 5A level and one of the best in the state.    - - - - -    - A humbling moment should happen for the Camden Central football team after a shutout loss last week to Huntingdon. The Lions went into the season as a team to watch in their classification and they still should be but they must recoup and figure out what went wrong in the complete beat down by the hands of the Mustangs. We shall see how things play out for Camden but this section is here to give praise to Huntingdon and their impressive start thus far in the 2025 season. The Mustangs have been impressive through two weeks of action with wins over McKenzie and Camden. Their offense has run the ball well like always but their defense has been stellar, especially up front stopping the run. I expect the Huntingdon offense to remain consistent throughout the season but if their defense can continue their strong play, fighting for championships is possible. Depth may prove to be an issue over time but Huntingdon is a well coached, disciplined team that competes with grit and toughness, so whoever is on the field, I expect them to perform at a high level week in and week out.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/09/huntingdon-crop-600x394-1756749181.jpg?w=600" alt="" class="wp-image-1865075" style="width:329px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: The McKenzie Banner</figcaption></figure>   - - - - -    - We had a classic go down in East Tennessee last week as Greeneville scratched and clawed their way to victory after a hard fought, close 41-33 win over visiting Upperman. It took the Green Devils till the very end to win but they got the job done. Junior Kaine Ricker sealed the victory with a game-ending interception but he and the Green Devils defense had to fight all night to slow down a run-heavy Bees offense that saw quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1254853' first='Bronzden' last='Chaffin'] run for over 150 yards. The Greeneville defense had some struggles stopping the run but did enough to keep their offense in-line to win. The 41 points scored by the Green Devils was needed. Every series on the field proved to be important with both teams succeeding more times than not.    Quarterback Caden Baugh did a good job of leading the offense and his team on several scoring drives while displaying grit and toughness. His offensive line held up, pushing the line back throughout the night and providing Baugh and the Green Devil backs to cut loose. This was a statement win for Greeneville on their path towards competing for a 4A title. I also think Upperman will be on that path as well. The Bees will be fine. They were right there to compete for a win as well, they just fell short. They will regroup and bounce back but Greeneville proved they were the better team in this game and a program that continues to show the “know how” when it comes to winning football games.    - - - - -    - Covington walked into Haywood last Friday night and made a statement in their 55-42 road victory over the Tomcats. Many had the home team as the favorite but the Chargers proved to be the better team with an explosive offense and an opportunistic defense that held up in the long run towards earning this victory. Behind a strong offensive line and stellar running from [player_tooltip player_id='1659259' first='Jaheim' last='Smith'], the Chargers used the ground game to maul over the Tomcats defense. As things got late into the game, the Covington rushing attack wore down the Haywood defense and they simply ran out of gas. The Tomcats have good athletes but just couldn't do enough in the trenches to keep the Chargers run game in-check. The Haywood staff knew Covington would run the ball a ton but they simply couldn't do anything to stop them.    Haywood must go into practice this week and fix some things if they want to be there in the end, competing for a 4A championship. They have to shore up their run defense. Most teams run the ball in high school, so cleaning things up in the trenches is a must for the Tomcats. Covington is looking good so far this season, sitting at 2-0 going into “Week Three” with a highly potent offense and a defense that shows potential. The main players on the Chargers team must stay healthy throughout the season but I like what I see from Covington and their chances at having a special football year.    - - - - -    - One of the more impressive wins coming from “Week Two” was Lincoln Co. going on the road to Independence and defeating the Eagles, 23-21. The Falcons are now 2-0 to start the 2025 season and could be ranked inside the PRZTN Top 25 Power Poll during the next update. Led by senior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='523936' first='Maddox' last='Franklin'], the Falcons had to scratch and claw their way to victory but they got the job done versus a good Independence team that has several college prospects spread throughout their roster. The Falcons offense and Franklin struggled at times by throwing a few interceptions but the run game was on point and the want-to was there to create enough plays to win the game.    You have to give credit to the Lincoln Co. defense as well. They went up against a solid Eagles offensive line, a talented quarterback in [player_tooltip player_id='1150069' first='Matthew' last='Horner'] and skill players that can run but yet for the most part, the Falcons kept them all in-check towards victory. This was a statement win for the Falcons but how they respond to this win will be very interesting to watch. Looking at their schedule, I like the chances of Lincoln Co. fighting for a region title and placing themselves as a top seeded team once we reach postseason play. Their key guys must remain healthy and continue playing at a high level throughout the year for the Falcons to have a special season but so far so good for this Mid-Tennessee 5A program.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/09/mfranklin.jpg?w=400" alt="" class="wp-image-1865083" style="width:256px;height:auto" /></figure>   - - - - -    - Through two weeks of the 2025 season, Antioch has been impressive and a team we must continue to follow during the current season. Last Friday on the road, the Bears went into East Nashville and pulled out a 32-27 victory with junior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='378901' first='Andre' last='Adams'] having a monster game. His play was critical towards picking up the win with the Eagles having a hard time with his passing and ability to stop Adams when running the ball. The Eagles did keep things close throughout the night but every time the Bears needed a play, needed something to happen, Adams answered the call. While the quarterback play has been good so far for Antioch, I like how their defense is performing and looking for the long haul. They look more mature and much improved compared to last year. The Bears will need their defense to maintain strong play during the season if they want to compete for a region title and more. I do think the Bears have the offensive firepower but if their defense can continue playing at a high level, special things could be on its way for Antioch.    - - - - - - - - -    Stock Down   - Speaking of East Nashville, the Eagles are now 0-2 after a home loss last Friday to Antioch and a team looking for a few answers as they move into “Week Three.” Going into the 2025 season, expectations were high for the Eagles and they still are, especially competing on the 3A level but through two games, East Nashville has had some struggles. Now we have to say they have faced two really good teams in Collierville and Antioch, so we are not completely down on the Eagles but they have two losses on the resume regardless and must start putting some wins on the board, beginning this Friday at Hillsboro.    I still like East Nashville and their chances at winning their region and competing for a 3A title but the defense must perform at a higher level as we get deeper into the season. The offense should be fine with a big offensive line paving the way for [player_tooltip player_id='971296' first='Keith' last='Johnson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1668630' first='Dallas' last='Covington'] getting better each week at quarterback. It will be on the defense to step forward and turn things around. I'm curious to see how the Eagles perform the rest of the way and what adjustments they make going forward because they can still have a big year with all their goals still intact.    - - - - -    - Starting the year at 0-2 isn't something any high school staff wants to see happen but that's the case for Cookeville and things don't get easier this Friday when they go on the road to face a solid White County team. The Cavs lost a lot from last year's team and knew they had to plug in some new starters but things haven't gone too well thus far as they have struggled to move the ball and score points while their defense has shown flashes of good play but still given up too many yards. Falling to Siegel in “Week One” was tough then facing a really good FRA team in “Week Two” made things even harder. The Cavaliers struggled in their matchup with the Panthers, as they stayed close early at 14-14 but ultimately lost in the end, 40-14.    Cookeville hasn't been too impressive on offense up to this point. Through two games, they haven't been able to find a passing game nor establish consistency on the ground. They have one of the best O-linemen in the state with [player_tooltip player_id='866469' first='Austin' last='Hoane'] but he's only one guy and others around him must step up their play, especially within the offensive front. This Friday versus White Co. is almost a must-win situation for Cookeville. I'm curious to see how they come out and perform against the Warriors and how they do the rest of the way.    - - - - -    - I know Knox. West has only played one game thus far and they faced a strong Maryville team last Friday but things look different with this 5A power as they had their butts handed to them in a 48-7 loss to the Rebels in “Week Two”. We had some changes happen to this program in the off-season but they also lost a decent bit from last year's squad, however I didn't expect them to look as poor as they did at Maryville. Their defense was torched by [player_tooltip player_id='1723184' first='Will' last='Jones'], who didn't throw an incompletion the entire game. The Knox. West run defense held up ok but didn't do enough to slow down the Rebels rushing attack. The offense didn't look good either. They struggled to move the ball or establish any kind of consistency. For many years now, Knox. West has been a 5A power and title contender but that may be different this season. We could be in-store for a long year with Knox. West but we will see. They very well may turn things around going forward but “Week One” didn't show a lot to be excited about.    - - - - -    - We could be in for a transition year with Bartlett. The Panthers have faced two good teams in MUS and Germantown thus far but their offense has struggled to find consistency or enough firepower to put points on the board. Last Friday against the Red Devils, finding points was hard as Bartlett fell, 39-6 with an offensive approach that didn't work. I figured Bartlett might be a little down this year after needing to replace several important seniors but I didn't know they would struggle as they have thus far. Now things can certainly turn around for the Panthers but their schedule doesn't get any easier with games this season against Melrose, Houston, Collierville, Pearl Cohn, Whitehaven and a current 2-0 Arlington team. It might turn out to be a tough year for Bartlett. We shall see how things play out but right now, things don't look good for the Panthers.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/09/psadler.jpg?w=400" alt="" class="wp-image-1865088" style="width:263px;height:auto" /></figure>