Week Six Slate (Top Games/Matchups)

<h2 class="wp-block-heading">This is the best collection of games yet this season with multiple ranked matchups taking place along with several inner-region contests. Week Six could be quite fun & entertaining, so check below to see which games our experts feel are the top ten matchups to follow. </h2>     #2 Oakland (5-0) at #19 Blackman (5-0)   - Opportunity. That's exactly what the home Blaze has on their hands this Friday as they welcome crosstown rival and currently undefeated Oakland to town in what could be a game that dictates the region championship. Both teams have yet to take a loss and both are playing confident football headed into this matchup. Oakland has been outstanding so far this season with a well balanced team that is excelling on both sides of the ball. Blackman has shown flashes of brilliance but I wonder about their offense going up against a suffocating Patriots defense, led by seniors Travion Jackson and [player_tooltip player_id='1639861' first='Kullen' last='Williams']. I have to say the road team is the clear favorite to win this game but I'm curious to see how the Blaze show up and perform.    Expert Predictions   Chris Smith: Oakland 34 Blackman 10    Drew Toennies: Oakland 31 Blackman 17   Shayne Pickering: Oakland 31 Blackman 20   Conner Smith: Oakland 31 Blackman 23    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/09/oakland-crop-2048x1345-1758835402.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1908467" style="width:349px;height:auto" /></figure>   - - - - -    #9 Ensworth (4-1) at #7 Brentwood Academy (4-0)   - Coming off back to back strong wins, the Tigers hit the road again with another big matchup looming against a familiar opponent in Brentwood Academy. This is an interesting matchup to follow Friday night as you have the Eagles explosive offense, led by [player_tooltip player_id='834810' first='Crews' last='Jenkins'] and [player_tooltip player_id='378855' first='Kesean' last='Bowman'] going against one of the better defenses in the mid-state with [player_tooltip player_id='1132842' first='Blake' last='Surratt'], [player_tooltip player_id='492562' first='Justin' last='Hopkins'] and the Ensworth defense. On paper, many would choose the home team due to their athleticism and playmaking abilities but nobody had Ensworth beating McCallie two weeks ago, so you can't overlook the Tigers. Whichever team is able to keep the big plays to a minimum while stopping the run game, should gain the upper hand towards winning.    Expert Predictions   Chris Smith: Brentwood Academy 27 Ensworth 21   Drew Toennies: Ensworth 28 Brentwood Academy 21   Shayne Pickering: Ensworth 27 Brentwood Academy 24   Conner Smith: Ensworth 31 Brentwood Academy 20    - - - - -    Knox. Central (4-1) at #24 Powell (4-0)   - Going into “Week Six”, this game could turn out to be for the region championship by the time we reach the end of the season. Both these teams have performed well up to this point but something has to give in this East-TN matchup that might go down to the 4th quarter before it's settled. You have a Bobcats offense that has been on fire of late, led by junior stud [player_tooltip player_id='1104268' first='Kaden' last='Long'] going against a stout Panthers defense that is strong in the trenches, spearheaded by senior [player_tooltip player_id='1154536' first='Iverson' last='Garcia']. The home team will be viewed as the favorite in this game but I can honestly see the road team performing at a high level and stealing this contest. We shall see how it plays out but this should be a fun one to follow!    Expert Predictions   Chris Smith: Knox. Central 24 Powell 17    Drew Toennies: Powell 28 Knox. Central 14   Shayne Pickering: Powell 28 Knox. Central 17    Conner Smith: Powell 17 Knox. Central 7    - - - - -    Briarcrest Christian (4-1) at #8 Southwind (5-0) - Thursday    - This game could be the biggest test the Jaguars have had this season as Briarcrest comes to town feeling confident with a high powered offense that has gotten better each week. The Saints bring a veteran core into this game, led by [player_tooltip player_id='492553' first='Hudson' last='Tucker'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1611645' first='William' last='Jones'] that present a challenge for a talented Southwind secondary that will be tested. The home team counteracts with an explosive offense themselves, spearheaded by the leadership of quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='480742' first='Kelvin' last='Perkins']. Stopping or keeping Perkins in-check is absolutely key for Briarcrest to win this game. If he is allowed to go off, the Jags will remain undefeated but if the road team can figure out a formula to slow him down, the Saints might have a shot to pull off the upset.    Expert Predictions   Chris Smith: Southwind 35 Briarcrest Chrst. 20    Drew Toennies: Briarcrest Chrst. 24 Southwind 21    Shayne Pickering: Southwind 30 Briarcrest Chrst. 17   Conner Smith: Briarcrest Chrst. 28 Southwind 24    - - - - -    #18 Greeneville (5-0) at #11 Sevier Co. (4-0) - Thursday   - Our “Week Six” slate kicks off in a big way on Thursday evening as you have two of the better East Tennessee programs going toe to toe with each other in what should be an entertaining game. Both of these squads are state championship caliber with the Smoky Bears being your defending 5A champs. Both have performed very well so far this year with both offenses playing at a high level. This is a battle of productive quarterbacks in Caden Baugh and [player_tooltip player_id='1142902' first='Cooper' last='Newman']. I expect both offenses to move the ball but whichever defense is able to collect enough stops or create more turnovers should have the edge towards winning. Sevier Co. may have the upperhand being at home but I honestly can see either team coming out on top.    Expert Predictions   Chris Smith: Sevier Co. 28 Greeneville 20    Drew Toennies: Sevier Co. 31 Greeneville 28   Shayne Pickering: Sevier Co. 31 Greeneville 24    Conner Smith: Greeneville 34 Sevier Co. 31   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/06/jaxperry2.jpg?w=683" alt="" class="wp-image-1692772" style="width:212px;height:auto" /></figure>   - - - - -    #5 BGA (4-0) at #12 FRA (4-0)   - These two teams know each other very well, which tells me this should be a fun game to follow. The road Wildcats come into this matchup as the favorite but you can't sleep on the home Panthers, especially with a defense that features star juniors in [player_tooltip player_id='903033' first='Omarii' last='Sanders'] and [player_tooltip player_id='866750' first='Keilan' last='Neal']. Watching that side of the ball go against [player_tooltip player_id='914547' first='Kaedyn' last='Marable'], [player_tooltip player_id='1405419' first='Ethan' last='Kellum'] and the BGA offense will be the matchup to keep track of in this region contest. It will also be interesting to see how the Panthers secondary keeps up with [player_tooltip player_id='1030085' first='Maximus' last='Curry'], [player_tooltip player_id='905296' first='Fletcher' last='Fields'], [player_tooltip player_id='1537396' first='Maddox' last='Porter'] and the Wildcats playmaking receiving corps. The home team has to find a formula of slowing down the BGA offense if they want a shot at winning this most important game that could dictate the region championship.   Expert Predictions   Chris Smith: BGA 42 FRA 20    Drew Toennies: BGA 21 FRA 20    Shayne Pickering: BGA 31 FRA 27    Conner Smith: BGA 35 FRA 34    - - - - -    #13 Oak Ridge (5-0) at Bradley Central (4-1)   - This should be the biggest test of the season thus far for the Wildcats, who come into this region with a strong team that has performed well on both sides of the ball. After losing in the opening game of the season, the home Bears have reeled off four wins in a row with their defense leading the way. You have two of the best defensive linemen in the state with [player_tooltip player_id='1281457' first='Tobja' last='Walters Jr'], and [player_tooltip player_id='927765' first='A.J.' last='Westfield'] in this game and they will be tasked with getting into the backfield and finding a way to stop [player_tooltip player_id='1567420' first='Damillyan' last='Porter'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1594746' first='Kenyon' last='Phelps'] at running back. I think that is the key to this matchup is whoever slows down the opposition's rushing attack. This should also be a quality game that helps both teams in the long run during postseason play.    Expert Predictions   Chris Smith: Oak Ridge 23 Bradley Cent. 10    Drew Toennies: Oak Ridge 17 Bradley Cent. 14   Shayne Pickering: Oak Ridge 35 Bradley Cent. 16    Conner Smith: Oak Ridge 27 Bradley Cent. 20   - - - - -    #1 Baylor (4-0) at #16 MBA (4-0)   - Sitting as a our current #1 “Big School” team in the state, Baylor looks to continue their winning ways this Friday when they travel to Nashville to face off with a surprising undefeated MBA team that surprised many last week with a road win at Knox. Catholic. On paper, the Big Red doesn't have the athletes to keep up with the Red Raiders but they have performed well on defense this year and did a good job of slowing down a Tennessee commit last week. This game is a bigger challenge, especially finding a way to keep [player_tooltip player_id='1210671' first='David' last='Gabriel-Georges'] in-check. He has been dominant this year and quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='222957' first='Briggs' last='Cherry'] has been flawless. It's a tall task for MBA to knock off Baylor but I'm interested to see how their defense performs as it may show how good this Big Red team could be the rest of the season.    Expert Predictions   Chris Smith: Baylor 42 MBA 10    Drew Toennies: Baylor 31 MBA 7    Shayne Pickering: Baylor 28 MBA 7   Conner Smith: Baylor 41 MBA 14    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/03/gosenda2.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1637651" style="width:294px;height:auto" /></figure>   - - - - -    East Hamilton (5-0) at Rhea Co. (5-0)   - A sneaky good game to follow along with this Friday is this Class 5A inner-region matchup between two undefeated teams that have run through the competition so far this year. The Hurricanes have honestly been a surprise as they were replacing key players going into the year but they have done well, especially on offense where Wyatt Miller and [player_tooltip player_id='1432197' first='Jaden' last='Haywood'] have performed at a high level. The Golden Eagles have gotten better week by week with both sides of the ball contributing with their success based around the run game. Their defense has done well at stopping the run while Mason Ford has been a force with the ball in his hands. The key to winning this game for either squad is stopping the opposition's run game. Whoever does that well, should gain an edge towards victory.    Expert Predictions   Chris Smith: Rhea Co. 34 East Hamilton 20    Drew Toennies: East Hamilton 17 Rhea Co. 7   Shayne Pickering: Rhea Co. 24 East Hamilton 17    Conner Smith: Rhea Co. 27 East Hamilton 14   - - - - -    Macon Co. (5-0) at White Co. (4-1)   - The region title could be on the line here in this Mid-Tennessee matchup that pits two well coached, disciplined teams against each other in what should be an entertaining game. The Tigers haven't missed a beat coming off their state title run last year and look like the team to beat in this region. White Co. could have something to say about that this Friday as they are coming into this game feeling confident and performing better on the offensive side of the ball. If the Warriors want a shot at winning this game, their run defense with [player_tooltip player_id='1405051' first='Hunter' last='Broyles'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1617402' first='Lex' last='Winfree'] must perform at a high level. I think White Co. will get several stops but I don't know if their offense will be able to score enough to keep up with a strong Macon Co. team.    Expert Predictions   Chris Smith: Macon Co. 35 White Co. 20    Drew Toennies: Macon Co. 14 White Co. 7    Shayne Pickering: Macon Co. 31 White Co. 24    Conner Smith: White Co. 20 Macon Co. 17    - - - - -    Other Top Week Six Matchups    East TN: Anderson Co. (3-1) at Chatt. Prep (2-3), North Greene (3-2) at Hampton (4-1), Maryville (4-1) at Hardin Valley (3-2), Carter (3-2) at Heritage (3-1), Science Hill (5-0) at Jefferson Co. (3-1), Silverdale (3-2) at Knox. Catholic (3-1), Rockwood (3-2) at Oliver Springs (4-1), Coalfield (3-2) at Oneida (3-2), Meigs Co. (4-1) at Sweetwater (2-2), Soddy Daisy (3-2) at Walker Valley (4-1), Dobyns-Bennett (4-1) at West Ridge (4-1)   Mid TN: Sequatchie Co. (3-2) at Forrest (4-1), NCS (5-0) at Franklin Chrst. (3-2), Gordonsville (5-0) at Jackson Co. (3-2), Dickson Co. (4-1) at Kirkwood (4-1), Tullahoma (3-2) at Lawrence Co. (4-1), Summertown (3-2) at Lewis Co. (5-0), Eagleville (3-2) at Richland (3-2), Gallatin (3-1) at Station Camp (3-2), Fairview (4-1) at Sycamore (3-2), Westmoreland (3-2) at Whites Creek (5-0)   West TN: Memp. Central (4-0) at Germantown (5-0), Dresden (3-2) at Humboldt (2-3), Crockett Co. (4-1) at Jackson North-Side (3-1), Lexington (4-1) at Jackson South-Side (3-2), MASE (2-3) at Mitchell (3-2), White Station (1-3) at MUS (4-1), Middle Coll. (3-1) at Oakhaven (3-1), Dyersburg (4-1) at Obion Co. (3-2), Union City (2-3) at Peabody (5-0), Dyer Co. (4-1) at South Gibson (2-3), Jackson Chrst. (5-0) at Tipton-Rosemark (3-2), Lausanne (1-2) at Westview (4-0), Munford (4-0) at Whitehaven (3-2)   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/09/mford.jpg?w=683" alt="" class="wp-image-1908486" style="width:170px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: City Scope</figcaption></figure>