Five Takeaways After the Third Round of the TSSAA Playoffs

The third round of the TSSAA playoffs did not disappoint. There was plenty of excitement, great last-second plays and some surprising upsets that leave you craving more football.   After having a few days to digest what happened, I've decided to talk about some of the opinions I gathered following an outstanding third round.   I've compiled five of my takeaways after watching another week of football throughout the state. Let's get into it.   <figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/05/Ayden-Woodruff-28-PRZN-crop-1273x836-1753468596.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1732226" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: BGA DL [player_tooltip player_id='1177837' first='Ayden' last='Woodruff'] at a Prep Redzone camp.</figcaption></figure>   BGA Is the Most Talented Team in the State   There are a few teams that are in consideration for this, but after Battle Ground Academy's 49-3 shellacking of Boyd-Buchanan on Friday night, it's clear who it is.   Bobby Bentley has this squad looking like one of the best in the state, regardless of classification, with their best players being young bucks.   They have guys like [player_tooltip player_id='1537396' first='Maddox' last='Porter'], [player_tooltip player_id='423394' first='Koehn' last='Dial'], [player_tooltip player_id='1177837' first='Ayden' last='Woodruff'], [player_tooltip player_id='2054772' first='Evan' last='Kellum'] and others, who aren't even juniors yet.   Then you talk about [player_tooltip player_id='866788' first='Nate' last='Fleming'], [player_tooltip player_id='914547' first='Kaedyn' last='Marable'], [player_tooltip player_id='902956' first='Justice' last='Pittman'], [player_tooltip player_id='902961' first='Jayden' last='Cannon'] and [player_tooltip player_id='905296' first='Fletcher' last='Fields'], it's ridiculous.   This is, without a doubt, the most talented team in Tennessee.   <figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/11/msteele.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-2055476" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: Centennial WR [player_tooltip player_id='1640649' first='Malachi' last='Steele']. Photo by Centennial Athletics.</figcaption></figure>   Centennial Is This Year's Cinderella Team   I mentioned it in an article on Sunday, but this team's story is phenomenal. They started the season 2-4, then lost their head coach halfway through the year.   It appeared like their season was over, and they had nothing to play for.   Except, something lit a fire underneath them. Centennial rattled off wins in five of its next six contests, including three playoff victories of at least 10 points.   They have a great challenge this week, as they face the undefeated Page Patriots, who thrashed them 52-17 earlier in the year.   However, with the way this team is playing, anything can happen.   <figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/09/kperkins.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1507860" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: Southwind QB [player_tooltip player_id='480742' first='Kelvin' last='Perkins'].</figcaption></figure>   6A Has the Most Stacked Bracket Remaining   The 6A classification has the toughest path remaining, and it's not particularly close. Oakland, Ravenwood and Southwind, all of whom are 13-0, with the “weak link” being 12-1 Blackman.   That's not normal. Obviously, there are great teams remaining in every bracket, but not like 6A.   Every single team would be a state championship favorite in almost every classification, except for Division II AA and Division II AAA.   While it's frustrating for the four teams playing, this gives us two unbelievable semifinal matchups, then potentially an excellent state title game.   <figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/08/Photo-Aug-30-2025-1-16-48-AM.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1859293" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: Ravenwood QB [player_tooltip player_id='402540' first='Femi' last='Babalola']. Photo from his Hudl.</figcaption></figure>   Middle Tennessee Runs Football in The State   This one is going to upset some people, but I don't care; it's the truth. Middle Tennessee is the best region in the state for football.   There are six teams from that region in the semifinals, with BGA, FRA, Nashville Christian and Brentwood Academy already in their respective state title games.   That's 10 total teams from the Middle Tennessee region this deep into the postseason, not to mention teams like Riverdale, Beech, Ensworth, etc.   Don't get it twisted, there's good football all over The Volunteer State, but this region is easily the best and deepest of the three.   <figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/10/dwdgg.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-1927056" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: Baylor RB [player_tooltip player_id='1210671' first='David' last='Gabriel-Georges'] after the McCallie game. Photo by Baylor Football.</figcaption></figure>   Baylor And Oakland Are 1A And 1B For the Best Programs in Tennessee   Obviously, Oakland has had more postseason success than Baylor over the past decade, but the Red Raiders are coming for that No. 1 spot.   Will they ever surpass Oakland as the best or most notable program in the state of Tennessee? Who knows.   But with how dominant they've been the past five seasons and likely a state title this year, it's just food for thought.   There are several teams for whom you could make an argument. However, the Patriots and Red Raiders are clearly the gold standard of the sport at the moment.

The third round of the TSSAA playoffs did not disappoint. There was plenty of excitement, great last-second plays and some surprising upsets that leave you craving more football.