Statewide Roundup (Week Ten Recap)

<!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Everybody across the state was back in full action last week where we saw a few upsets take while others clamped down region titles. Catch up on everything from "Week Ten" here in our weekly recap that showcases the biggest stories from East to West of the Volunteer State! </h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Surprising win for CPA, bad loss by Knox. Catholic</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- Possibly the biggest surprise coming out of “Week Ten” was seeing CPA achieve their first win of the season, doing so against a good Knox. Catholic team that could not score enough points, which has been a problem for them throughout the season. The Lions knocked off the Fighting Irish, 14-13 in a contest that saw both defenses go toe to toe with each other, doing everything they could to keep their offenses in the game where CPA scored one more point to earn the victory. This is a win the CPA football team has been striving for all year. They have struggled all season long but haven't lost their fight, which is shown in this victory as they could have easily rolled over and allowed Knox. Catholic to defeat them but the Lions hung in there to provide the fans, the program and the team something to smile about. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Lions won't go far with the 2026 season as they simply don't have the overall depth or talent to make a run after the state title but Knox. Catholic does, due to their defense, however this is a bad loss for them and one that will either drown them or make them swim harder moving forward. The Fighting Irish offense hasn't been that consistent or explosive this season and it showed once again versus CPA. It's a unit that has talent but not good enough overall to compete with the best the D2-Class AAA ranks have to offer. I am very curious to see how Knox. Catholic responds this coming Friday and if anything has changed after the stunning “Week Ten” loss to a previous winless ball club. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Fighting Irish does have a capable defense, led by stars like <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1031949' first='Brooks' last='Johnston']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1031890' first='Braylen' last='Gibbs']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2144592' first='Skylan' last='Johnson']</strong> and others to compete with the best and will be a unit that is leaned on heavily to extend their season but for Knox. Catholic to advance in the coming playoffs, their offense has to play better. This loss to CPA is a tough one to swallow. The Fighting Irish must use the defeat to better themselves throughout the coming week and find some way to improve because right now, they are guaranteed two games left in the 2026 season but if they want to keep the year going, the offense has to find a way to score more points and not expect their defense to win each and every game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- - - - - </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Statement Victory for White Co. </em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- It's been a magical season for White Co. and it continued in “Week Ten” as they took down the perennial region power in Upperman, 35-13 and inched themselves a little closer towards becoming a champion. This victory over the Bees put the Warriors one game away from becoming region champs as long as they handle business in “Week Eleven” against Stone Memorial. It was an impressive win over Upperman where the Warriors received a balanced performance from both sides of the ball with the White Co. defense completely shutting down the Bees offense. Running the ball is something Upperman wants to do but led up front by <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1617402' first='Lex' last='Winfree']</strong>, the Warriors defensive unit shut that down and made things difficult for the Bees to gain any traction in the ground game. White Co. has put a solid defense onto the field all year long but last Friday night might have been their best overall performance of the season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Warriors offense is not to be slighted either. They have been quite good as well with <strong>Tucker Pinion</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2089830' first='Cole' last='Sims']</strong> leading the way from the backfield. Their rushing attack proved potent in last week's victory over Upperman where the Warriors ball carriers and their offensive line moved Upperman defenders off the ball and plowed their way to success. Collectively as a whole, White Co. has been strong throughout the entire year with a well balanced team and a veteran core that has them in-line to not only win their region but earn a number seed and home game during the upcoming playoffs. This win over Upperman solidifies to me how good they are this year and how tough of a team that will be to play in the postseason. I don't know if White Co. has everything they need to win a state title but I bet you they will not be an easy out and could surprise many that comes into their path. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1560301,"width":"242px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/11/whiteco2.jpg?w=400" alt="" class="wp-image-1560301" style="width:242px;height:auto"/></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- - - - - </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Undefeated CAK season stopped by Boyd Buchanan</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- We didn't have too many upsets last week but one that sticks out is the Buccaneers putting an end to CAK's undefeated season by knocking them off, 36-35 in what came to be one of the better games from “Week Ten”. Nobody, not even myself, saw this upset coming as Boyd Buchanan came into this contest on a two game losing streak, facing off against an eight win Warriors team that defeated state ranked GCA the previous week. All the momentum was on the side of CAK going into this region contest and they were right there to win in the end but Boyd Buchanan made more plays at the right times to win. This loss for CAK does throw a small wrench into their region title hopes, especially if they fall to Lakeway Christian on Friday but I expect them to bounce back and work to right some wrongs within this loss to Boyd Buchanan. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The home Buccaneers showed signs of the future in this game. They are an overall young team that has seen some struggles this year but that adversity appears to be making them better, as seen in this victory over CAK. Their quarterback in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2371887' first='Andrew' last='Rivers']</strong> is key to this team as a whole but it was junior running back <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1030608' first='Jack' last='Ferguson']</strong> that led the way in this game. The Buccaneers junior ball carrier torched the Warriors for 219 yards rushing and 1 touchdown on the night. It was his ability to run the ball with succession that opened up the pass game while wearing down the CAK defense. Ferguson has been a great addition to the Boyd Buchanan offense and a pillar to build around going into next season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This victory also puts the Buccaneers at 5-3 overall and 3-3 within the region. They have one final regular season game on Friday against Knox. Webb where the Bucs will be the favorite. Defeating CAK, especially in the manner that they did, could provide ultimate confidence and momentum moving into postseason play. The Warriors will be fine. They still sit as a top contender to reach Chattanooga and compete for a state title, as long as they stay healthy and get things back on track. I still think Boyd Buchanan is a work in progress with much development to go but it looks like their young players are starting to get it and could form into a sleeper team to watch during the upcoming D2-Class AA playoffs. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- - - - - </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Dyersburg nearly upsets Westview</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- Coming off a big win over Covington, the Trojans had the mindset of doing it again and they nearly pulled off another upset in their 21-17 defeat to Westview. This turned into a closer game than a lot of people thought it would but Dyersburg went into this game with a lot of confidence as well as a game plan that worked for most of the contest. Out of everybody the Chargers have faced this year, the Dyersburg defense has performed best against <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='424594' first='Graham' last='Simpson']</strong> and the highly potent Westview offense. The Trojans did a good job of minimizing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1103496' first='Asa' last='Barnes']</strong> and their run game while also playing good coverage on the back end and not making it easy for Simpson. The defensive game plan was superb for the Trojans but the Chargers were just too good as they found a way to score four more points to pull out the region victory. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I didn't expect Dyersburg to win this game but they did show me they are capable of competing with top tier teams on the 3A level with the possibility of making a run in the playoffs. This season didn't start the way the Trojans would have liked but they appear to have found something that works for them over the past few weeks, which may be a recipe that works moving forward. Dyersburg is roughly a young team that's learning on the fly while leaning on a few vets to get the job done. All the pieces seem to be forming together nicely, especially at the right time of year. As long as Dyersburg takes care of business on Friday against Ripley, they will finish in second place and receive a home playoff game. That's big for them and a good starting point for the Trojans to advance through the playoffs as a sleeper team that others may not want to see. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- - - - - </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Coalfield Earns Region Title over Greenback</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- The biggest game on the 1A level last week was Coalfield going into Greenback territory and looking to win and take the region. That's exactly what happened as the Yellow Jackets needed every minute on the clock to win but they did so in their 20-14 victory over the Cherokees. It became the first loss of the season for Greenback but they fought hard and were right there with an opportunity to win in the end, however Coalfield proved to be the better team on Friday night. The Yellow Jackets earned yet another region title in this victory and did so by their run game and defense. This was not a pretty game but Coalfield did what was needed to win and it's a recipe that works in the playoffs. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Greenback was provided a big opportunity to win the region with this contest being at home. The Cherokees fought hard, did the little things needed to stay in the game but in the end, Coalfield made one or two more plays that led them to victory. What stands out most to me is how good the Yellow Jackets did at keeping <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1715096' first='Lucas' last='Clifford']</strong> and the Cherokees offense in-check for most of the game. Clifford has been a star for Greenback this year, generating a lot of points and yards but Coalfield keyed on him and wouldn't allow him to go-off. I think the Coalfield defense is what gained them this region title winning game and will be a unit that is highly important during the coming playoffs. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Regardless of the result, both Coalfield and Greenback sit at the top of the list as teams that can make a run after the Class 1A state title. Everything depends on matchups and who shows up to play each round but I like what both these squads bring to the field and what they can do in the postseason. It would not surprise me to see Greenback go further than Coalfield, even though the Yellow Jackets won this matchup. The Cherokees have a lot of firepower to beat multiple teams in a row while Coalfield has winning tradition on their side along with a strong defensive unit. I would not surprise me to see either of these teams make it to the semifinals or even to the title game by the end of the playoffs, that's how good both these 1A teams are this year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2464551,"width":"316px","height":"auto","aspectRatio":"1.7955112219451372","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/10/coalfield2.jpg?w=799" alt="" class="wp-image-2464551" style="aspect-ratio:1.7955112219451372;width:316px;height:auto"/></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- - - - - </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>BGA Dominates Goodpasture</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- The Wildcats went into this regional game with an unknown at quarterback after starter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2161201' first='Bo' last='Bryan']</strong> went down with an injury but the team's future starter behind center in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1532694' first='Hank' last='Bloomfield']</strong> stepped up big by leading his BGA team towards a 49-0 win over Goodpasture and looked good doing so. The sophomore signal caller went 9-12 passing for 315 yards and five touchdowns against the Cougars, throwing some pretty balls to guys like <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1030085' first='Max' last='Curry']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1537396' first='Maddox' last='Porter']</strong> while not turning it over or putting his team into bad down and distances. It was a soothing feeling for the BGA team and their fans watching Bloomfield spin the ball and seeing that all will be fine for them as they start postseason play in two weeks. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another thing that stands out about this shutout victory for BGA was their defense. They completely shut down the Cougars and would not allow them to gain any positivity. They bottled up their playmakers, especially <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='903798' first='Slim' last='Leavell']</strong> and would not let them loose to cause damage. The defensive front seven shut down the Goodpasture run game as well, which produced a 200 yard rusher the previous week. This might have been the best overall defensive performance from BGA this season and a great sign for them moving forward into postseason action. As we do inch closer to the playoffs, the Wildcats are the team to beat on the D2-Class AA level. They are well equipped to go back to back and I don't know if I see anybody within their classification that can knock them off. There are other strong teams that could give them a game but this defensive performance against Goodpasture and the addition of Bloomfield at quarterback tells me the Wildcats are primed for another big run and I don't know if anybody can stop them. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- - - - - </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Lexington Stays Undefeated, Jumps into PRZTN Top 25</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- As we have gone through the 2026 season, Lexington has quietly gone under the radar as an undefeated team and they kept their winning ways going in “Week Ten” with their commanding 45-12 win over Hardin County. The Tigers entered our Prep Redzone Tennessee “Big School” Top 25 rankings after the victory over Hardin Co. and it is well earned due to the exceptional play this season from both their offensive and defensive units. Lexington has a well balanced ball club along with some next level talent like <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1085958' first='Aviance' last='Huddleston']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1549656' first='Redding' last='Wilson']</strong> that has overwhelmed their opponents this year and I expect that to continue during the upcoming playoff season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Tigers have quietly been under the radar this year when it comes to talking about top tier Class 4A teams. Other programs like Alcoa, Pearl Cohn, Springfield and others have been talked about more when it comes to competing for the 4A title but I think Lexington is right there with them and a prime candidate to play their way to Chattanooga. The Tigers have been explosive and high scoring on offense, led by quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1086454' first='Ross' last='Wilson']</strong> while the defense has been consistent and suffocating throughout the entire season. Lexington may not have more overall talent compared to others on the 4A level but they are a well coached ball club that plays hard and plays together. I expect them to handle business in “Week Eleven” against Dyer Co. then move into postseason play undefeated and a team that others will not like seeing in their path. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- - - - - </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Forrest Earns Region Title over Giles Co. </em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- One of the games that excited me the most in “Week Ten” was Forrest taking on Giles Co. in what I thought could be a close, hard fought game. I ended up being right as the Rockets narrowly escaped defeat in their 24-21 region title win over the Bobcats. There was a lot on the line for both schools with this contest, so I knew both Forrest and Giles Co. would give their all till the very end. This ended up being a four quarter game where <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1589943' first='Quincy' last='Mitchell']</strong> and the Rockets rushing attack proved to be too much for the Bobcats. Mitchell was stellar running the ball in this game but he did some damage on defense as well with 5 tackles, 1 tackle for loss and one interception. The Rockets had the top playmaker on the field Friday night and he proved to be a difference maker in this contest. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While Mitchell gets all the headlines, the rest of the Rockets team have been quite strong this year as well. The defense in particular has been solid throughout the season and probably been a huge X-Factor behind the Rockets current undefeated record. Mishaps and inconsistencies have occurred this Fall but overall, the Forrest defense has done their job and done enough to win games. That same recipe happened in this contest with Giles Co. where they did a good job of minimizing the damage from <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1668515' first='Carter' last='Pettigrew']</strong> and not allowing the Bobcats run game to beat them. It's been complimentary football this year from Forrest and it must continue going forward into postseason play. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Looking ahead into the playoffs, Forrest will be the number one seed out of their region while Giles Co. must beat Sequatchie Co. on Friday to earn a home playoff game. The Rockets could become a sleeper in the 3A playoffs and a team that plays their way to Chattanooga as long as their key players perform and stay healthy. Giles Co. will not be an easy out as they are a physical ball club with good trench play and the rushing attack to win multiple games. The Bobcats may also be the most battle tested team on the 3A level with games played against Page, Henry Co., Lawrence Co., Watertown, Lincoln Co., Jackson North-Side, Forrest and this Friday against Sequatchie Co., which are all either region title champs or playoff earned teams. Both the Rockets and Bobcats are teams to follow in the coming playoffs that could surprise others and make a deep run.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2464553,"width":"244px","height":"auto","aspectRatio":"0.9990287220757597","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/10/qmitchell.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-2464553" style="aspect-ratio:0.9990287220757597;width:244px;height:auto"/></figure> <!-- /wp:image -->