Statewide Roundup (First Round Recap)

<!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">The playoffs kicked off last Friday where several teams kept their season's alive while others saw them come to an end. We didn't have too many upsets take place but there was a few, including a certain 2A team that had state title chances. There were several others surprising results, which we go over here inside our "Round One" recap from the Tennessee High School state playoffs. </h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Early exit for title hopeful East Robertson</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- The biggest upset from “Round One” came in the upper Mid-Tennessee area where a state title contending team in East Robertson fell to Summertown, 51-29 in a game that nobody saw coming. Many prognosticators, including myself, picked the Indians to advance and even had them in the mix for the 2A state title but this is a statement that many must keep in-mind as you have to take every game seriously and show up each time you step on the field, especially in the playoffs. The road Eagles came to town with an excellent game plan and they executed it to near perfection as Summertown put it on East Robertson early and continued to pour it on the rest of the way. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Summertown is a run-centric team and they ran all over the East Robertson defense last Friday evening. The Indians defensive front got manhandled for the most of the night and could not find answers to slow down <strong>Max Dillard</strong> and the Eagles rushing attack. The fact that Summertown got their run game going early and found success, they put the Indians defense on their heels for the rest of the game and eventually broke their will to place 51 points on the scoreboard. You have to give major props to the road team for not being intimidated inside foreign territory. Summertown came ready to play and their top players performed well. Everything the Eagles did in this game pretty much worked and was something East Robertson could not slow down or stop. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This is a tough loss for the Indians. Sporting a senior quarterback in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1422904' first='Kason' last='Young']</strong> and several other key veterans around him, expectations were to end their season in Chattanooga, competing for a state title but that unfortunately will not happen. The weaknesses that resided in East Robertson reared its head Friday night and there was nothing the Indians could do about it. The defensive front seven lost the battle in the trenches and the East Robertson offense could not generate enough consistency to stay in the game. It wasn't the absolute worst performance but it was far from the one needed to advance. While I expect the Indians to remain at the top next year in the 2A ranks, changes are coming with Young and several others graduating and new players stepping into bigger roles. That off-season process starts sooner than East Robertson wanted with a loss that could linger over the coming months. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- - - - - </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Another Underwhelming Season for Oak Ridge</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- I don't know if there is another program in the state that does less with the talent than the Oak Ridge Wildcats. Over the past several years, Oak Ridge has sported title worthy rosters but continually underwhelms with early exits in the playoffs and that happened yet again this year as they fell to Dobyns-Bennett, 21-20 in “Round One” with their season ending at 7-4 overall. As you look at the Wildcats roster, you would think they had plenty of pieces to contend for the 6A title but things just didn't click this year. Some of it had to do with injuries but Oak Ridge still had more talent that most everybody they saw this year and still bowed out early in the playoffs. They had a chance to win this game against Dobyns-Bennett but they allowed the Indians to come back, take the lead and put their season to sleep. Seeing how they lost, it's only fitting for an Oak Ridge program that has consistently not lived up to expectations, which leads them into the off-season with an underwhelming monacer above their heads. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Credit must be given to Dobyns-Bennett for winning this game and keeping their season alive but it's hard to not look past another early round exit for Oak Ridge. Adjustments will happen in the off-season for Oak Ridge as they will be saying goodbye to multi-year starters in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='483481' first='Malik' last='Howard']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1535791' first='Brody' last='Sparks']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1567420' first='Damillyan' last='Porter']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1646491' first='Branson' last='Newberry']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1676951' first='Jeremiah' last='Strickland']</strong> and others. One saving grace for the Wildcats is the fact they do return a lot of young talent that have college futures but we have seen that before and yet Oak Ridge continues to live under their expectation barrier. Hopefully the team as a whole takes this early exit personally and works their tails off to play better football in 2027 and hopefully find their way to Chattanooga. We will see what happens but for now, it's another tough blemish on the resume for a school that continues to underwhelm year in and year out. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2482608,"width":"226px","height":"auto","aspectRatio":"0.9081162893359399","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/11/lchappell.webp?w=929" alt="" class="wp-image-2482608" style="aspect-ratio:0.9081162893359399;width:226px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- - - - - </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>CPA surprises, ends Christian Brothers season</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- The 2026 campaign started off strong for Christian Brothers but over the second half of the season and into the playoffs, the Purple Wave lost their mojo and nothing speaks better to that than their first round exit to Christ Presbyterian Academy. The Lions walked into Memphis and put it to Christian Brothers with a 34-14 win over Purple Wave and did so in a variety of ways with the CPA offense putting forth one of the best performances of the season. Spearheaded by senior quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1652877' first='Jack' last='Van Orman']</strong>, the Lions found a recipe that worked and weaknesses within the Purple Wave defense to exploit and they did. It's a little surprising to me that CPA was about to score like they did because Christian Brothers has defensive talent that you will see on the next level but those are the breaks sometimes and it just didn't work out for them on Friday evening. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The biggest takeaway for me in this game is the youth within the Christian Brothers offense and them being humbled. Sporting a Mr. Football sem-finalist at quarterback in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1717494' first='Nate' last='Brick']</strong>, they struggled to generate many sustainable drives or score enough points to win. Brick is uber talented but has struggled over the back half of the season and it showed in this first round matchup. The Purple Wave went up against a veteran CPA team that had struggled throughout the season but still had enough juice to go on the road and knock off a good Christian Brothers team. This was not a result I or others saw coming but it's also not surprising based on how the Purple Wave were performing down the stretch of the season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>CPA now moves on to face Baylor, the best team in the state in the quarterfinals while the Purple Wave move into their off-season program with this loss lingering over their head. Hopefully they use this loss as motivation to get better and bounce back in the 2027 season to potentially compete for a state title because they have the quarterback to get them there. Growth on the football field and inside the weight room is needed for next year's Purple Wave team but they return enough talent to be one of the best teams on the D2-Class AAA level. The Lions have a new life in their season with their first round victory but they must perform better next week to knock off the Red Raiders, which will be a tough task to accomplish. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- - - - - </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Lakeway Advances After Road Win at Goodpasture</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- Considered one of the best games in round one going into the playoffs, it lived up to the hype as Lakeway Christian hit the road to face off with Goodpasture where the Lions did enough to get on top and hold on to win in their 21-14 win over the Cougars. This was a defensive affair between two good teams where the Lions did more on offense to win while Goodpasture didn't do enough, especially getting the ball to <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='903798' first='Slim' last='Leavell']</strong>. The Lions defense did a good job of focusing on the Cougars top players and not allowing them to beat them. It started up front with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1649499' first='Maki' last='Bell']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2116601' first='Sinai' last='Dikisongele']</strong> and the defensive front seven slowing down the Goodpasture run game while getting after the quarterback and making things difficult for <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2071467' first='Chase' last='Angell']</strong>. The Lakeway secondary did a solid job as well by not allowing Leavell and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2146264' first='Heath' last='Vinett']</strong> to catch the ball at will and beat them down the field. I'm not surprised that the Lakeway defense played well. I was more worried about their offense generating enough points to win but they did and now move on to the quarterfinals to face a hot Lausanne team that sports multiple next level players. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2482609,"width":"231px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/11/mbell.jpg?w=400" alt="" class="wp-image-2482609" style="width:231px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This season unfortunately came to an end for Goodpasture that will say goodbye to a strong senior class that helped get the Cougars back on the map. They had expectations to go further than the first round but they went up against one of the better defensive units on the D2-Class AA level and simply didn't generate enough points to win. While I like the ascension that Goodpasture is on right now, it will be interesting to see how they build their team next year, replacing several important pieces. New players will need to step forward to become featured guys for Cougars while others must develop to become dependable starters. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lakeway Christian continues their season next Friday and will be on the road again, this time a long way from home against a Lynx team that has the chops to compete for a state title. The Lions defense must perform at a high level for them to advance and I think they can but they have to receive a good performance from <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2345720' first='P.K.' last='Hodary']</strong> and their offense to knock off Lausanne. That's next Friday but for now, this is a good win for the Lakeway Christian program and their continued ascension within the D2-Class AA ranks. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- - - - - </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Overtime Victory for Upperman</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- One of the more entertaining games from round one was Upperman going on the road to defeat Loudon, 33-27 in a game that went to overtime with the Bees making key plays in the end to win. This was a back and forth contest that saw the home Redskins fight back but couldn't execute in the end to get by Upperman. The&nbsp; Bees winning culture came alive in overtime and advanced them to the second round. This was one of the better games to come from “Round One” but one that is tough to swallow for Loudon as they had come from behind to tie thighs up late after a big play from <strong>Bryer Oody</strong> to sophomore sensation <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1544621' first='Donovan' last='Underwood']</strong> but it just wasn't enough to keep their season going. It was honestly a surprise that Loudon was there in the end to potentially win as they had seven starters out in this game and were overall short-handed but the Redskins fought hard until they ran out of gas. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's been a transitional year for Upperman but one that might benefit them in the future. They had to implement several new starters this season while leaning on a small veteran class but those elder statesmen have provided consistent game play and leadership that showed up in this round one win over Loudon. Trailing at halftime, 21-19, the Bees defense led the team in the second half with an 85 yard pick six to push them ahead while also doing a good job of limiting the Redskins offense to seven points. It was a big touchdown to give up that pushed the game to overtime but in that extra period, the defense, led by <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1679806' first='Colton' last='Johnson']</strong>, stood strong and helped guide the team to victory. The Bees had to scratch and claw to win but any victory is good in the playoffs. They now must re-focus to take on one of the best on the 4A level in Greeneville in round two. While Upperman moved on and Loudon must now focus on their off-season program, I think you will see better football campaigns from both schools in 2027 as the Bees and Redskins are overall young teams that gained a lot of experience that should bode well for them going forward. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- - - - - </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Dream Season Ends for Seymour</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- Going into the playoffs at 9-1 overall, expectations were high for Seymour at continuing their dream season but those hopes were dashed and done so in a big way as Anderson Co. came into Eagles territory and completely overwhelmed them in the Mavericks 35-3 victory. This loss is one I'm sure those that follow Seymour didn't see coming but Anderson Co. has a winning culture surrounding their program and it showed in this game. The Mavericks poured it on the Eagles early and often and maintained their strong game play till the very end. Seymour had no answers and couldn't get anything going on offense to fight back but hopefully this is a learning moment for a program that is still building towards the future with a lot of key players from this year's team returning for the 2027 campaign. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This was an impressive win for an Anderson Co. team that has had to deal with injuries this year while leaning on new starters on both sides of the ball. It's been an up and down year for the Mavericks but certainly a learning experience for everyone involved. This first round win for them should add more confidence for everybody. Not too many people expected the Mavericks to go into Seymour and win, let alone dominate but they did and their season remains going with a second round matchup looming this Friday night against Red Bank. I actually think Anderson Co. has a great shot at knocking off the Lions as long as they bring the kind of energy they did against Seymour. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Eagles can certainly be disappointed with their first round showing and be upset about it for a while but soon, they need to look past it and get back to the grind to build for the 2027 season. Seymour worked with a relatively young team this year that gained a lot of winning experience. They will have to replace a few key starters but enough talent like <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2371898' first='Levi' last='Carlson']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2231361' first='Tripp' last='White']</strong> and others return for Seymour to compete for a region title and get back to the playoffs. Even though they saw their season end sooner than they wanted, the 2026 season was a step in the right direction for the Eagles but they must build it on to grow their program and keep themselves relevant within a tough 4A classification. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2482615,"width":"253px","height":"auto","aspectRatio":"1.2500164962058726","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/11/elijohnson.jpg?w=750" alt="" class="wp-image-2482615" style="aspect-ratio:1.2500164962058726;width:253px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- - - - - </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Impressive Road Win for Covington</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- The Chargers had one of the tougher first round 3A matchups in round one but it proved to not be an issue for Covington as they completely destroyed Melrose, 48-12 to move themselves into round two against Fairview. What made this game look tough going into the playoffs was the fact that the Golden Cats had an athletic ball club with eventual college guys in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1103458' first='Tavarco' last='Jackson']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1575276' first='Reginald' last='Banks']</strong> that I thought would cause problems for the Chargers. Well the road team had no issues with the Melrose athletes as they made them non-existent by playing a ball control offense, led by the running game that kept the Golden Cats playmakers on the sidelines for most of the game. It was a well conceived game plan by Covington that worked to near perfection. Credit must be given to the staff for implementing a plan that worked but the players had to execute and they did. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I actually thought Melrose had a great shot at winning due to being at home and having the kind of athletes that have caused problems for Covington in the past but it didn't seem to matter as the Chargers were well prepared and ready for the moment. I shouldn't be surprised by this result either as Covington is one of the more consistent programs on the 3A level that win ball games every year while going deep in the playoffs. When it comes to postseason play, this program wins and usually goes far but I'm interested to see how they perform moving forward as they have a big one this Friday, on the road versus an undefeated Fairview team that likes to run the ball as well. We will see how that game plays out but for their first round win over Melrose, it was an outstanding showing for the Chargers and one that should give them confidence as they advance to round two. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- - - - - </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>The Spring Hill Season Stays Alive</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- One of the biggest surprises from the 2026 season kept their season alive after a 16-14 win over Liberty Creek in round one and now Spring Hill gets to keep playing with a big game looming on Friday against top seed Lexington. The Raiders had to scratch and claw to get past the Wolves but they did, led by quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1893024' first='Jonah' last='Gipson']</strong> and his ball control offense. Either team had a chance at winning this contest but Spring Hill made more plays in the end to win and move on to round two. It wasn't easy getting this victory as Liberty Creek gave them everything they wanted, especially with their defense as they made the Raiders offense fight and work for every yard. The grit and toughness seen from Spring Hill is what stood out to me the most as those are traits that are needed to win in the playoffs and one's that must remain as they head into their second round matchup against the Tigers. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Going into the first round game against Liberty Creek, the Raiders didn't have a lot of buzz behind them due to not having too many strong wins on their schedule. They did their job and what was needed throughout the regular season to win and that needs to be commended but the Raiders also didn't beat too many playoff caliber teams, so Liberty Creek was seen as a possible favorite. The Wolves almost pulled it out but credit has to be given to Spring Hill for yet again finding a way to win and keep their season going. I do see this 2026 campaign for Spring Hill as a building year for the future. The Raiders have been irrelevant for many years now but this season has been a pleasant change in the right direction. I'm interested to see how Spring Hill performs this Friday as Lexington will be the best team they have seen all season. Regardless of what happens, the Raiders have something to build on moving forward with a relatively young team that will have most of their key contributors back for the 2027 season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2482623,"width":"385px","height":"auto","aspectRatio":"3.003128258602711","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/11/lhill.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-2482623" style="aspect-ratio:3.003128258602711;width:385px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image -->