Let’s talk about the Division 1 5A Bracket!
This bracket has some of the East Tennessee and the Chattanooga area power houses on display. Teams like 10-0 South Doyle, Oak Ridge, Ooltewah & Rhea County have all been unmatched representing the east.
This bracket also has current state champion Henry County 8-2 at the bottom of the west Tennessee bracket seeded #2. Are they poised to make another run led by running backs Chase Henderson and Jeremiah Godbott? Not only Henry County coming out of the West looks dangerous but also Melrose, Memphis East, Mumford, Ridgeway, and Lawrence County could all make some noise this year. Between all those very talented schools we like Ridgeway and Henry County meeting up in the Elite Eight match-up.
In Middle Tennessee there are also several other really good teams with mediocre records. Shelbyville, Gallatin, Springfield, all post 7-3 records in very strong divisions. On the upper end of the mid-state playoff teams is Hillsboro. We had an opportunity to catch up with Hillsboro during the spring. They were some of the best coached players we have seen in quite some time coming out of Metro Nashville. When you factor in the athletic talent on both sides of the ball Hillsboro could be one of the teams playing in December.
Our predictions of schools playing late into November and early December include South Doyle, Oak Ridge, Ooltewah, Rhea County, Hillsboro, Ridgeway, Henry County, and Knoxville West to round out the division bracket.
