Quest for Cookeville

by. Palmer Thombs (D1 Intern)

Jaylon King

Quest for Cookeville: It’s playoff time in Tennessee and many of the state’s top high school football teams are found in Division 2 – AAA. Arguably the state’s top team, Brentwood Academy looks to win their third consecutive title, while others attempt to knock off the favorites. After winning the East/Middle region, the Eagles, led offensively by Vanderbilt commits Gavin Schoenwald and Camron Johnson, have a bye and will play the winner of Memphis University School and St. Benedict. The potential matchup between MUS and BA is intriguing as the Owls have plenty of talent of their own to counter that of Brentwood Academy. In their only game between common opponents, MUS lost to MBA 28-21 in overtime on September 8 while the Eagles recently defeated the Big Red 29-0. The ground game of the Eagles on the back of Tomario Pleasant coupled with their stout defense led at linebacker by Washington commit Jackson Sirmon makes Brentwood Academy a serious threat to raise the gold ball in Cookeville.

Speaking of MBA, who has made three consecutive visits to the BlueCross Bowl, the Big Red overcame their recent two game skid to earn the region’s number two seed and a first round bye. Doing so sets up the potential for a quarterfinal matchup with the fourth seeded Ensworth Tigers, who handed the Big Red the first of their two losses on October 6, defeating MBA 10-7. Both teams, along with the McCallie Blue Tornadoes, finished with two regions losses, but both McCallie and Ensworth suffered out of region losses, thus the Big Red ended up with the highest seed of the three based on overall record. Veteran quarterback Ty Allen and tough running back Michael McGuire look to lead the Big Red back to state, hoping for a different result than the previous two seasons, while Ensworth’s Jaylon King and Tanner Antonutti, Georgia Tech and Tennessee commits respectively, are hoping to bring the Tigers back to the top for the first time since 2013. That potential rivalry rematch in the quarterfinals is certainly one for fans to watch for in the lower half of the bracket.

MBA’s Ty Allen celebrates a touchdown against Father Ryan

Memphis & Chattanooga

While the big name programs of the mid-state look to make some noise in November, don’t forget about the teams out of Memphis and Chattanooga. The Christian Brothers Purple Wave ran the table in the West region, finishing the season at a perfect 10-0, and the previously mentioned McCallie Blue Tornadoes feel that their powerful offense can compete with any team in the state. McCallie’s draw to the state championship, if they can get past the 9-1 Briarcrest Saints, will likely go through a visit to Brentwood Academy while the Purple Wave, after playing the winner of the Bishop’s Cup rematch between Father Ryan and Pope John Paul II, would get to host a semifinal matchup against MBA, Ensworth, or Baylor.

It should be a fun few weeks of football leading up to championship weekend in Cookeville. All these teams will have to battle it out in one of the state’s toughest divisions to earn the right to play for the gold ball Saturday, December 2 at 7:00 pm.