SHIELDS: Week 8 is surprisingly good

As big as last week was in West Tennessee high school football, Week 8 admittedly doesn’t look as great as last week’s lineup, or even next week’s lineup.

But tonight’s lineup isn’t anything I think we should throw away and decide to not watch a high school football game.

There are still plenty of important matchups across the area.

We have a few teams jockeying for position within their regions, and there’s a greater sense of urgency for a lot of teams considering there are four Fridays of football remaining in the regular season counting this week.

So here’s a look at a few matchups to keep an eye out for this week.

Westview at South Gibson: A win for the Hornets this week would make next week’s game a huge matchup. But more importantly, a win tonight would secure a playoff spot for South Gibson. The Chargers still have a shot at the playoffs, but they don’t have a lot of wiggle room. A win tonight isn’t necessary for the postseason, but it would keep them definitely in contention and might play a role in a possible tiebreaker later in the year.

Peabody at Lake Co.: Peabody’s had an eventful season off the field, and the Golden Tide players and coaches hope the struggles they’ve been through will only help them have an eventful postseason on the field. They travel to a dangerous Lake County team that looks like a cake walk but has one of the top athletes in all of rural West Tennessee carrying the ball.

Humboldt at Greenfield: Both of these teams are behind the eight-ball when it comes to making the playoffs, especially considering they’ve both been beaten by South Fulton and would need help to pass the Red Devils for the fourth playoff spot. Greenfield has also already lost to Lake County, and Humboldt plays the Falcons in Week 11. But the winner of this one will still have a mathematical possibility to make the postseason.

Chester Co. at Crockett Co.: Chester County wants to stay unbeaten in Region 7-4A play. Crockett County wants to end its losing streak at three games. Both teams have different reasons to want to win, but they’re both very good reasons. They each have reason to have that sense of urgency to not lose, although the Cavaliers’ reason is probably a little more urgent.

Haywood at Oakland: Haywood needs to either win out in its remaining Region 7-4A games or get some help from other teams, but the Tomcats are very much in the conversation for the playoffs. Good thing head coach Steve Hookfin went ahead and scheduled this game. If they make it as far as they want to make it, the Tomcats will have to make long road trips and try to beat high-quality teams at their place to advance. That’s the environment of their game tonight.

Bruceton at Clarksville Academy: This could be an elimination game in Region 6-1A. Two teams are unbeaten. Three teams have one loss, and these are two of those teams. The Tigers don’t want to fall behind with a second loss and need help to make the playoffs with Huntingdon and Houston County still to be played later.

Brandon Shields is the high school sports columnist for The Jackson Sun. Contact him at 425-9751 or at bjshields@jacksonsun.com. Follow him on Twitter @JSEditorBrandon or on Instagram at jacksonsunsports.