Four Clarksville teams gear up for football playoffs

Montgomery County managed to produce four high school football teams in the 2017 playoffs when the postseason begins Friday night.

And only one of those schools has a home playoff game as Northeast wrapped up the regular season in dramatic fashion, beating East Nashville 28-20 in double overtime last week.

That ran the Eagles' record to 7-3 on the season as Northeast had already wrapped up the No. 2 seed in Region 7-5A two weeks ago. That means coach Chad Watson secured a home playoff game Friday.

It'll play host to Southwind (7-3). The last two playoff matchups between Norrtheast and a Memphis-area school resulted in Eagles win -- a 36-29 win against Brighton in 2015 and a 41-38 win against Memphis East in 2011.

Clarksville Academy, Rossview and Clarksville High all earned playoff trips but all three will hit the road and face tough competition.

Wildcats ready for postseason work

The Wildcats' win against Northwest two weeks ago secured the team's first playoff appearance in three years.

"That's what you work all year for," CHS coach Isaac Shelby said. "It's funny because you spend all year working for a chance to play essentially one week in the playoffs. Then you work all week for a chance at one more week. That's high school playoffs."

Clarksville (5-5) has won two of its last three games to go into the playoffs with some momentum. It faces Munford (8-2) who won eight of nine before losing its Week 11 game to Brighton.

Hawks brace for tough 6A bracket

Rossview (6-4) will hit the road as well in Class 6A, to face Cookeville, and will do so a little banged up. Starting quarterback Gino Avros was injured in the Hawks' loss to Hendersonville two weeks ago. Avros sat out of last week's win against Lebanon and head coach Todd Hood was unsure about Avros' availability Friday.

"He'll be a game-time decision," Hood said. "We've run three or four quarterbacks in  there this year so we have some options. We've had Isaiah (Phillips) back there. Nick (Harbor) has started for us this year and we're confident in all of them."

Cookeville (8-2) won five straight game before finishing the season alternating wins and losses but the Cavs have already dominated teams like Siegel and Blackman, two schools that have won 12 games combined.

Cougars enter Division II playoff fray

Clarksville Academy (3-7) returns to the playoffs after not reaching the postseason last year -- a first in more than six years for the Cougars. With new coach J.D. Sellers, the Cougars have won the right games to put it in the D-II playoffs.

This is the first year Clarksville Academy will compete in Division II. More importantly, the Academy may be fully healthy for the first time all year, including star running back Jason Longwell who returned two weeks ago from a broken leg.

"Jason has worked incredibly hard to get back this year," Sellers said. "We used him in the first half against Middle Tennessee so he's been working his way back slowly. As long as he feels he can handle the workload he's going to play."

Reach Prep writer George Robinson at georgerobinson@theleafchronicle.com or (931) 245-0747 and on Twitter @Cville_Sports. 

FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS MATCHUPS

Friday

Division II, Class A

Clarksville Academy at King's Academy, 7 p.m.

Class 6A

Rossview at Cookeville, 7 p.m.

Class 5A

Clarksville High at Munford, 7 p.m.

Southwind at Northeast, 7 p.m.