RedSwarm

Has Munford developed a pass game, or do they still try to line up as tight as possible and run misdirection the entire game? I figure this will be a battle with the size they have, but I hope and expect HC to come out on top. I'm interested to see this newfound passing attack. Running the ball is our bread and butter, but if this team can build on the 4th quarter performance through the air, they may have just added a dangerous extra dimension. I will say that region 8 played out oddly. I think Southwind is the most dangerous team, and they're having to make the trip to Centennial. Central vs. Brentwood should be a good one, and I think NE could give Brighton a decent game.

Were the 3 eye rolling smiley faces not enough to indicate that I was being extremely sarcastic?

KWC, I'm just a fan of the game with HC ties. No connections that have any weight. I think I speak for many HC fans though in saying we'd jump at the opportunity. Ridgeway has played here 4 times in the regular season since 2006, and it's always been a great game. I think we would bring a good crowd to The Haven if given the chance based on how well we traveled to Orange Mound in our 2 times playing there, but it's hard to know when it's a 2+ hour trip for a regular season game. I always theorized that Ridgeway came here 2 years in a row in 13/14 because the coach viewed the trip/game/experience as extremely valuable for his boys. Good luck tonight. It starts to get really fun from here on out..

If I had to pick this game based solely on stats and matchups, I'd lean towards Centennial. A lot of intangibles factor into any game though, and I've got too much faith in HC in a big-time game. No way there's over 45 total points unless there's a bunch of turnovers. Probably closer to 35. Something like 17-15 HC.

Yeah those midstate teams never see fullbacks. 5A/6A midstate football might be the softest classification of football in the state....

Arrogance will get you beat, but humble confidence can take you a long way. I'll take your word on Cordova, but all I'm saying is that if your guys play the same brand of football that previous teams have set the bar with, Whitehaven's got a great shot to get back to Cookeville. Got a lot of respect for y'all's program. Wish we could get a Henry County/Whitehaven series going.

I've heard many coaches say they like going on the road because it takes away a lot of distractions. Obviously I wish we had CHS at home, but I bet there will be enough HC fans to negate most of the "homefield advantage".

Valid point. Ravenwood had a heck of a team last year. However, I'm riding with Whitehaven when it matters against any other Memphis 6A team year-in and year-out. Cordova has really impressed me, but there is just wayyyyyy too much talent on that WH team to not put their foot down and open some eyes this week, if not in the first couple of rounds of the playoffs. Personally, I think White Station is the scariest team in 6A. I don't think they'll win it all, but who wants to try to stop Dillon Mitchell all night with their season on the line?

Come on, kwc... It's getting colder. You know what that means.. Whitehaven by 14. You guys don't lose this time of year. Stay healthy and get yall another chance to beat the beast out east.

Curious as to what you draw from that result? I think CHS is an extremely good team, but what happened against Indy? I know Indy is the 5A favorite but anytime a running clock goes up you have to wonder. Did Centennial lay down, or was it just a CHS team far from its peak in a bad matchup?

If we're passing, we're in trouble. Not our game. I'm sure Centennial will do everything they can to stop our running game. Brentwood did a good job of it for most the game last week, but the offense just kept chopping wood and found something that worked when it mattered. My point being - If HC's defense turns in their usual performance, then I have faith in this staff to find a way to make it work on offense. The thing about 8-man boxes is that there's always a way to beat them on the ground if you've got the horses and the hosses. Sometimes you've just got to let the defense show their hand a few drives. If we turn the ball over or Centennial jumps out and grabs a 2 TD lead then all of that is out of the window. We'll see. Gonna be a good one.

My point was not that Centennial had never played a big game. All I'm saying is... They have a chance to win what would be the school's first district/region championship, right? This should be one of the best/most watched games in the state this week. They get the chance to gain homefield advantage until the semifinals, which would mean they don't have to make that long trip across the river into the "sticks" and play this same Henry County team on what I would guess would be a cold, wet field, in front of the loudest crowd a lot of them will ever play in front of. This game means a ton to Centennial, just like it does to us. Just don't act like you've never seen a team come out tight and too emotional in games like this. I give HC the nod in big-game experience overall, though. These seniors have played on a gold ball team. The leadership is there. I think it's a toss-up on paper. If you take each team's worst game away, the argument could be made that Centennial is in fact the favorite. Any team that can get ran like they did against Indy is not indestructible, though. If HC can keep from getting behind early and force Centennial to pass I like their chances.

This is going to be a good one. I think a key to the game will be how HC comes out. It'll be a packed house, and I would venture to say that this game is one of the biggest in school history for Centennial. If HC can come out and control the 1st quarter, put a few points on the board, and hold CHS it would be huge for the rest of the game. HC has been here before. CHS hasn't. Emotion is a tricky thing in football. I believe right now Indy is the best team in 5A. However, if Beech beats Hillsboro this week then Indy draws Hillsboro as their first round opponent. Either way, if the're still standing after the first 3 rounds, they will have earned it by beating some combination of Hendersonville/Beech/Cane Ridge/Hillsboro. That's 3 weeks of extremely physical fotball.

I just completely forgot about my picks last week. My apologies, KWC, as I know how much time it has taken to keep up with the standings. That being said, I'll just sit the rest of the regular season out. One less set of predictions to calculate. I'll hop back on here come playoff time. Any of you Memphis guys know much about Southwind, Central, or Kirby?

It's tough to compare the lines. The 2011 line was schematically different from this year's line. Both are/were great. What makes the DL so fun to watch this year is the fact that all 4 are true playmakers. Any single one can go off for a big night, and they play with as high of a motor as any unit I've seen this year. Looking forward to this one tonight. My prediction is 27-10, with HC pulling away in the 2nd half.

Pre-game music is completely up to the team as long as it's suitable for a family to hear in my opinion. A mix of classic rock hits and modern-day rap seems to be the sweet spot from what I've observed the past few years. I'll always prefer a band during the game, though.

Agree with all except possibly NE. I think Rossview's the better team, but NE seems like they're improving. Either way, I think it will make for an interesting game next week. As I do in every weekly region thread..

As far as Brentwood goes, I don't expect this to be a running clock. From what little I can tell, they were a bit more competitive with Indy than Centennial was, though that was the first game of the season. Lost 31-17 to a good 6A Ravenwood and only lost by 8 to a decent 6A team in Franklin. They beat Rossview and Northeast (who is improving) soundly, and kept it closer than people expected against Centennial. Not sure why DC was so close, but then again many in the state could say something along the same lines in regard to us giving up 27 against them. They're well-coached and have some good size. I expect them to try to grind it out, though I don't think they can. If they can mix up some passing to keep us from creeping up too far and hold our offense in check it could be a good game. Hopefully our offense will come out clicking like they did against DC and we'll cut their air off before halftime. All I'm trying to say is this is a team that has faced stiff competition and has proven they can win by playing their brand of football. I think we win, but I'm not sure about all of this 38-0 stuff.

Completely agree. He's an extremely intelligent player and has the ability to meet a runningback in the backfield on one play and then turn around a cover a deep 3rd as a safety the next play. Just gotta have the "next man up" philosophy.

I think part of that is due to scheme. You have a little more freedom as a corner in a cover 2 scheme to play the run and be aggressive since you've got the help over top. We do still have a lot of work to get done, but I trust this staff. I wouldn't be surprised to see some new wrinkles on both sides of the ball as we march towards November.

Whoever comes out of the reg. 5/6 bracket will have earned it. Indy, Hillsboro, Hendersonville, and Beech are all capable. The 7/8 isn't as deep, but Henry County and Centennial are 2 great teams as well. Don't overlook a region 8 team getting hot, like Southwind. We all know the problem is not talent in Memphis. I know they are some good 5A teams out east, but it's hard for me to not think that 5 of the best 6 or 7 5A teams are split between Sumner, Williamson, and Henry County.

I can't speak on computer rankings, but I think a lot of teams that win championships are judged that more intensely. HC's success dates back to 2006. We were always "respected", especially with having 2 SEC recruits in the backfield. In fact, I think it could be argued that we had more talent in the late 2000s as we've ever had. Unfortunately, they never won a gold ball. That was accomplished by 2011 and then 2013. Once your program wins a gold ball, expectations are heightened that much more for the foreseeable future. A lot more eyes are on your program, at least for a couple of years, and with that comes snap judgments. It goes back to never being as bad or as good as they say you are. For example... Our 2011 team was comprised of a nasty defense, an experienced line, and a great mix of athleticism and intelligence at the skill positions. Obviously, this is what you need to win a state championship. I think we had 9 or 10 kids sign scholarships after that season. Maybe more? I'm sure another HC fan knows. We lost 3 games the next season, which was solid, but not what we have come to expect. Probably a little less talent than 2011, but a veteran offensive line, veteran skill players, and a tough defense found a way to to win 15 straight in 2013. We lost a ton of starters off that team as well. One thing that I've noticed during these years is how people think of HC. In 2014, we lost our first game to Liberty and the entire state went quiet on us. Ended up losing to Ridgeway on the final drive a few weeks later, and it seemed like people thought HC was done for the season. We didn't lose another game until the quarterfinals against Ridgeway again. This year, we lost to a great Liberty team in the first game of the season. The coaches changed some things, and after a 22-20 defeat of Houston the next week, we have gone on to win our next 6 games by a combined score of 248-27, including a stretch of 5 straight shutouts. However, many picked Gallatin to beat us this year. Clarksville as well. When you're the gold standard of your area in your classification, and you're not destroying everyone that walks in your path like the previous team did to build that reputation, people are going to doubt your squad. Just the way it works.

Nice to get our offense rolling. The numbers are a little concerning on d, but I think it was just a weird night. This bye week is coming at a good time to let us rest. We were down a couple guys last night from what I understand. The pass O/D does worry me as well, but I don't think much is going to change. We're a grind it out offense that controls the clock ideally, and our defenae is hard-hitting and aggressive but susceptible to the big play. It just comes down to if we continue to get better and execute in November. 5A has a ton of good teams across the board. These next 2 games will tell us all we need to know.

There's probably 7-10 teams in 5A that could get really hot and win in Cookeville. Should be a great November.

Maybe someone could see if Mr. Stutzman has it handy. I really enjoy how he posts highlights each week on Youtube.