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No disrespect intended towards Henry County at all. The Patriots did give Beech a heck of a game and it’s hard to beat a good team twice. If I was a betting man though, it’d be hard to go against Beech at Shackle Island in that matchup. The Beech D has gotten stingy as the season has progressed. I was very impressed with them tonight.

Hillsboro just couldn't score inside the 10. That was the difference in the game. The Burro defense played lights out. Holding Beech to 10 points was a heck of an effort and should have been enough to win the game. Congrats to Beech, I expect them to represent the West in Cookeville.

I'll be shocked if the margin is greater than 10 points in either direction

One of the biggest games in 5A (and the Mid-State) takes place this Friday when Hillsboro travels to Shackle Island for a rematch with Beech. The first game was a nail-biter that could have gone either way, and Beech pulled it out at the end. Who takes Round 2, and why?

I'm not defending Gallatin, but Hillsboro was a really good win. They might win 5A this year

Johnson County is a GREAT story, but they're just not talented enough to make it past the next round.

Ok I was wrong, you are joking. Apologies for the joke going over my head

Not sure if you guys are joking...but Maryville and Oak Ridge are in different classifications

Honestly, if everyone at WB (and all schools that sometimes pull against the Rebels) actually knew the coaches at Maryville, there would be zero animosity. It's impossible to pull against those guys.

Believe it or not...in 2013, 4 of the 11 assistants were WB grads. So it's not just players and parents who travel to the dark side In all seriousness, though, who wouldn't want to play or coach at Maryville? Their coaching staff has some of the best football minds and men (most importantly) in the state.

Congratulations DH! Great coach and and even better man. I’m happy for everyone at Maryville for the season they’ve had. Hopefully it ends in Cookeville with more jewelry

Not everyone is giddy, trust me... I will say this though...congrats to all of our players, especially the Seniors, on the win. I know how it feels to go into your Senior Night 0-9 and get a win. It kind of makes everything alright for a few hours, and that’s a good thing.

I think that Hillsboro will ultimately win, but this is one matchup that is a bit concerning. The team that gave Hillsboro the most trouble all season was Independence, and the Burros inability to stop the Indy passing attack turned what should have been an even matchup into a boat racing.

I couldn't help myself...gotta have a sense of humor about things to stay sane

The William Blount Word of the Day is "Soda Pressing." Shad said, "If we lose to Stone and go 0-10 for the first time ever, it will be Soda Pressing."

Agreed. The winner of the second round Hillsboro @ Beech game will represent the West in Cookeville.

Don't know anything about Stone, but Sonny Moore's power ratings (which are surprisingly accurate at this point in the season) have the Govs as a 1 point favorite. Hopefully the offense found a spark last night and that carries over into Friday. It would honestly be heartbreaking to me to see us go 0-10.

The loss to Shelbyville actually helped Page, IMO. They have a better chance against Gallatin than Hillsboro. Here are my picks: Summit over Hillwood Hillsboro over Shelbyville Beech over Columbia Gallatin over Page

21 is 20+...

I hate to say it but this game will be UGLY. Oakland by 20+

I’ll say that Siegel wins by 24 or so. CC has Taylor and that’s about it

Go Govs. I still remember a rainy, cold, scrappy night at the Den the last time we were 0-8. Hopefully this one has a different result. BC is a nice place to play with good fans. I like the setting a lot.

Go Govs, by the way. McMinn is a nice trip to make. The field was always one of the nicest in the area back in the day.

Not saying it's good or bad, but at least one school in the Midstate area didn't practice over fall break.

Just curious...but do you think this is an appropriate comment? Because, honestly, I don't...and I think if it were flipped, there would be people up in arms about it.