Ravenwood football found a Week 1 opponent: 8-time defending TSSAA champ Alcoa
Tom KreagerHow's this for a Week 1 non-region game?
Ravenwood will host eight-time defending Class 3A state champion Alcoa to open the high school football season on Aug. 18, 2023, and then play at Alcoa to open the 2024 season.
"Week 1 is always a place we want to test our team," Ravenwood coach Will Hester said. "We've played MBA the last couple of years. Why not play the eight-time defending state champions."
Why not?
Hester said scheduling Alcoa in Week 1 rounds out his 10-game schedule, which also includes non-region home games with Cane Ridge (Aug. 25) and Oakland (Oct. 20) along with road games at Blackman (Sept. 1) and Smyrna (Sept. 8).
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Ravenwood finished 6-5 in 2022, with a 30-20 loss to Germantown in the opening round of the Class 6A playoffs. The Raptors were considered one of the favorites to reach the Class 6A BlueCross Bowl prior to the season, but lost quarterback Chris Parson, a Mississippi State commitment, to a leg injury in Week 6 against Hendersonville.
Ravenwood returns running back Carter Pace next season. Pace ran for 1,206 yards with 25 touchdowns and didn't have a fumble this season as a junior.
Alcoa (14-1) wrapped up its eighth consecutive Class 3A state title on Friday, beating East Nashville 45-26. It marked first-year coach Brian Nix's first championship after being promoted from defensive coordinator after the resignation of Gary Rankin, the winningest coach in TSSAA football history.
Alcoa graduates a pair of Power 5 offensive linemen in Virginia Tech commitment Lance Williams and Indiana commitment Bubba Jeffries. Williams is a Mr. Football finalist.
Reach Tom Kreager at 615-259-8089 or tkreager@tennessean.com and on Twitter @Kreager.