Mostradamus speaks: Predictions for Week 7

Schedule subject to change.

Never has that phrase been more accurate than in relation to the current Tennessee high school football season.

Pandemic outbreaks, and measures to prevent such, continue to wreak havoc on the local schedule – leaving a couple of teams shorthanded for this weekend and cancelling a key Region 5-5A contest, as Summit will not travel to Page.

With all the turmoil, Mostradamus and his crystal ball are getting quite the workout. Lets see what we can see for Week 7.

Columbia Central (4-2, 1-1) at Franklin Co. (1-4, 0-1): Central goes on the road for a key Region 5-5A game looking to buck a trend. The Lions opened the season with back-to-back wins over Spring Hill and Dickson County before losing to Summit in league play and to longtime rival Giles County. They take another two-game streak into Winchester, with victories against region foe Lincoln County and against Nolensville, both at home. A bright spot in the latter win was the emergence of a 1-2 punch in the run game with junior Christian Biggers (63 rushing yards, TD) and senior Justin Buchmann (42 rushing yards, two TDs), to go with QB Brady McCanless, who completed 15 of 19 passes for a season-high 155 yards. Central, though, is expected to be without a couple of players because of COVID contact tracing. Franklin County picked up its first win under new coach – and ex-Rebel – Justin Cunningham last week, defeating Grundy County 55-8. The victory followed narrow losses to Coffee County, Rockvale and Lincoln County as well as a 41-7 defeat at the hands of Tullahoma. Playing with a boost of confidence, Central should extend its win streak. Columbia Central 27, Franklin Co. 17.

Huntland (3-3, 0-1) at Mt. Pleasant (0-4, 0-2): The Tigers’ early-season struggles continued with Saturday’s loss to visiting McEwen, as the hosts came out of a COVID-prompted quarantine with nearly a dozen players unavailable in their fourth straight loss. Mt. Pleasant is expected to be shorthanded yet again as the Hornets arrive off a 39-0 win over Lookout Valley. The victory snapped a three-game skid during which Huntland was outscored 120-21 by Fayetteville, Cascade and South Pittsburg. Expect the Tigers to further involve freshman RB Keevan Cooper, the team’s leading rusher with 247 yards and three TDs, as they try to get untracked offensively. Huntland 31, Mt. Pleasant 15.

Maplewood (0-1, 0-0) at Spring Hill (0-4, 0-1): With Metro Nashville Public Schools beginning athletic competition last week, Maplewood made its debut in Week 6 – and it was a rough one, as the Panthers fell to East Nashville 51-6. As the visitors continue to round into shape, Spring Hill comes off a Week 6 loss at Class 6A seventh-ranked Mt. Juliet. It was the Raiders’ first outing after a COVID pause forced cancellations against Lincoln County and Tullahoma. Ball security will be vital for Spring Hill, as three early turnovers set the tone for the 28-0 loss at Mt. Juliet. The Raiders committed seven turnovers in their prior losses to Columbia Central, Summit and Nolensville. Spring Hill 17, Maplewood 13.

Richland (2-2) at Zion Chr. (3-3): This will be a clash of two diverse offensive philosophies, as the visiting Raiders employ a run-first, read-option attack while Zion will look to throw early and often. Luke Perko has been the linchpin of the Eagles’ offense, running and throwing for a total of 1,329 yards and 15 touchdowns. WR Sam Sullivan has emerged as Zion’s deep threat, with 14 catches for 259 yards and five TDs. The Eagles had a three-game win streak snapped with a last-second loss last week against visiting Collinwood. Richland returned from a two-week COVID pause and dropped a 20-6 Region 5-1A decision in Week 6 to visiting Fayetteville. Senior RB Austin Seals, who’s rushed for 78-plus yards in each of his four outings (451 yards, two TDs total), and junior QB Sam Edwards (267 yards, three TDs) key the Richland ground game; the pair has three 100-yard efforts to their credit this fall. Richland 31, Zion Chr. 25.

Summertown (3-3, 0-2) at Forrest (4-2, 2-0): Two weeks removed from a top 10 ranking, the Eagles won’t have an easy time reversing their three-game slide as they travel for a Region 5-2A contest. Summertown’s consecutive losses to Donelson Christian, No. 3 Lewis County and Loretto – the latter two in league play – have seen the offense generate just over 10 points per outing. RB/WR Javen Edmiston (380 rushing yards, 119 receiving yards, seven offensive TDs) has been the Eagles’ most productive performer, but they’ll need more output from RB Aniken Johnson and QB Colton Shaffer to pull off what would be an upset against a Rockets squad. in the last two weeks, the Rockets defeated Loretto and Lawrence County to gather some momentum after a 2-2 start. More significantly, they’re unbeaten since sophomore Micah McClendon sustained a spinal injury during their Sept. 11 loss to Moore County. Forrest 27, Summertown 20.

Independence at Brentwood*, canceled
Jackson Chr. at Columbia Acad.*, canceled
Summit at Page*, canceled
*region game
Last week: 5-3 (.625)
Season: 28-9 (.757)

Leave a Reply