The Cookeville Cavaliers are 2-0 early in the high school football season but are preparing for a big test Friday night against the Riverdale Warriors in Murfreesboro.
The Cavs will look to overcome the ninth ranked 6A team in the latest Associated Press Poll to get their first Region 3/6A win of the season.
“We’ve been playing (Riverdale) for years, and this defensive line is probably the best defensive line I’ve seen them have since I’ve been here,” said CHS coach Jimmy Maynord. “Their front-seven is really good and their skill players in the secondary are also really good. When you look at them, with their size and physicality, it’s the best-looking Riverdale team I’ve seen thus far.”
The Warriors are 1-1 after a season-opening 21-7 loss against powerhouse CPA and a 30-25 win over Franklin in week 2.
The Cavaliers are 2-0 after a season opening 28-0 win over Upperman and a 33-18 win over Livingston Academy in week 2.
The Cavs have dominated on the ground through two weeks, rushing for 682 yards on 71 carries as a team. Facing a stout Riverdale front-seven, Maynord said his offensive line will have to be strong Friday to continue the success on the ground.
“We’ve got to get hats on people and give our backs a chance to run the football,” said Maynord, “We’ve got to try to match up. We’ve got some experience up front. Those guys have done a good job thus far, and we’re going to do what we do.”
Senior quarterback Stockton Owen has only attempted 17 passes in two weeks. Receivers like Harris Cravens may be called upon to catch more passes against the Warriors.
“We feel like we’ve got a stable of receivers,” said Maynord. “Donovan Sullivan, we feel like is a young man that possesses good speed and a good route runner. We feel good about the receiver group, we’ve just got to be able to protect and get the ball out on time.”
The Warriors offense is led by junior quarterback Jameson Holcomb, who is the son of former NFL player Kelly Holcomb. Maynord said the RHS offense can be tricky, putting pressure on Cookeville’s front-seven to perform.
“Riverdale’s been a real big RPO team,” said Maynord. “They throw the ball off of every run play they have. They’ve got a big back. They always have good receivers at the skill positions. The quarterback… really does a great job getting the ball out. He’s got a quick release. He really does a great job running their offense. We do have a challenge. That’s the way it’s supposed to be.”
The Cavs are off to their first 2-0 start since 2017 with two convincing wins over rivals. Maynord said he hopes his team is confident as they prepare to start region play.
“I hope the confidence level is good, it should be,” said Maynord. “We’ve started the season pretty well and played pretty well in two games. Our kids have played Riverdale before. We’ve had some success against Riverdale. It’s been a good competition for the last eight years. Hopefully, our kids will go in there with confidence and play hard. That’s all we can ask.”
Kickoff between the Warriors and the Cavs is set for 7 p.m. Friday in Murfreesboro. It is the High School Football Game of the Week and will be broadcast live on the UCR media network on the UCR Facebook page and 107.7 and 1400 the HUB. Pregame coverage will begin at 6:45 p.m.