Story and Photo by Rusty Ellis
High school football has officially reached the midpoint of the regular season, and with it came some of the tightest games the Upper Cumberland has seen all season.
Here is your football wrap-up from week 5.
Thursday
Clay County 43, Jo Byrns 6
The Bulldogs moved to 4-0 and continued their impressive start under new head coach Bruce Lamb. This week’s matchup features a marquee game against Westmoreland, a real test for the veteran Bulldog squad. If Clay County comes out of this week at 5-0, it may be time to start talking about the potential for this team to make a deep playoff run.
Friday
Stone Memorial 15, Upperman 14
The Panthers continued their undefeated start with a win over region foe Upperman, pushing the Bees’ record to 3-2. Panther quarterback Hunter Heavilon has made big play after big play for SMHS to start the season, and Kaleb Flowers, Bear Eldridge and Brady Lane form as dangerous a receiver trio as there is in the Upper Cumberland.
For the Bees, they’ll have to move on quickly with a game at Watertown looming this Friday.
Cookeville 21, Warren County 14
The Cavaliers earned their second win of the season, a much-needed one at that, with their win over the Pioneers. Despite two Alex Van Vuuren touchdowns in the second half to tie the game, Cookeville found offense when it needed it and got the necessary stops to leave McMinnville with a win. The Mace Thomsen-Brock Owen connection seems to be growing with each week, so it’ll be interesting to see if that development continues.
Mt. Juliet 45, White County 43
The High School Football Game of the Week lived up to that billing, as the Warriors fell just short against the Golden Bears in region play. Malaki Dowell was every bit the explosive athlete he’s been so far, and Tripp Pinion took a big step forward playmaking-wise with his 120-yard, 3-touchdown effort. A late breakdown on defense led to a chip-shot field goal, but it’s worth pointing out how far the Warriors have come since Mark Fraiser took over the program.
Monterey 28, Rockwood 14
The Wildcats bounced back from a two-game losing streak with a much-needed victory over Rockwood to get themselves back in the region race. Mason Bowman was as good as always, and the Monterey defense held a really solid Rockwood offense to just 14 points. Add in a game against Tennessee Heat on Friday, and the Wildcats could be back rolling heading into the home stretch of the season.
York Institute 28, Oneida 14
Speaking of teams in this region, it’s become clear that York has staked their claim to the region crown with a big win over Monterey a little over two weeks ago and now an even bigger win over Oneida. The Dragons have re-captured that physical style that was lost when Derwin Wright left the program a couple seasons ago, and with him back, York could have their best season in years if this play continues.
DeKalb County 48, Cumberland County 13
The Tigers earned their second straight win, this one in dominant fashion over the Jets. It would appear that things are settling down in Smithville after the events of the Macon County game, and Jordan Parker has quickly found comfort in this system since Briz Trapp went down. A nice showing by the Tiger defense is also worth mentioning, and they’ll continue needing that with teams like Stone and Upperman still on the schedule.
Macon County 49, Livingston Academy 6
The Tigers spoiled the opening of LA’s new stadium with a dominant victory, and they joined Stone as the two unbeatens in the region. That’ll be a headlining matchup for sure later on down the road. As far as Livingston, while a blowout loss hurts, they’ve got their stadium and a matchup with Jackson County this Thursday. That provides an opportunity for the Wildcats to get a win.
Smith County 30, Walker Valley 25
The Owls move to 4-1 and with every snap, it seems like Kaden Powell is becoming more comfortable at the high school level. A non-region game against Trousdale County should see the Owls move to 5-1 before they take on region foe Stratford the following week.