Every week, the UCR staff (Noah McKay, Rusty Ellis, Michael Lindsay, Jacob Vinson) will rank the top five high school football teams in the Upper Cumberland.
The same five teams find themselves in the top five for the fourth straight week, but there is some noticeable movement this week. As we near the midway point of the season there are fewer unanswered questions, but the gaps between the teams continue to close.
UC Top 5 – After week four of the 2023 high school football season
- Upperman (4-0, LW: 35-14 W @ Livingston)
Livingston Academy had a great gameplan on Friday. Control the time of possession and keep Upperman’s offense off the field. But in the end, it was an Ethan Palk led rushing attack that was too much and moved the Bees to 4-0. Brodey Coffee made things happen off-script, and now Tripp Pinion comes to Baxter creating a very interesting matchup.
2. Macon County (3-1, LW: 6-3 OT W vs Smith County)
The Tigers earned the second-best win of any team in the Upper Cumberland this season with their victory over #5 Smith County. The defense has been stout all season, and the return of Zach Borders adds another explosive player to the lineup. Yes, they have one loss, but its the closest game Upperman has played this season.
3. Stone Memorial (4-0, LW: 28-26 W @ White County)
The margin between Macon County and Stone is razor thin, if there even is one. The Panthers took care of business while showing off a running game with the win over Sparta. Perhaps the most underrated part of this squad is their competitiveness. They find ways to win close games and that is a skill.
4. York (3-0, LW: 27-17 W @ Bledsoe County)
The Dragons had a slow first half against the Warriors in a tough place to play, but woke up and controlled the second half. They have two games coming up to find a rhythm before a tough stretch of Oneida, Stone Memorial and Friendship Christian. They fall two spots simply because of the play of the 4A squads ahead of them on the list.
5. Smith County (3-1, LW: 3-6 OT L @ Macon County)
The Owls fell in a defensive war against the Tigers. The defense did a great job limiting an explosive offense led by Gabe Borders, but offensively had a couple of mistakes (credit to the MCHS defense). They now turn their attention towards a region matchup with Trousdale.