Week 5 2024 Picks
Noah 41-3 (9-1)
Justin 39-5 (9-1)
Goose 38-6 (8-2)
Jacob 37-7 (8-2)
GOTW: Upperman (4-0) at White County (3-1)
Noah: Upperman 35-21
Warrior Stadium is going to be a madhouse for this one as the Warriors have an opportunity to become state championship contenders. Tripp Pinion will need to go to the level only he can get to in this one to help the Warriors keep pace with an explosive Upperman offense. Ultimately I’m picking the Bees for a couple of reasons; first Bronzden Chaffin is a matchup nightmare. Secondly, Upperman has so much experience in winning big games. Really looking forward to this Game of the Week.
Jacob: Upperman 35-28
Another “game of the year” atmosphere tonight in Sparta. White County has looked really good so far this season with their only loss to a very good 6A program in Cookeville. The Bees have looked pretty much flawless with the exception of that first quarter against Macon County. Both teams have high powered offenses, but the Bees may be better than were last season in a year they made the state title game. Tripp is going to get his and the Sparta fans are going to be rowdy, but the Bees take care of business and get out of enemy territory by a score.
Justin: Upperman 31-24
What a fun matchup this one looks to be in Sparta Friday night. For Sparta, this an opportunity to put the rest of the region and state on notice. For Upperman, it’s a chance to continue their Region 4-4A dominance under Coach Caine. I am going to call a spade a spade here. It’s going to take a Herculean effort from Tripp for the Warriors to pull this one out against this Upperman defense. Luckily for White County, they know Tripp’s more than capable and the talent around him has played extremely well to this point in the season. It will be interesting to watch how Upperman replaces a two year starter at linebacker against this dynamic rushing attack. As long as Upperman continues to mash the football and play suffocating defence it’s going to be hard for me to pick against the Bees.
Goose: Upperman 35-27
A massive Region 4-4A showdown takes place in Sparta this evening as Upperman travels south to take on White County. The field will be full of stars and this one should come down to the wire in a rocking Dee Harris field. Upperman is undefeated in big regular-season games since I’ve been at UCR, so I’ll give the edge to the Bees in what could be an absolute thriller.
Mt. Juliet (4-0) at Cookeville (4-0)
Noah: Mt. Juliet 28-21
I’ve gone back and forth on this one all week. Mt. Juliet’s schedule so far looks like my fridge in college (cupcakes, cupcakes and more cupcakes), but they’ve rolled with ease every week. While I think there is a clear path for the Cavs to win (control the ball, dominate time of possession and force turnovers), this is a loaded Mt. Juliet team and I’ll lean SLIGHTLY towards them winning this one.
Jacob: Cookeville 31-28
I’ve got to go against the grain and go with the Cavaliers. Granted I am down quite a few games in the standings, I really think the Cavs have a good chance at winning this ballgame. Offensively, they’re going to have to take care of the football and use up the clock. Mt. Juliet’s offense is one of the most multiple offenses they will see this season, so they will have to stay very disciplined on offense. As always in a game that’s expected to be close they’ll need to take care of the football, not commit silly penalties and make some game winning plays on defense.
Justin: Mt. Juliet 35-31
Mt. Juliet has played an extremely weak schedule to this point in the season and I think that will play into Cookeville’s advantage. However, the things offensively that Mt. Juliet does well are things that have the Cavaliers problems against Sparta. Mt. Juliet does a good job getting the ball to their playmakers in space. Cookeville has to pursue the football and tackle in space to pull this one out. Offensively for the Cavaliers, a heavy dose of Blake Owen and Thomas Johnson ball-control offense is the recipe for success. The matchup boils down to Cookeville’s physicality and size up front against the speed and athleticism of Mt. Juliet. Hope my prediction is wrong.
Goose: Cookeville 28-21
Mt. Juliet is the favorite on paper, but football games are played on grass (or turf) and I like what I’ve seen from the Cavaliers in 2024. They’re physical and should control the trenches against a good Mt. Juliet team. Give me the Cavs based on a gut feeling and the trust they’ve earned over the past two seasons.
DeKalb County (4-0) at Gordonsville (4-0)
Noah: DeKalb County 27-20
This one should be another great game. Ultimately I’ll lean towards a really good 4A team over a really good 1A team due to depth. This is an opportunity for Gordonsville to send a statement that they are a state championship contender and an opportunity for DeKalb County to prove they are ready to challenge in a very difficult 4A region.
Jacob: DeKalb County 28-21
This will be a really fun non-region game between the two Tigers. Gordonsville looks like they could be a state title contender in 1A and DeKalb County has been our surprise team so far. Offensively, DeKalb County has lots of firepower and I think that’ll be the difference in this ballgame tonight.
Justin: Gordonsville 21-20
Gordonsville has one of the best home field advantages in the area and look for that to play a factor Friday night. I picked against Gordonsville week one against a bigger classification team. I won’t make that mistake again.
Goose: DeKalb County 41-34
A fantastic game on the slate features undefeated DeKalb County at Gordonsville and I wish I could be out there for this one. Gordonsville is a legitimate threat in Class 1A while DeKalb County is an undefeated borderline top-10 program. I’ve been torn on how to pick this game for nearly a week, but I’ll take coach Steve Trapp’s Dekalb County Tigers to pull out a road victory in their toughest game yet.
York Institute (1-2) at Tellico Plains (3-1)
Noah: York 35-20
Welcome back, York Institute. The Dragons became the favorites in the region once again with their performance last week against Bledsoe County. Tons of credit goes to Tellico Plains for their turnaround, and I don’t think it’s as lopsided as last year’s blowout, but Logan Pannell runs wild as the Dragons get back to .500.
Jacob: York 28-14
The Dragons got back to their winning ways last week against a Bledsoe County team that started the year very well. The bye seems to have helped York figure some things out defensively and they’ll need another good performance on that side of the ball again. If the Dragons can take better care of the football, I think they can win this game fairly stress free.
Justin: York 28-24
Give me the Dragons off a bye week. This York squad has had plenty of growing pains early throughout the football season. Generally, you don’t look forward to such an early bye week, but this one couldn’t have come at a better time for York. Let’s see if they can continue to stack region wins.
Goose: York 26-12
York probably needed to leave this morning for their region contest at Tellico Plains, located less than 30 miles from the Tennessee/North Carolina border. Coach Derwin Wright’s Dragons should travel well, though, so I’ll take York Institute against an improved Tellico squad.
Pickett County (1-3) at Livingston Academy (2-2)
Noah: Livingston 56-0
Get-right spot for the Wildcats during Homecoming.
Jacob: Livingston 50-0
Wildcats roll in homecoming and get back in the win column.
Justin: Livingston 42-0
Homecoming should be sweet in Hogeye Country this Friday night.
Goose: Livingston 56-8
Livingston hosts their friends from Byrdstown this week and should pick up a victory against the improving Pickett County Bobcats. Homecoming comes at a good time for Hogeye as some injuries could play a factor down the road.
Cumberland County (2-2) at Macon County (3-1)
Noah: Macon County 49-0
Jacob: Macon County 42-0
Justin: Macon County 45-7
Goose: Macon County 42-7
Jackson County (2-2) at Red Boiling Springs (2-2)
Noah: Jackson County 28-14
Jacob: Jackson County 21-8
Justin: Jackson County 21-17
Goose: Jackson County 34-7
Smith County (0-4) at Trousdale County (0-3)
Noah: Smith County 45-0
Jacob: Smith County 28-14
Justin: Smith County 24-7
Goose: Smith County 42-6
Stone Memorial (2-2) at Meigs County (3-0)
Noah: Meigs County 27-22
Jacob: Meigs Co. 28-21
Justin: Meigs County 24-14
Goose: Stone Memorial 34-20