Pearl-Cohn ends season with TSSAA football title and No. 1 spot in final Large Class rankings

The TSSAA football state championship games have wrapped up with nine teams crowned 2023 state champions.

Here are the final Large Class football rankings in the Nashville area for the high school season. Large Class teams include Classes 4A-6A, Division II-AA and DII-AAA.

1. Pearl-Cohn (15-0): Zeion Simpson-Smith was named the Class 4A championship game MVP after rushing for 181 yards and two touchdowns as Pearl-Cohn won its first state championship in 26 years and the first Metro Nashville team to win a state title in 15 years, beating Upperman, 36-27 Saturday. Last week: No. 1.

2. CPA (13-1): CPA capped off its postseason run with the program's sixth state championship, led by game MVP, Crews Law, who had a 73-yard touchdown run in the first quarter for a 35-13 win over Boyd Buchanan in the Division II-AA title last Thursday. Last week: No. 3.

3. Oakland (12-3): Oakland was denied a fourth straight Class 6A championship in a rain-soaked 24-9 loss to Houston. Houston ran for 239 yards against the Patriots' defense and the Mustangs held Oakland's Duane Morris to 94 yards rushing and a TD. Last week: No. 2.

4. Page (13-2): Page's third straight state championship appearance ended in heartache again as the Patriots fell just three yards short on the final play, losing to Knoxville West, 24-19, in the 5A championship game. Last week: No. 4.

5. Brentwood (13-1): The Bruins' 2023 run ended in a 28-0 loss to Houston in the Class 6A state semifinal. The Bruins were led by a Florida transfer, at quarterback, in Baylor Hayes who threw for 2,123 yards with 23 touchdowns and four interceptions. Last week: No. 6.

6. Riverdale (10-2): Braden Graham finished the season as a Mr. Football finalist after throwing for 3,492 yards, 42 touchdowns and just three interceptions. The Warriors' season ended in the quarterfinals to Oakland. Last week: No. 7.

7. Upperman (14-1) - The Bees couldn't hold on to a 7-0 halftime lead as it gave up 37 points to Pearl-Cohn in the second half of the 4A championship game. Quarterback Bronzdon Chaffin ran for 48 yards and threw for 76 yards while Ethan Palk added 74 yards and both combined for three TDs. Last week: No. 5.

8. Henry County (11-1): Henry County's season ended to Southwind in the 5A quarterfinals. Last week: No. 8.

9. Centennial (10-2): Although the Cougars lost to Page in the 5A quarterfinals, running back Dominic Reed made the cut as a Mr. Football finalist. Reed has ran for more than 1,300 yards this season with 29 touchdowns. Last week: No. 9.

10. FRA (11-2) – The Panthers lost to CPA in the Division II-AA semifinal. Mr. Football finalist Ty Clark III finished with 1,724 rushing yards and 32 touchdowns. Last week: No. 10.

Reach sports writer George Robinson at georgerobinson@theleafchronicle.com and on the X platform (formerly Twitter) @Cville_Sports.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: TSSAA football: Pearl-Cohn finishes season ranked No. 1 in Large Class