Tennessee high school football AP poll: MBA should be ranked — not Lipscomb Academy
The Associated Press statewide Tennessee high school football poll was released Monday.
Here’s a look at what the poll got right and what it got wrong. Votes are compiled from 19 Tennessee AP-member sportswriters and broadcasters.
Note: I am not one of the AP voters this season.
What it got wrong
Montgomery Bell Academy should be ranked — not Lipscomb Academy
It goes against eye tests and preseason predictions, but Montgomery Bell Academy should be ranked ahead of Lipscomb Academy based on the teams’ bodies of work.
MBA (2-5) is in a rebuilding season and has scraped out two wins by less than a touchdown. I wouldn’t argue that Lipscomb (2-4) has more talented players, including a handful of the state’s top prospects, and has played a more difficult schedule.
Still, both teams have similar records. Lipscomb’s wins over Briarcrest Christian and Ensworth are no more impressive than MBA’s wins against Father Ryan and Knoxville Catholic.
If rankings are to be a weekly survey of teams’ resumes, then MBA should get the nod.
There will be no debate about this next week. MBA hosts Lipscomb on Friday.
Why did Christ Presbyterian Academy drop?
There was no reason to drop CPA (6-1) from No. 2 to No. 3 in Division II-AA in favor of Knoxville Webb (7-0).
CPA didn’t beat a great opponent last week, routing winless Webb School - Bell Buckle 51-0, but neither did Webb, which defeated Class 3A Brainerd 38-0.
If voters didn’t like CPA at No. 2 because of its September loss to Class 4A No. 1 Pearl-Cohn, then why did they have the Lions there in the first place? CPA has been at No. 2 for weeks with that loss, so what changed?
Lausanne should be ranked
With respect to Davidson Academy, the Bears (6-1) should have dropped from No. 5 in Division II-AA in favor of Lausanne.
Lausanne (5-1) has won four consecutive games and its only loss is to Class 6A Bartlett, 24-14, in August. Davidson Academy lost to unbeaten No. 1 Franklin Road Academy last week. The game was close for a while but FRA pulled away somewhat convincingly.
If DA and Lausanne are close to equal, Lausanne should have moved to No. 5.
What the poll got right
Clarksville a top-10 team
Clarksville is ranked No. 10 in Class 6A, and while Ravenwood (6-1) would have been a good candidate to take that spot, I think the Wildcats deserve it.
Clarksville is 7-0 for the first time since 2000. It hasn’t played a difficult schedule. But if a team is unbeaten in October, it’s worthy of a ranking.
Riverdale is finally climbing again
Riverdale’s continual drop in the Class 6A rankings — despite winning games — has been documented here before.
The slide finally stopped.
Coach Will Kriesky’s team blew out Cane Ridge 49-7 and climbed two spots from No. 10 to No. 8.
More: How QB Braden Graham added to eye-opening 2023 with 6 TD passes in Riverdale rout
Class 4A looks in order
The top of Class 4A has separated itself from the pack, and voters appear to have the teams in correct order with No. 1 Pearl-Cohn (7-0) followed by Upperman (7-0), Elizabethton (6-0), Hardin County (7-0) and Greeneville (5-0).
This looks like the definitive top five right now.
Reach sports writer Tyler Palmateer at tpalmateer@tennessean.com and on the X platform, formerly Twitter, @tpalmateer83.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee high school football: AP voters should rank MBA, not Lipscomb
