TSSAA football playoffs predictions for top Nashville high school first-round games
The Tennessee high school football regular season is over and the TSSAA playoffs are here.
Here is a look at the Nashville area's top-10 playoff games for the first round, with predictions from Tennessean sports writers Tyler Palmateer and George Robinson and high school sports editor Tom Kreager.
Game of the week
Columbia (7-3) at Centennial (8-2)
Class 5A playoffs
Time: 7 p.m. When: Friday
The most recent history reveals that Columbia has been playing better football with a four-game win streak. Centennial has lost two of its last three, but the Cougars lost to Brentwood (No. 3 in Class 6A AP poll) and Centennial is No. 5. The Cougars' Region 6 may be a bit more difficult than Columbia's Region 5, which could give Centennial the edge. Region 6's top three teams (Page, Centennial, Nolensville) are a combined 25-5. Region 6's top three (Shelbyville, Columbia, Tullahoma) are 23-7.
Kreager's prediction: Centennial 42, Columbia 14
Robinson's prediction: Centennial 24, Columbia 20
Palmateer's prediction: Centennial 35, Columbia 28
Green Hill (7-3) at Riverdale (8-2)
6A playoffs
Time: 7 p.m. When: Friday
Green Hill is coming off a rivalry win against Mt. Juliet in which the Hawks dominated a team last week that finished with a No. 1 seed in the playoffs. But Riverdale is coming off an even bigger win, knocking off three-time defending 6A champ Oakland to capture the Region 3 title. The Warriors' offense has been nearly unstoppable for the past six weeks led by quarterback Braden Graham, who has thrown for 2,743 yards, 35 touchdowns and two interceptions.
Kreager's prediction: Riverdale 49, Green Hill 21
Robinson's prediction: Riverdale 42, Green Hill 20
Palmateer's prediction: Riverdale 35, Green Hill 17
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Stewarts Creek (7-3) at Ravenwood (7-3)
6A playoffs
Time: 7 p.m. When: Friday
Ravenwood failing to score in a 17-0 loss to Brentwood in the Battle of the Woods last week is concerning for the Raptors. But they saw the return of Carter Pace, who has been in and out of the lineup with an injury. Ravenwood will need Pace's best against a Stewarts Creek team that has feasted on La Vergne and McGavock (a combined 4-16 record) the last two weeks. But the Red Hawks will not be an easy out. They dominated Tullahoma, 21-7, in Week 1.
Kreager's prediction: Ravenwood 24, Stewarts Creek 14
Robinson's prediction: Ravenwood 27, Stewarts Creek 21
Palmateer's prediction: Ravenwood 28, Stewarts Creek 24
Nolensville (8-2) at Tullahoma (7-3)
5A playoffs
Time: 7 p.m. When: Friday
Like Centennial-Columbia, this matchup between Region 5 and 6 teams is one of the better first-round matchups in the 5A bracket. But the biggest question mark is the health of Nolensville quarterback Ty Collins. Nolensville's chances of advancing will likely hinge on his availability. Tullahoma's defense, giving up an average of 13.3 points, may be as talented as anyone Nolensville has faced and the Knights have a solid defense of their own.
Kreager's prediction: Tullahoma 21, Nolensville 20
Robinson's prediction: Tullahoma 21, Nolensville 17
Palmateer's prediction: Nolensville 24, Tullahoma 21
Collierville (7-3) at Clarksville (10-0)
6A playoffs
Time: 7 p.m. When: Friday
How good is Clarksville, which had its first undefeated regular season since the end of World War II? Shelby County teams traveling to Montgomery County for football playoff games hasn't always gone well, but Collierville is led by Missouri commit Aidan Glover, who's thrown for 1,749 yards and 21 touchdowns with six interceptions.
Kreager's prediction: Collierville 28, Clarksville 13
Robinson's prediction: Clarksville 26, Collierville 24
Palmateer's prediction: Collierville 28, Clarksville 27
Cane Ridge (2-8) at Brentwood (10-0)
6A playoffs
Time: 7 p.m. When: Friday
The loss of so much talent from last year has left Cane Ridge struggling. This is a mismatch for the Ravens. The Bruins seem to be playing better, particularly defensively. Brentwood has four shutouts in the past six games. And while the Bruins welcomed back running back Trey Dorris two weeks ago, they have been playing without wide receiver Matthew Manning (back injury) for a month.
Kreager's prediction: Brentwood 35, Cane Ridge 0
Robinson's prediction: Brentwood 48, Cane Ridge 7
Palmateer's prediction: Brentwood 35, Cane Ridge 0
Mt. Pleasant (8-2) at Riverside (8-2)
2A playoffs
Time: 7 p.m. When: Friday
Mt. Pleasant showed how talented its offense can be with 52 points against No. 1 seed Loretto. But the problem was the Tigers' usually solid defense gave up 56 in the loss. Traveling to Riverside will be a challenge, but quarterback Nick Brown will have a chance to eliminate that as an excuse with another big game, after throwing for 347 yards last week with four TDs.
Kreager's prediction: Riverside 38, Mt. Pleasant 28
Robinson's prediction: Mt. Pleasant 30, Riverside 17
Palmateer's prediction: Mt. Pleasant 48, Riverside 30
Independence (5-5) at Smyrna (6-4)
6A playoffs
Time: 7 p.m. When: Friday
The Bulldogs have a lot of momentum with six straight wins, including Stewarts Creek and East Nashville. Indy has dropped its last two and three of its last five games. The Eagles have won five straight against Smyrna but the two teams haven't played since 2019 and the last Smyrna win over the Eagles was in 2007.
Kreager's prediction: Smyrna 14, Independence 13
Robinson's prediction: Smyrna 28, Independence 16
Palmateer's prediction: Smyrna 21, Independence 10
Hillsboro (6-4) at Shelbyville (9-1)
5A playoffs
Time: 7 p.m. When: Friday
All six of Hillsboro's wins have come against teams with losing records and only one (Cane Ridge) made the playoffs. Yet, the Burros took a step in the right direction after winning four games in the previous two years combined and feature one of the better tight ends in Kaiki Baker. Shelbyville may be too much to handle. The Golden Eagles haven't lost since Week 1.
Kreager's prediction: Hillsboro 28, Shelbyville 14
Robinson's prediction: Shelbyville 35, Hillsboro 28
Palmateer's prediction: Shelbyville 42, Hillsboro 14
PLAYOFFS UPSET ALERT Here are 5 TSSAA football playoff games we have on upset alert for 2023 first round
Summit (4-6) at Antioch (4-6)
6A playoffs
Time: 7 p.m. When: Friday
Antioch has turned the corner under first-year coach Devin Arnold. Antioch played for the Region 5 title two weeks ago and nearly beat Smyrna. Arnold has found ways to motivate his team in big games, and there's no bigger game for the program than Friday. The Bears' last playoff win was in 2007.
Kreager's prediction: Summit 28, Antioch 21
Robinson's prediction: Antioch 28, Summit 21
Palmateer's prediction: Antioch 24, Summit 21
Last week: Kreager (7-3), Palmateer (8-2), Robinson (7-3)
Season: Robinson (82-28, .745); Kreager (80-30, .727); Palmateer (66-22, .750)
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 playoffs 2023: Nashville predictions for first round
