Class 3A First Round
No. 3 Wooddale Cardinals (6-4) @ No. 2 Covington Chargers (9-1)
The Chargers were firing at full power until running into Westview. Covington started 9-0 with power running and an explosive defense. Covington held four opponents scoreless and tallied more than 50 points in a game 7 times. The Cardinals are flying into a buzzsaw. Wooddale in games against opponents similar to Covington lost 51-0 to Lafayette (Miss.) and 62-0 to Melrose.
CHANCE OF WINNING: Covington 89%, Wooddale 11%
No. 3 Dyersburg Trojans (6-4) @ No. 2 Bolton Wildcats (5-4)
The Wildcats started 2025 in heartbreaking fashion with the death of junior lineman Joshua Henderson. Then Bolton dropped to 0-4 losing to playoff bound Melrose and Millington during that stretch. Bolton played Millington tough and that sparked a 5 game winning streak for Head Coach CJ Marshall. East, Wooddale and Raleigh-Egypt are still waiting to score against the Wildcats. Dyersburg had a 5-1 start to the season and played Covington pretty close only losing 31-14. The Trojans dropped three games before picking up a 56-7 win over Ripley.
CHANCE OF WINNING: Dyersburg 57%, Bolton 43%
Class 4A First Round
No. 3 Lakeland Prep Lions (4-6) @ No. 2 Dyer County Choctaws (8-2)
The Lakeland Prep Lions are going to the playoffs in year one of 4A. All four of the Lions’ victories came against Region foes. Only Hawyood and Kirby pulled off league wins against Lakeland. The Lions have a steady defense and offensive weapons like Aden Quinn. Brett Godwin is a veteran junior signal caller. The Choctaws have plenty of offense, only scoring less than 20 points twice. The Lexington game was a 17-9 win for Dyer County.
CHANCE OF WINNING: Dyer County 64%, Lakeland Prep 36%
No. 4 Millington Trojans (4-6) @ No. 1 South Gibson Hornets (7-3)
The Trojans snatched the No. 4 seed in the regular season finale over Ridgeway. Millington has a young roster with only 9 seniors. Two of those seniors Trea’ Wampler and Kam Calhoun will be vital if the Trojans will have a chance to win from their linebacker positions. On offense, Millington has sophomore QB Cole Hawkins under center and top weapons are freshmen John Thomas and Noah Thomas. The Hornets had a shaky start to the season going 1-3. Then South Gibson got rolling starting with a 45-6 win over Trezevant. The Hornets are on a 6-game winning streak scoring 24 or more points.
CHANCE OF WINNING: South Gibson 77%, Millington 23%
Class 5A First Round
No. 3 Kenwood Knights (6-4) @ No. 2 Munford Cougars (9-1)
The Knights ended the regular-season in convincing fashion with a 48-17 win over Dickson County. Their reward is one of the best 5A teams in Tennessee, an angry Munford Cougar team. The Cougars were 9-0 before losing a thriller to rival Memphis Central 29-22. Munford dropped to the No. 2 and has a bigger chip on their shoulders. Kenwood has endured a tough schedule with a few ups and downs. The Knights shutout Northwest and Northeast of Clarksville. But Henry County dominated Kenwood 45-7 and White House Heritage outlasted them 35-10. If Munford’s running trio of Kailer Dortch, Tay Starks and Bricen Turnage control the tempo, Munford should advance. The Cougars own wins over powerhouses Germantown, Whitehaven, MBA and Haywood.
CHANCE OF WINNING: Munford 69%, Kenwood 31%
No. 3 Brighton Cardinals (3-7) @ No. 2 Kirkwood Cobras (8-2)
Here is some good news Brighton, you enter the playoffs on a two-game winning streak and your opponent Kirkwood ended the season with an “L” losing 42-39 to Henry County. The Cobras only other loss came courtesy of East Robertson. Kirkwood rolled up 8 wins including triumphs over Kenwood, Dickson County and Creek Wood. The trip to Clarksville will have to be a business affair for the youthful Cardinals. Head Coach Keith Setler employs multiple underclassmen in key positions on both sides of the ball. Brighton ended the season going 3-2 in the second half of the season. The Cardinals had a narrow loss to Memphis Central. Brighton is playing much better from its 0-5 start.
CHANCE OF WINNING: Kirkwood 79%, Brighton 21%
Class 6A First Round
No. 3 Whitehaven Tigers (5-4) @ No. 2 Bartlett Panthers (4-6)
The Panthers’ sub .500 record is deceiving losing only by 3 points to Pearl Cohn, dropping a 20-13 game to Melrose and opening the season on the wrong end of a Hail Mary to MUS. Bartlett played Collierville tough and has the roster to make a run if they have cohesion. The same goes for Whitehaven with a 5-4 record. The Tigers could have won games against Germantown and Munford, dropping those games by a combined 4 points. Now when the Tigers traveled to Tree City on Oct. 24, Whitehaven returned the Haven 35-0 winners.
CHANCE OF WINNING: Whitehaven 52%, Bartlett 48%
No. 3 Houston Mustangs (2-7) @ No. 2 Germantown Red Devils (7-3)
The Mustangs have reached the Class 6A championship game the last two years. A third trip will require a bunch of upsets from a youthful squad. Houston is led by a veteran in the back field but the signal caller, Canon Day, is a sophomore. After starting 6-0, the Red Devils have limped to the finish line going 1-3 losing to DeSoto Central (Miss.), Munford and Southwind. After losing their star running back, Germantown has gone to the air more often. Hopefully the Red Devils have gelled in time to make a deep run.
CHANCE OF WINNING: Germantown 57%, Houston 43%
No. 3 White Station Spartans (3-7) @ No. 1 Collierville Dragons (7-3)
In a four-team Region, everyone is making the postseason. White Station Rivals Whitehaven, Germantown and Southwind only gave up a total of 12 points to White Station. The Spartans are battle-tested playing CBHS, Memphis Central, MUS, Brighton and Arlington. They will put up a fight against Collierville. The Dragons know all about tough games. Collierville has played some of the Mid-South’s best teams in East Nashville, Oxford (Miss.), Horn Lake (Miss.), and Madison Ridgeland (Miss.). Toss in Lausanne, the Dragons are prepared for November. The Dragons are balanced with a pair of proven quarterbacks and a power running game.
CHANCE OF WINNING: Collierville 81%, White Station 19%
No. 4 Arlington Tigers (7-3) @ No. 1 Southwind Jaguars (10-0)
The 2025 season started off swimmingly for the Tigers with four wins over Memphis-area teams. Arlington scored 196 points and only gave up 6 to Raleigh-Egypt. Then Collierville came calling and brought the Tigers back to reality. The Tigers went 2-3 down the stretch with a pair of league losses. Arlington dropping those crucial games left them in fourth place and setting up a date against a Memphis powerhouse in Southwind. The Jaguars are 10-0 with several of those games ending in shutouts. Some of the best teams in the area, Lausanne, Briarcrest, Kirby, Whitehaven and Germantown, all gave up 30-plus points to Southwind.
CHANCE OF WINNING: Southwind 85%, Arlington 15%
DIVISION II-A First Round
West No. 4 Tipton-Rosemark Academy Rebels (4-6) @ Middle No. 2 Friendship Christian Commanders (8-2)
If the Commanders have a weakness, they have defensive lapses that could play into the hands of the power running of TRA. The Rebels will need another great performance from Nix Fullen to have a chance.
Friendship gave up 21 and 35 points respectively in losses to DeKalb County and Nashville Christian. But the boys from Lebanon held three opponents under 10 points. When Rosemark is clicking offensively, they can easily score between 20-40 points. Down the stretch the Rebels have been held to single touchdowns in defeats to USJ and Trinity Christian.
CHANCE OF WINNING: Friendship Christian 72%, TRA 28%
DIVISION II-AA First Round
West No. 2 ECS Eagles (3-7) @ East No. 3 Silverdale Academy Seahawks (6-4)
The Eagles have found an offensive groove after losing their first four games and scoring a grand total of 5, 6 and 7 points in the last three games of the stretch. Then ECS exploded for 55 points in a win over Tipton-Rosemark. Despite losing three straight after that victory, ECS has reached double digits in scoring. In Chattanooga, the Seahawks have displayed a steady offense scoring 62 points twice. Add a 54-28 win over Lakeway Christian and a couple more victories reaching the 40-point mark, this could be a shootout. Give Silverdale the rest advantage with ECS traveling across the state.
CHANCE OF WINNING: Silverdale 68%, ECS 32%
West No. 4 St. George’s Gryphon (6-4) @ No. 2 East Knoxville Grace Christian Rams (8-2)
The two best teams on St. George’s schedule in 2025 were Jackson Christian and Lausanne. Those two squads humbled the Gryphon by a combined score of 96-16. On the flip side, St. George’s has dominated teams they were favored to beat like Collinwood 41-8 and FACS 35-7. The Gryphon’s offense has firepower, but can the defense limit the Rams? Grace Christian came out the gates in 2025 firing with a 4-0 record. The Rams scored 181 points in those games. After bumps in the road against Ambassador Christian (N.C.) and Boyd Buchanan, Grace Christian closed out with four more victories. The Rams achieved shutouts against Lakeway Christian and Notre Dame.
CHANCE OF WINNING: Grace Christian 77%, St. George’s 23%
DIVISION II-AAA First Round
West No. 5 MUS Owls (6-4) @ East No. 4 MBA Big Red (5-4)
The Owls’ six wins this season are all against playoff bound teams including the Region 8-5A champions Memphis Central Warriors. MUS put up 49 points against Central. The Owls’ four defeats were courtesy of league rivals by a combined 168-45. If that trend continues, the Big Red will be advancing. The 2025 season started off as typical Montgomery Bell Academy going 4-0 with wins over CBHS and Knoxville Catholic. Then came calling Baylor and the Big Red went down 45-18. In the final six games, MBA went 1-4. Having the game in Nashville will be a bonus for MBA in this too-close-to-call showdown,
CHANCE OF WINNING: MBA 61%, MUS 39%
East No. 5 Knoxville Catholic Fighting Irish (5-4) @ West No. 4 CBHS Purple Wave (5-5)
In the private school ranks, travel plays a factor with the Fighting Irish making the 5-plus hour trip to Memphis. After starting 3-0, Knoxville Catholic limped to the finish line going 2-4 down the stretch. Baylor dominated the Fighting Irish 49-28 on Halloween night. Meanwhile the Purple Wave have lived up to their name with ups and downs this season. CBHS won their first two games scoring 105 points. Then Lausanne humbled the Purple Wave 8-7 leading to a three game losing streak. After a 21-7 win over PURE, the Purple Wave went 2-2 to close out the year winning the final two games by a combined 73-24.
CHANCE OF WINNING: CBHS 52%, Knoxville Catholic 48%
West No. 2 Briarcrest Saints vs. winner of Father Ryan/McCallie
