DONELSON CHRISTIAN ACADEMY WILDCATS (5-0) at SILVERDALE BAPTIST ACADEMY SEAHAWKS (4-0)
A matchup between state-ranked teams in separate TSSAA Division II classifications, this should serve as a good way for the up-and-coming Seahawks to test themselves against an opponent that has proven itself in the playoffs. It’s also the last nonregion game on the schedule for SBA. The Wildcats are ranked No. 1 in DII-A, and with 18 starters back – 10 on offense, including all five linemen – from last year’s team that reached the state semifinals, they have won their games by an average margin of 47-12 this season, including 52-point outbursts in their past two. The Seahawks, who debuted in the rankings this week at No. 5 in DII-AA, have won their first four games for the first time since the 2013 team started 9-0 on the way to a program-best 11-win season. SBA trails 0-2 in the all-time series with the Wildcats, but the Seahawks have already proven themselves this season with impressive back-to-back wins over region foes Chattanooga Christian and Boyd Buchanan. The offense led by junior quarterback Brett Rogers (1,056 total offensive yards, 14 touchdowns) is explosive, having averaged better than 38 points per game. Senior running back Connor Delashmitt, already the school’s career yardage leader, has averaged 5.7 yards per carry while rushing for 520 yards, and Turner Junkins has become a key player on both sides of the ball with a team-high 13 catches and 23 tackles.
SOUTH PITTSBURG PIRATES (2-0) at NORTH JACKSON CHIEFS (2-2)
Although just 9.5 miles separate the schools, this will be the highly anticipated first meeting between two of the most successful programs in the Sequatchie Valley. The losses for AHSAA Class 4A’s Chiefs came to rival Scottsboro of 6A and last week to Madison Academy, which is ranked No. 2 in Alabama’s 4A state poll. Between those defeats, the Chiefs scored a combined 89 points in a pair of lopsided wins. Quarterback Dalton Morris has thrown for 451 yards and six touchdowns, with much of that total going to receiver Brady Cunningham, a fellow three-year starter who has 12 catches for 242 yards and four scores. Linebacker Macklin Guess leads the North Jackson defense with 38 tackles. South Pittsburg, ranked No. 3 in the latest TSSAA 1A state poll, overcame the stunning turn of events from early last week – when its first-year head coach resigned – and turned in an impressive second half for a 46-point region win against Whitwell. Senior all-state running back De’Andre Kelly led the way with 170 total yards and two touchdowns, and junior Jayden Mount again proved to be a playmaker in all phases by returning the second-half kickoff 90 yards for a score. The aerial combination of twins Richard and Reginald Hunter have already connected for three touchdowns in two games.
SODDY-DAISY TROJANS (1-4) at TYNER RAMS (4-0)