Copper Basin (7-2, 1-1) at Boyd-Buchanan (8-1, 2-0)
Storyline: The District 5-A championship is on the line. If Boyd-Buchanan wins it has the title to itself and a likely No. 1 seed for the Class 2A playoffs. If Boyd-Buchanan loses but Silverdale Baptist beats Grace Academy, the Buccaneers still win the district. However, if Copper Basin wins and Grace upsets Silverdale, the Cougars take the district title, the Bucs are second and Silverdale finishes third. The Bucs have won two of the last three meetings by at least 35 points, including last year’s 41-0 whipping. Boyd-Buchanan’s defense ranks among the area’s stingiest, and the backfield combination of quarterback Jim Cardwell and running back Rance Harden is difficult to defend.
Grundy County (5-4, 3-1) at Notre Dame (7-2, 3-1)
Storyline: It could be a battle of freshman quarterbacks in Grundy’s Houston Mainord and the Irish’s Alex Darras. Mainord, back in the lineup after recovering from a broken collarbone, completed 20 of 25 passes with two touchdowns last week, but the Yellow Jackets were upset by Grace. History says the game will be defense-dominated. Neither team has scored more than 21 points in any of the last five games. The game is for second place in the district, which carries a reserved playoff berth. However, in the past both teams have been more run-oriented and that isn’t necessarily the case this year.
BRADLEY CENTRAL (6-3, 4-1) at McMINN COUNTY (8-1, 5-0)