Upperman and Macon County will decide second place in Class 4A Region 4 when Upperman plays at Macon County in Lafayette on Friday, Oct. 30, at 7 p.m. The winner is the region’s No. 2 seed and hosts a first-round TSSAA playoff game on Friday, Nov. 6. The loser is the No. 3 seed and goes on the road.
Both teams are 3-1 in region play, according to TSSAA standings updated Oct. 25. Macon County is 8-1 overall and Upperman is 6-3. Neither can miss the playoffs: in every outcome on TSSAA’s possibilities page, the two fill the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds.
The region’s last spot goes to the winner of DeKalb County at Livingston Academy, which Livingston Academy’s TSSAA schedule lists for 7 p.m. Friday. Both teams are 1-3 in the region. White County cannot finish lower than No. 1, and Stone Memorial is eliminated, TSSAA says.
Every way Friday can set the seeds
The table follows TSSAA’s playoff possibilities page, updated Oct. 27 at 8:45 p.m. It lists the same seeds whether White County or Stone Memorial wins their game, so only two results matter.
| Friday’s results | No. 1 | No. 2 | No. 3 | No. 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upperman wins, DeKalb County wins | White County | Upperman | Macon County | DeKalb County |
| Upperman wins, Livingston Academy wins | White County | Upperman | Macon County | Livingston Academy |
| Macon County wins, DeKalb County wins | White County | Macon County | Upperman | DeKalb County |
| Macon County wins, Livingston Academy wins | White County | Macon County | Upperman | Livingston Academy |
Put simply, each game settles its own pair of seeds. The Upperman–Macon County winner is No. 2 and the loser No. 3. The DeKalb County–Livingston Academy winner is No. 4, and the loser is not among the four seeds.
Second place comes with a home game
The TSSAA Class 4A bracket pairs Region 4 with Region 3 in the first round. Its notes say, “In the first and second rounds the higher seeded team shall be the host school.”
That puts Region 4’s No. 2 seed at home against Region 3’s No. 3 seed. The No. 3 and No. 4 seeds both travel, to Region 3’s No. 2 and No. 1 seeds.
| Region 4 seed | Nov. 6 game | Region 3 opponent | Site | If it wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 2 | Game 104 | No. 3: East Ridge, or Sequoyah if Sequoyah beats East Ridge and Hixson beats Signal Mountain | Home | Game 202, Friday, Nov. 13 |
| No. 3 | Game 102 | No. 2: the loser of Loudon vs. Red Bank | Away | Game 201, Friday, Nov. 13 |
| No. 4 | Game 105 | No. 1: the winner of Loudon vs. Red Bank | Away | Game 203, Friday, Nov. 13 |
Loudon and Red Bank are both 4-0 in Region 3 and meet in the final week, so that game decides Region 3’s top two seeds. The Region 3 opponents come from TSSAA’s possibilities page for that region.
How Macon County and Upperman fared against the same teams
The two teams have played the same four region opponents. These results come from each school’s TSSAA schedule.
| Opponent | Macon County | Upperman |
|---|---|---|
| DeKalb County | Won 42-0 (Sept. 18, away) | Won 42-15 (Sept. 25, home) |
| Livingston Academy | Won 35-7 (Oct. 23, home) | Won 41-7 (Oct. 2, home) |
| Stone Memorial | Won 22-20 (Oct. 1, away) | Won 21-0 (Sept. 11, home) |
| White County | Lost 28-14 (Sept. 25, home) | Lost 35-15 (Oct. 23, away) |
Macon County has allowed 91 points in nine games, and Upperman has allowed 188. In region games alone, Upperman has scored 119 points to Macon County’s 113. Upperman’s other two losses came outside the region, 48-14 to Greeneville and 42-19 at Beech.
TSSAA’s history pages list 21 playoff appearances for Macon County, including every season from 2016 through 2025, and a 2024 state championship. Upperman has 20 appearances, including every season from 2013 through 2025, and was the 2023 state runner-up.
Quick answers for parents and fans
Can Friday’s loser in Lafayette miss the playoffs? No. TSSAA lists the Upperman–Macon County loser as the No. 3 seed in every outcome.
Can DeKalb County or Livingston Academy finish higher than No. 4? No. The winner of their game is No. 4 in every outcome TSSAA lists.
When will first-round kickoff times be posted? TSSAA’s 4A bracket does not yet list times or sites for the Nov. 6 games. Under its hosting rule, Game 104 will be played at the home of Region 4’s No. 2 seed: Macon County in Lafayette or Upperman in Baxter, depending on Friday’s result.
Top image: Illustrative image: buildings on the courthouse square in Lafayette, Tennessee, home of Macon County High School (file photo, 2016). Photo: Brian Stansberry, CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons