Friday Night Recap

5 became two on Friday night as we got down to the two teams we all expected to be left in the quarterfinals; York and Upperman.

Both teams undefeated, special, regular seasons, and now they get set for quarterfinals, thanks to big wins this past Friday night.

Stone @ Upperman- After a 48-6 blowout in the regular season, Stone entered the playoff match up with some motivation. According to Bees head coach Adam Caine it was a “bit of a cat and mouse game” as both teams kept adjusting to the others adjustments, until ultimately Upperman flexed their muscle and pulled away. Thanks in most part to a 258 yard rushing day, over one hundred for Ethan Palk and nearly a hundred for QB Bronzden Chaffin. The Bees win 28-14 and set up yet another rematch from inside their region in the playoffs; Macon County.

Macon County @ Red Bank- The Lions showed what sort of speed and athleticism they have against DeKalb County last week, this week they ran into a team with more speed and more athleticism, led by Gabe Borders. The Tigers now look to get their revenge against the Bees in the quarterfinals.

York hosts Oneida- The Dragons were happy to welcome the Indians to Jamestown after going to them earlier in the season. Different location, similar result. A 28-0 win for York in the regular season was a 34-7 win in the playoffs. The offense has amped it up the last four weeks, 34 being their lowest total in that time span. Defense has been their all season allowing no more than 12 points in any game since week three and never allowing more than 17 all season. Now they prepare for a two plus hour road trip to Hampton who, after an early exit last year, is looking to get back where they think they belong.

Clay @ South Pitt- Everyone was aware of the challenge that awaited the Bulldogs as they traveled to South Pitt last night. A Pirates team that boasted multiple future collegiate athletes including an Auburn commitment. That being said, Clay has faced similar challenges and competed well. It was clear last night, that would be more of an uphill climb than most people thought. A 58-0 final that had two 70 plus yard TD passes, a pick six, a safety, and two forty plus yard TD runs. The bigger story from this game will be how many South Pitt players miss next week’s game after punches were thrown between the two teams.

Gordonsville @ Whitwell- The tigers handled their business Friday night against Whitwell 35-15, and set up a rematch with South Pitt from last years state playoffs. Gordonsville went on the road last year and beat the Pirates, and South Pitt responded by finding some more dynamic athletes in the halls and on the streets, to add to this years squad. Again how many play, that will be the question tigers fans and coaches are keeping an eye on, as Gordonsville tries to copy and paste last years result.

Cookeville @ Riverdale- A match-up that used to occur yearly, be it in region play or in the playoffs, once again came to pass last night. Cookeville defeating Riverdale is far from unheard of, and they nearly did it again last night. A 42-21 final is far from indicative of how this game went. A 21-14 game for awhile in favor of Riverdale, and never a two score game till late, it was a late pick six when Cookeville was pushing for the comeback, that sealed the game and had the final score get out of hand.