Clay County will play for the Class 1A Region 4 championship on Thursday, Oct. 29, when the Bulldogs visit Jo Byrns in Cedar Hill at 7 p.m. Central. Both teams are 2-0 in region play, and the winner takes the region’s No. 1 playoff seed.
Neither team has allowed a point to a region opponent, according to TSSAA’s standings, last updated Oct. 25. Clay County is 3-6 overall. Jo Byrns is 6-3.
Both teams are already in the playoffs. TSSAA’s playoff possibilities page, updated Oct. 27, lists Thursday’s winner as the No. 1 seed and the loser as No. 2 in every scenario. Red Boiling Springs and Innovation Academy of Robertson County, both 0-9, also meet Thursday to settle the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds.
Game-day details for Cedar Hill
- Kickoff: 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29, according to the Jo Byrns ticket listing on GoFan. TSSAA’s schedule lists the game but no kickoff time.
- Site: Jo Byrns High School, 7025 Highway 41 N, Cedar Hill, in Robertson County.
- Tickets: GoFan listed digital tickets at $10 plus a $1 fee as of Oct. 28.
Clay County is 3-6 overall and 112-0 in region games
Clay County beat Red Boiling Springs 54-0 at homecoming on Oct. 16, then beat Innovation Academy 58-0 on senior night, Oct. 23. Jo Byrns won its region games 42-0 at Red Boiling Springs on Oct. 2 and 42-0 against Innovation Academy on Oct. 9.
| Clay County | Jo Byrns | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall record | 3-6 | 6-3 |
| Region record | 2-0 | 2-0 |
| Region points for and against | 112-0 | 84-0 |
| Season points for and against | 214-253 | 320-156 |
| Last game | Beat Innovation Academy 58-0, Oct. 23 | Lost at Whitwell 35-28, Oct. 23 |
| TSSAA playoff appearances | 28 (state runner-up in 2022) | 28 (state runner-up in 2008 and 2010) |
| Head coach | Bruce Lamb | Justin Robison |
All six of Clay County’s losses came in non-region games. Five of its seven non-region opponents — Smith County, Jackson County, Monterey, Trousdale County and Cannon County — are Class 2A teams in TSSAA’s standings. The Bulldogs went 1-4 against them, with the win coming at Monterey, 24-21, on Sept. 11.
Clay County’s other two losses were at Barren County, Ky., 42-6, and at Middle Tennessee Christian, 40-8. Jo Byrns lost to East Robertson 41-6, Ezell-Harding 47-36 and Whitwell 35-28. Whitwell is 3-0 in 1A Region 3 and plays South Pittsburg on Thursday for that region’s top seed.
TSSAA’s school records show Clay County and Jo Byrns in the playoffs every season from 2017 through 2025.
Where each seed plays on Nov. 6 and Nov. 13
TSSAA’s Class 1A bracket pairs Region 4 with Region 3 in the first round, and its notes say the higher-seeded team hosts in the first and second rounds. That means both Thursday teams open at home on Friday, Nov. 6. The difference shows up a week later.
| Region 4 champion (No. 1 seed) | Region 4 runner-up (No. 2 seed) | |
|---|---|---|
| First round, Friday, Nov. 6 | Game 107 at home vs. Region 3’s No. 4 seed | Game 104 at home vs. Region 3’s No. 3 seed |
| Who that opponent is | Loser of Sale Creek at Copper Basin, Friday, Oct. 30 | Winner of Sale Creek at Copper Basin |
| Second round, Friday, Nov. 13 | Game 204 vs. Region 2’s No. 2 seed or Region 1’s No. 3 seed | Game 202 vs. Coalfield (Region 2’s No. 1 seed) or Region 1’s No. 4 seed |
| Second-round host | The No. 1 seed | Coalfield if it advances; otherwise the No. 2 seed |
TSSAA’s possibilities page shows Coalfield cannot finish lower than No. 1 in Region 2. Region 2’s No. 2 seed will be the winner of Rockwood vs. Greenback. In Region 1, the Cloudland–Hampton winner is the No. 3 seed and the loser is No. 4.
A rematch could come only in the semifinals
The bracket keeps the two Region 4 teams apart until the semifinals. The No. 1 seed’s path runs through Games 107, 204 and 302. The No. 2 seed’s runs through Games 104, 202 and 301. The winners of Games 301 and 302 meet in Game 401 on Friday, Nov. 27.
If that second meeting happens, TSSAA’s bracket notes say the team seeded higher in the region standings hosts when two teams from the same region meet. That would be Thursday’s winner. The Class 1A state final, Game 501, is set for 3 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4, in Chattanooga.
Top image: Illustrative image: the Clay County Courthouse on the square in Celina, home of Clay County High School (file photo, 2016). Photo: Brian Stansberry, CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons