Riverdale overcame a seven-point halftime deficit, which included back-to-back kickoff returns for touchdowns, to defeat Stewarts Creek 33-14 on Friday night, clinching a playoff berth for the Warriors, who would have been eliminated with a loss.
The Warriors (6-4, 2-3 Region 4-6A) earned the No. 3 seed with the win and will travel to Lebanon in the first round of the 6A playoffs. The Blue Devils knocked Riverdale out in the second round last season. Stewarts Creek (5-5, 2-3) finished fourth and will travel to Coffee County in the first round.
Riverdale allowed a 93-yard kickoff return to Stewarts Creek’s Javarian Otey to open the game. Then, after Riverdale tied it with a 72-yard TD run by Isaiah Verser, the Red Hawks (5-5, 2-3) struck again, as Tayden Mounivong returned the kickoff 91 yards for a TD to put the visitors ahead 14-7.
However, Riverdale’s defense put the clamps on from there. The score remained 14-7 at halftime and the Warriors scored 19 unanswered points in the second half to pull away.
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Junior Isaiah Verser rushed 22 times for 209 yards and three touchdowns for Riverdale while D.J. Taylor added 13 carries for 86 yards and a TD.
Mounivong and Otey both left the game in the second half with injuries. Mounivong suffered a shoulder injury after a big hit on a kick return and Otey took a hard hit early in the fourth and did not return.
The Patriots (9-1, 5-0 Region 4-6A) had already clinched a No. 1 seed, but eliminated the Rockets (4-6, 2-3) from making the playoffs. It was the fifth consecutive loss for Rockvale.
Oakland will play host to Shelbyville in the first round of the 6A playoffs.
Sophomore T.T. Hill had a rushing touchdown, a punt return for a TD and added 89 yards receiving for the Patriots while quarterback Kade Hewitt was 9-of-14 for 196 yards and a TD. Eric Taylor added two rushing scores for Oakland, which racked up 400 yards of total offense.
A 15-yard TD pass from Anthony Thiphavong to Skyler Miller accounted for the lone score for Rockvale.
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The Blaze (8-2, 4-1 Region 4-6A), which had already locked up second in the region, jumped out to a 20-7 lead and held on in the second half.
Blackman will play host to Cookeville, a rematch of a Week 10 game in which the Blaze won 47-21, in the first round of the playoffs. Siegel finished 5-5 (0-5 region), its first season at .500 or better since 2013.
Blaze quarterbacks Jack Risner and Peyton Thomas combined to go 21-for-33 for 304 yards and two touchdowns in the win. Senior Ben Marshall, a California commitment, completed his only two pass attempts for 18 yards, rushed nine times for 71 yards and added five receptions for 75 yards.
Blackman’s Justin Brown, a Mississippi State commitment, had eight catches for 116 yards and a TD while also rushing for 50 yards. Blaze tight end Campbell Lee had two TD runs and a TD reception as the team racked up 515 total yards.
Siegel’s Cory Sims rushed for 39 yards and a TD and Quintin Groves returned an interception for a touchdown, the third defensive TD in two weeks for the Stars.
The Bulldogs (8-1, 5-1 Region 6-6A) clinched the No. 2 seed with the win and will play host to Hendersonville in the first round of the playoffs.
Smyrna raced out to a 24-6 halftime lead and never looked back.
Bulldog quarterback Landon Miller rushed for 65 yards and three touchdowns and was 7-for-8 passing for 109 yards. Fellow senior Arion Carter had 18 carries for 109 yards and a TD and added seven tackles (two for loss).
The Raiders (7-3, 3-3 Region 6-6A) captured the fourth playoff spot over the Wolverines (2-8, 2-4), who led 14-12 before allowing the go-ahead TD.
The Cougars (8-2, 3-1 DII-A East) finished with the No. 2 seed in the region and will play Tipton-Rosemark in the first round of the playoffs.
MTCS cut the FCS lead to 21-14 with 8:47 left in the fourth, but the Commanders put the game away with a late TD.
Eli Wilson had 21 carries for 99 yards and added a five-yard TD catch and Nate Sembiring had nine carries for 61 yards and a TD for the Cougars.
The Lions (4-6, 2-2 Region 4-3A) were already locked into the No. 3 seed before the blowout loss to the region champs. Cannon County will play at Loudon in the first round of the 3A playoffs.
Camran Carr rushed for 52 yards and Cannon County QB Kolby Miller passed for 55 yards and rushed for 24 yards in the loss.
The Eagles (6-4, 4-2 Region 5-1A) finished third in the region and will travel to Dresden in the first round of the 1A playoffs. Eagleville’s lone score came on a pass from Jesse Brown to Elijah Fearns.
