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A Mid-Season Look at Region 2-1A Football

By Terry Futrell

Now that we are halfway through the 2020 high school football season, it seems appropriate to step back and take a broad view of the gridiron landscape and see how Region 2-1A teams are doing. Also, we need to reassess our preseason projections.

In our preseason preview, we emphasized that this was “sure to be an unpredictable season” and projected the following top three teams.

  • Greenback
  • Coalfield
  • Midway

After five weeks, here are the Region 2-1A standings:

Team

Region

 Overall

1A
Coalfield

3-0

 4-0

3-0
Midway

1-0

 3-1

1-0
Oliver Springs

1-0

 1-4

1-0
Greenback

1-1*

 1-4

1-1*
Harriman

1-1

 2-3

1-2
Oakdale

0-2

 3-2

2-2
Sunbright

0-3**

 1-4

1-4**

* One win due to Covid-19 forfeiture
** Two losses due to Covid-19 forfeiture

Coalfield Yellow Jackets – Any preseason questions we had about the Jackets have definitely been answered. The Jackets were ranked 7th in the state this past week and so far have decimated their opponents. QB Cole Hines has performed effectively, completing 61% of his passes. Dawson Nitzchke and Seth Lowe are Hines’ top targets, with Lowe catching 11 passes out of the backfield. But it is in the running game where the Jackets excel, as we predicted. Lowe has carried 38 times with a 6-yard average. Canaan Bowling has carried 14 times for a 17.2-yard average, and Landon Lowe has carried 11 times for a 6.7-yard average. Note that these stats are for only the first three games. The toughest part of the Jacket schedule is ahead – they face Midway, Greenback, and Oliver Springs in the month of October. The Jackets exhibit a more balanced attack than we expected and should find themselves playing at home in the opening round of the playoffs.

Midway Green Wave – After losing their season opener to 2A Rockwood in overtime, the Green Wave have racked up three one-sided victories over lower tier opponents. Midway’s big-play offense centers on the passing game. QB Emmett Hegland has done a credible job passing and his favorite target seems to be Caleb Goodman. While the Green Wave look good so far, they must face Coalfield, Harriman, Greenback, and Oliver Springs in the month of October – a formidable challenge.

Oliver Springs Bobcats – The Bobcats have won only one game, but that was over Greenback this past Friday and it was their only 1A game to date. To assess the Bobcats, we can look at their record against common opponents. Both Oliver Springs and Midway have played Rockwood. Midway lost to the Tigers by one point in overtime, whereas Rockwood soundly defeated the Bobcats 35-8. The Bobcats toughest test remains when they play Harriman, Coalfield, and Midway in October.

Greenback Cherokees – Did we say “unpredictable?” Wow, who could have predicted that Greenback would be sitting at fourth place in the region after five games. The reality is that the Cherokees have played only one class A team – their win over Sunbright was by forfeiture due to the Corona virus. In the one class A game played, Greenback was soundly defeated by Oliver Springs 21-7 this past Friday. Guess we’re finding out just how much the 2019 Cherokee team revolved around former stars QB Braden Carnes and wide receiver Holden Willis.

Harriman Blue Devils – The Blue Devils only 1A losses came at the hands of Coalfield and Monterey, making it difficult to judge how good Harriman is. They convincingly defeated both Wartburg and Sunbright, but neither team provided a level of competition that makes for a good yardstick. We will know more about the Blue Devils after they play Rockwood next Friday in a tough rivalry matchup. After Rockwood, Harriman must face Oliver Springs, Midway, and Greenback on consecutive Fridays. Not an enviable schedule! Depending on Greenback’s future performance, Harriman just might sneak into the playoffs at season end.

Oakdale Eagles – After getting off to a 3-1 start in the season, their best since 2014, the Eagles ran into a buzzsaw at Coalfield Friday evening. Fortunately, Oakdale faces Red Boiling Springs and Sunbright in the next two weeks, and both should be competitive games. Then, the Eagles climb Mount Everest to close out the season as they face Oliver Springs, Harriman, and Greenback. On the whole, it will be an improved season for Oakdale, but the playoffs are a long shot for the Eagles.

Sunbright Tigers – After a resounding victory over Red Boiling Springs in their season opener, the Tigers were hit by the Corona virus and forced to forfeit their next two games. Then, adding insult to injury, they had to face Coalfield and Harriman in their first two games after returning from quarantine. After a tossup game with Oakdale next week, Sunbright faces Oliver Springs, Midway, Wartburg, and Unaka to close out the season. We really haven’t seen enough of the Tigers to project their season performance, but the quality of other teams makes reaching the playoffs a real challenge.

Based on what we have seen so far, our midseason projection for top teams in Region 2-1A is as follows:

  • Coalfield
  • Midway
  • Oliver Springs

Greenback and Harriman will battle for the fourth spot in the playoffs.