There's no debating the fact that the 2020 high school football season has been understandably unorthodox, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic that has plagued the nation since early March.
With no spring practice, 7-on-7 tournaments or fall scrimmages, and practice in pads beginning a week late, it's easy to see why the start of the 2020 season has been anything but normal.
But football has been played.
While it's a small sample, there are several things that stand out — good and bad — about Murfreesboro-area teams after the first two weeks.
The good
Ray Banner: The La Vergne senior running back was overshadowed last season despite gaining almost 1,000 yards and scoring 14 touchdowns. There has been no overshadowing his performance thus far this season, as he has rushed 68 times for 541 yards and eight touchdowns. The 68 carries are alarming and first-year coach Mike Woodward admitted his 2-0 Wolverines are going to have to find a way to spread it around on offense. Either way, Banner has established himself as one of the area's best through two games.
Riverdale defensive front: The Warriors' defense had plenty of hype entering the season, and the guys up front haven't disappointed. Neither CPA (2.3 yards per carry) nor Franklin (1.7 ypc) were able to run on Riverdale. The Warriors were gashed for some big pass plays against the Admirals, an area that will have to be improved as coach Will Kriesky's team dives into Region 3-6A play. But it appears teams are going to struggle running the ball against the Warriors.
Cougars strong: Coming off a 4-7 season and graduating a Mr. Football winner didn't seem to bode well for MTCS entering the season. But the Cougars have defied the critics, playing tough in a 23-20 loss to White House-Heritage before pulling off a huge upset (21-0) over DII-A power Friendship Christian, a team that hadn't lost a league game since 2016. The MTCS defense has been outstanding, particularly against the Commanders.
The bad
Blackman struggles: The Blaze gained less than 20 yards against Alcoa and had an equally tough time against Ravenwood before an 89-yard touchdown pass from Drew Beam to Mark Cooper late in Saturday's game. While the Blaze defense played well for more than a half against Alcoa, the team struggled to slow down Ravenwood. Obviously Blackman has played two of the best teams in Tennessee in the first two weeks, but the Blaze could have easily won both of these contests last season. That wasn't the case the first two weeks this season (35-7 loss to Alcoa, 38-9 loss to Ravenwood).
Schedules: This likely will be a recurring theme in 2020, but with teams in areas such as Nashville, Memphis and Clarksville (which is expected to be back in action this week) delaying the start of the season, rearranging schedules has been tough. Region 5-6A teams are still in limbo after Nashville has postponed the season "until further notice." Oakland has failed to find an opponent to fill Week 2 and Week 4 vacancies. The good news is that few teams have had last-minute cancellations because of coronavirus cases.
7-13: That's the overall record of Murfreesboro-area teams after two weeks. Only La Vergne (2-0) and Oakland (1-0) are unbeaten. The schedules haven't been particularly easy, but a .350 winning percentage doesn't exactly make Murfreesboro-area football look very dominating. Expect that record to improve greatly as the season progresses.
Reach Cecil Joyce at cjoyce@dnj.com or 615-278-5168 and on Twitter @Cecil_Joyce.
"bad" - Google News
September 01, 2020 at 05:21PM
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The good and bad of Murfreesboro-area high school football after two weeks - The Daily News Journal
"bad" - Google News
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