Seniors celebrated at Eagles-Ensworth, Bruins-Blackman, Raptors-Smyrna

By CAROL STUART
Brentwood Home Page
Brentwood Academy, Brentwood High and Ravenwood all celebrate their senior players at Friday's home football games, and they also face powerful opposition in this next-to-last week of the regular season.  

Brentwood Academy has won seven straight after losing to Louisville (Ky.) Trinity. The Eagles host Ensworth on Senior Night this Friday and McCallie next week for homecoming. (Photo by Renee Yarbrough)

For BA, the region game with defending Division II-AA state champ and rival Ensworth will go a long way toward determining the Eagles' seeding and road in the playoffs. Brentwood Academy stands atop the East/Middle region standings but needs to beat the Tigers to keep from falling to first to third in a possible three-way tie.

The game will be telecast on Cable Sports Southeast (Comcast Channel 27) and over the web by the school's ESBN at www.TSSAANetwork.tv.

"We've been third for the last two years, and we're very familiar with that path," BA Coach Ralph Potter said. "I think we've come very close to winning a championship the last couple of years. It is a different thing to have to go to Memphis in the second round and then come back and turn around and go to an Ensworth or MBA like we have.

"That's been a tough thing. We'd really like to have home-field advantage."

BHS and RHS each face another Rutherford County powerhouse this weekend in Blackman and Smyrna, respectively. A win next week against Franklin would give Brentwood second place in District 11-AAA and a 6A postseason berth, but the Bruins are still playing for seeding, a long-shot home game and quite possibly even their playoff life.

"I think it means everything, even in terms of getting in the playoffs," said Bruins Coach Ron Crawford, an opponent of the TSSAA's confusing third-year playoff system which has been changed each season.

"We're got to get one victory for sure to even get in, and obviously two would improve the seeding. I don't know if we've even got a chance to host a game."

Ravenwood doesn't have a playoff opportunity this season, but its opponent Smyrna -- last year's 6A state runner-up -- is in jeopardy of missing the postseason due to its tough District 7-AAA. And RHS Coach Joe Rietveld said his team is still trying to win for this year's Raptors squad, not worry about the future.

"Preparing for next year doesn't really come into play -- that'd be unfair to this senior class," Rietveld said. "We told our seniors when we took the job that we would not do that. We could put other kids in there, but if the other kids were better, they would have been in there before now.

"This is the seniors' team and they're going to play until they prove they don't deserve to play. We approach each week that way. Our time with the seniors is winding down, I wish we could spend more time around them ... I'm not looking at the future right now."

Brentwood Academy (7-1, 5-0) vs. Ensworth (7-1, 4-1), 7 p.m.

The Eagles lost in the playoffs to Ensworth last season, only to watch the Tigers go on to win their first state football championship on a last-second play.

“I think they've got a great football team again, obviously from the way they've played,” Potter said. “They've got a tremendous amount of speed, they know how to win, they’re a confident group, and they have some really special players that make a lot of things happen.”

That all starts with running back and do-everything Corn Elder, the BA coach says.

“You make sure you account for him both offensively and defensively,” Potter said. “He could make sometimes as many plays on defense as on offense, and that includes special teams. And they've got other weapons, other guys that are really good.”

Game captains Corien Owen (79) and Will Fitts (55) await coin toss last week.  (Photo by Renee Yarbrough)

In addition to the Tigers’ running game, Andrew Bowers, son of Ensworth Coach Ricky Bowers, has stepped in as quarterback this season.

“He’s proven he can throw the ball, and he's really good running around on bootlegs and is good at managing the team," Potter said. "I wouldn’t be surprised if they put Corn at quarterback some and ran some options and wildcat-type things.”

BA will be honoring its senior class of 19 on a night when its defensive leader, lineman and Virginia Tech commit Woody Baron, is questionable to return from a sprained knee ligament.  Grant Waldrup, however, will be back for the game with Ensworth.

The Eagles also have at least two other big college recruits in the Class of 2012: offensive line anchor Graham Shuler (Stanford) and receiver Al Thompson (Arizona State).

“When you think of this class, everybody thinks of Woody and Graham,” Potter said. “They've always been the big guys of their class, and the big thing is those two have always taken care of everybody in that class.

“But we've had a lot of other people emerge as leaders for us and performed very well. We're still a relatively young team, but we have a core group of seniors who are very mature and approach it in a business-like manner.”

Potter, in his fifth year at Brentwood Academy, said the characteristic of these seniors is that “these guys enjoying playing football, enjoy being together and I think that really is a lot of the battle. That's their priority, going out and playing as hard as they can for each other.”

He said this group of kids enjoyed practices and even if no one is in the stands they would play “because they liked the game."

Of course, there will be plenty in the BA stands for this fairly recent rivalry -- but already a strong one. Potter notes that the game is important “but not decisive” concerning the playoff race. 

“I enjoy weeks like this because you don't have to really concern yourself with motivation,” Potter added. “The kids are going to be really focused and try to do their very best. At this point you have to keep things in perspective, and make sure they understand the types of things that lead to success.

“It's more important than how emotional they get; it's what they do and how they prepare. That's an easier job than playing a team you ought to beat and a weaker opponent.”

Brentwood High (5-3) vs. Blackman (6-2), 7:30 p.m.

One big question is whether Blaze running back and Ole Miss commitment I’Tavius Mathers, whose 2,000-yard season last year went around and through Brentwood, will play after suffering a turf toe injury last week.

“You know he's a really good player, and you don't want to see any good player to ever miss a game,” Crawford said. “Certainly we want him to feel good and we want to play against him and see how we stack up against him. Any competitor feels that way.”

The Bruins defense will need a group effort, like this tackle against Hillsboro, to bring down Blackman RB I'Tavius Mathers if he's able to play. (Photo by Peg Fredi)

The Bruins weren’t introduced to Mathers on film later on Wednesday due to the fall break Monday-Tuesday. But Crawford didn’t plan on showing any tape of last year’s loss, when I’Tavius broke loose in the second half, because it was a different team and Brentwood is running a different front this season.

“It’s going to take more than one guy to be able to get him down,” Crawford said. “I think you play against him aggresive,  you play him like any other really good football player. If you play with fear, you don’t have a chance. You have to play with confidence and know your teammates will be there soon to help you.”

Blackman’s offensive line is the best Crawford has seen this year on film so far and it’s Week 9 (he hasn’t studied Franklin film yet). The Bruins coach also said the Blaze would force so many defenders in the box to stop RB Mathers, and the senior quarterback is able to get the ball to receivers in one-on-one matchups.

With the six-class wild-card playoff system in its third version in as many years, Crawford predicts the TSSAA won’t have pairings until Saturday mid-afternoon after the final Friday. So he’s taking no chances on his team needing a win.

Brentwood has 18 seniors and about 14 of them have been in the program all four years. Crawford said he’s fortunate every year to have good kids, but sometimes the challenge is with commitment.

“I think the unique thing about this group is they didn’t have success as freshmen but they hung in there greatly,” Crawford said. “I'm very, very proud of them for No. 1 hanging in there. No. 2 they experienced a lot of success as sophomores and juniors, and some of them had big roles as juniors, but for some this is the first time to see significant playing time.

“I think they’ve improved, and now they need to be confident, and feel like they belong in the playoffs.”

Ravenwood (2-6) vs. Smyrna (4-4), 7:30 p.m.

The Raptors didn’t get their third coach in four years until April – and fourth if you count a coaching change that didn’t pan out in the offseason. And four of their five non-district opponents this year are top teams in the state: Battle Ground Academy, Siegel, Oakland and now Smyrna.

Smyrna, like Siegel and Oakland, are from Rutherford County’s state-best District 7-AAA. Unlike Williamson County Schools, football players there are allowed to lift weights during the school day and even practice, Rietveld said.

“When you look at the records, Smyrna is a little deceiving especially after their performance Friday night against Oakland,” Rietveld said. "They must have put together one of their best games because we played Oakland and Smyrna was able to put 52 on them.”

Coach Joe Rietveld talks with QB Harrison Johnson before he left with an injury. (Photo by Jodi Rall)

Rietveld, who relocated from Indiana, said the schedule was “a lot more difficult than i thought it would be, but it would not have stopped me from taking the job. I still think it's a good job.

“I looked the kids in the eyes Tuesday – it was our physical, hitting day, and we got after them and they responded well,” the RHS coach said.

“We know we’re playing a difficult team and it would have been easy to pack it in, but they didn't do that. And that's a tribute to them as individuals and a tribute to their parents for raising high-character kids, and I told them that. I appreciate that.”

In addition to the schedule, Ravenwood has had some bad luck with injuries. The team’s first two quarterbacks were knocked out of the past two games, and two-year starting offensive lineman Kyle Bolstad rolled his ankle last week and won’t be back.

Standout defensive end Cam Brown is dinged up and won’t play this week, and the Cameron brothers both have missed practice all week due to a bug that sent them to the ER.

Junior John Overton, who was in a three-way battle in the spring and preseason camp, was thrown into last week’s game after No. 2 QB Harrison Johnson rolled his ankle. Johnson might be available at backup, but quarterback/baseball pitcher Andrew Radford separated his left shoulder and is going ahead with Tommy John surgery on his right arm that he had delayed.

However, senior offensive lineman Hunter Judson (6-7, 300 pounds) will be back at center against Smyrna after hurting his hand and was unable to snap the ball last week.

To say the least, the Ravenwood seniors have been through a lot, with all the coaching changes. They also really didn’t have the experience of a full freshman season. About 30 seniors will be recognized after 40 started practicing with the team this year.

“They've kept the team together,” Rietveld said. “… Those kids have hung with it -- those seniors looked at the schedule and know who we're playing, and they could have bailed but didn't do that.

“They fought and came out and competed. They’ve been through a lots of ups and downs. … It's kind of been chaotic for them. … We're definitely not abandoning ship and putting those young guys in there. The winning and losing is not what any of us wanted, but looking back it was definitely a difficult situation.”

Smyrna is fast and physical on defense, Rietveld said. “We're going to have to hit the hole very quickly and understand it's not going to be huge hole” and will close fast. “. . . We have to make some plays in the passing game.”

Defensively, the Raptors will need to stop the big play to stay in the game, the Raptors coach said. “That hurt us last week.  Centennial got behind us on a big pass play, and we had done well against the run. If they have a 6-yard gain, we can't let them get a 20-yard gain or go the distance.”