By CAROL STUART
For Brentwood Home Page
The Region 6-AAA basketball tournament has been moved to Brentwood High School just over a week before it begins after Centennial had a scheduling conflict as host.

CHS needed special approval by the Tennessee Secondary Schools Athletic Association to spread the Feb. 25-March 3 tourney across different days than the TSSAA wanted, and that was reportedly granted about a month ago. Ravenwood originally had been arranged as a backup if that hadn't happened.

Brentwood has now stepped up and agreed to run the tourney on short notice after CHS had a conflict for next Friday and Saturday, Feb. 25-26, when regions begin.

"This was not realized until Tuesday. The challenge of putting together a region tourney in a week is a difficult task," said Patrick Whitlock, Ravenwood athletic director and boys basketball coach.

Whitlock said he and Ronnie Siegenthaler, the BHS athletic director and girls basketball coach, conferred about what to do.

"Coach Sieg already had the ball rolling on getting some of the necessary elements in  place (volunteers, concessions, building availability, etc). We both agreed that  it was best to play it at BHS and then we would take their spot in the rotation next time," Whitlock said.

Darren Henrie, Centennial athletic director and boys basketball coach, said the school had been upfront with the TSSAA that there was a facilities issue if first-round games had to be played at CHS all on the same day. He said the other district involved, 12-AAA, had pushed last spring to have all the region games on the same day in the same venue.

"Originally we were acting on the assumption that the first-round games were satellite games," Henrie said.

Donnie Stanley, outgoing president of the BHS football 12th Man Club, and the ABC booster club for other sports, were scrambling yesterday to fill volunteer shifts for concessions. But he said families are always willing to help out Seigenthaler, football coach Ron Crawford, principal Kevin Keidel or booster club officials.

"When they ask, it seems to be plenty of people willing to do it," Stanley said. "The way people feel about Brentwood High School, the administration, coaching staff and teams -- no one really complains, gasps or sighs, they do it. They realize it's all about the kids for the most part."

Stanley said he almost had all the volunteer spots covered by yesterday afternoon -- in less than a day's time. There are about 140-150 football familes and another 140-150 in other sports.

He also said people move to Williamson County in part because of the community involvement.

"When everybody asks you to volunteer, you usually have to wait in line," he said.

Stanley, whose youngest son Ethan graduates, joked that he had been saying he had worked his last concession stand -- but then the tourney move happened. 

Region tournament play begins at 4 p.m. Feb. 25-26, with semifinals on Feb. 28 (girls) and March 1 (boys) at 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Girls finals are March 2 and boys championship March 3 , both at 7 p.m.

Both BHS teams and RHS basketball squads have qualified for regionals by making the District 11-AAA semifinals, being played at Centennial this Saturday starting at 4 p.m. District consolations are Monday and championships Tuesday at CHS.

"Both of our teams have fared pretty well this season," Stanley said. "I think it's exiting for our teams to get to have it at home and maybe get more support as the home team at these games ... It's going to be fun."

The gate of the regional tourney is split between all the teams participating, Whitlock said. Henrie said there isn't much financial reward from holding the tournament other than profits from selling concessions. ABC and the 12th Man Club will split concessions.