Nashville area top games and predictions for Week 1

Posted on August 20, 2024 by Vaseline

Nashville area top games and predictions for Week 1

The wait is over.

The Tennessee High School football season begins this week with games scheduled for Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Here are the top-10 games for Week 1 in the Nashville area.

Game of the Week

Brentwood Academy at CPA

Time: 7 pm When: Saturday

Paul Wade enters his first season with Brentwood Academy having to navigate some early-season obstacles with a season-ending injury to Duke commit Kolbe Harmon and an injury to Oakland offensive line transfer Kaden Mowl. The Eagles also lost slot back TT Hill, who transferred back to Oakland. But Wade still has four-star Tennessee football commit George MacIntyre at quarterback and that gives the Eagles a chance. CPA, coming off a Division II-AA state title, will put Hutson Chance at QB with Rawls Patterson returning at running back.

Robinson’s pick: Brentwood Academy 28, CPA 14

Palmateer’s pick: Brentwood Academy 28, CPA 24

Stream Tennessee HS football games live on NFHS Network

Nashville area top games for Week 1

First Academy (Florida) at Lipscomb Academy

Time: 7 pm When: Thursday

Jamie Graham begins his first season with the Mustangs after being hired as coach last December. Lipscomb Academy will have a handful of the state’s top talent including Colorado commit Chauncey Gooden (OL), LSU commit CJ Jimcoily (DB), West Virginia commit Amir Leonard-Jean Charles (DL) and Virginia commit Jon Adair (OL). While the Mustangs’ defense should be solid, the question mark will be how Graham guides his offense against a First Academy team that was 6-4 last season in Florida and debuts former Brentwood Academy coach Jacob Gill as the defensive coordinator.

George Robinson’s pick: Lipscomb Academy 28, First Academy 10

Tyler Palmateer’s pick: Lipscomb Academy 21, First Academy 20

Blackman at Brentwood

Time: 7 pm When: Friday

Expectations are high this season for the Blaze who finished 2023 with a 4-6 record, missing the Class 6A playoffs for the second time in three seasons. Blackman’s defense is anchored by 6-foot-4, 320-pound defensive tackle Archie Roseman who picked up an offering from Vanderbilt last month. The Bruins were 13-1 last season and return wide receiver Clayton Merrill and running back Gayvn Nelson, but the offense will feature a new quarterback after the graduation of Florida transfer Baylor Hayes last year.

Robinson’s pick: Brentwood 24, Blackman 21

Palmateer’s pick: Brentwood 28, Blackman 21

Watch on NFHS Network Blackman at Brentwood

Davidson Academy at Nashville Christian

Time: 7 pm When: Friday

Nashville Christian’s Jared Curtis, a Georgia commit, returns this season as the nation’s No. 1-ranked quarterback in the 2026 class and the state’s No. 1 junior. The Eagles will try to avoid last year’s 0-3 start against a Davidson Academy team that finished with 10 wins last year and liked to punish defenses on the ground with junior Caden Stroud who ran for 19 touchdowns in 2023.

Robinson’s pick: Nashville Christian 28, Davidson Academy 24

Palmateer’s pick: Nashville Christian 34, Davidson Academy 31

Pearl-Cohn at MBA

Time: 7 pm When: Friday

The Firebirds’ quest for another 15-0 season begins this week. The biggest obstacle to a second straight undefeated season for Pearl-Cohn will be its first two games. Pearl-Cohn faces CPA next week and then will turn its attention to region opponents in seven of its final eight games. But getting past MBA and CPA won’t be easy. The Big Red play in arguably the toughest region in Tennessee in Division II-AAA’s East. CPA is the defending DII-AA state champs.

Robinson’s pick: Pearl-Cohn 23, MBA 17

Palmateer’s pick: Pearl-Cohn 24, MBA 23

Giles County at Page

Time: 7 pm When: Friday

Page’s defense will be a headliner for much of the season it returns Wisconsin commit Brenden Anes at linebacker and Louisville commit Eric Hazzard at defensive end. The pair have guided Page to three straight 5A state title games and faces a Giles County team that has won 32 games in the past three years.

Robinson’s pick: Page 35, Giles County 14

Palmateer’s pick: Page 21, Giles County 7

Liberty Creek at East Robertson

Time: 7 pm When: Friday

In only its second season, Liberty Creek arrived on the Middle Tennessee scene with eight wins in 2023. The 3A program faces 2A East Robertson that features Mr. Football winner, and Georgia Tech commit, Isaiah Groves at running back. East Robertson is coming off the school’s first state championship game appearance.

Robinson’s pick: East Robertson 23, Liberty Creek 16

Palmateer’s pick: East Robertson 35, Liberty Creek 21

Ravenwood at Alcoa

Time: 7 pm When: Friday

Alcoa will get a chance to duplicate last season’s start when it faces the Raptors on Friday. Alcoa traveled to Ravenwood last year and picked up a win en route to the school’s ninth straight 3A title. This season the Raptors, led by quarterback Femi Babalola and wideout Ben Hubbard travel to Alcoa as the Tornadoes, led by Michigan commit Eli Owens, chase a 10th straight crown.

Robinson’s pick: Alcoa 31, Ravenwood 14

Palmateer’s pick: Alcoa 35, Ravenwood 21

Centennial at Franklin

Time: 7 pm When: Friday

Franklin is under new leadership with Josh Adkins’ arrival as coach. The Admirals snapped a 23-game losing streak, that dated back to 2021, when they beat Mt. Juliet in the second to last game of the 2023 season. That was followed with a win at Overton to end the season on a high note. But Centennial’s 10 wins last year resulted in a 5A state quarterfinal appearance and the Cougars’ foundation under second-year coach Jamaal Stewart is a little more settled than Adkins at Franklin.

Robinson’s pick: Centennial 27, Franklin 20

Palmateer’s pick: Centennial 28, Franklin 27

Watch on NFHS Network Centennial at Franklin

Riverdale at Smyrna

Time: 7 pm When: Friday

Riverdale has a lot of key pieces to replace from last year’s Region 3-6A champs. Quarterback Braden Graham, receivers Brock Montgomery and Keshawn Williams as well as defensive back Jaylen Thompson have graduated. The offense will revolve around running back DJ Taylor and DCA transfer wide receiver Cam Booker.

Robinson’s pick: Riverdale 24, Smyrna 20

Palmateer’s pick: Riverdale 35, Smyrna 17

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Reach sports writer George Robinson at georgerobinsontheleafchronicle.com and on the X platform (formerly Twitter) @Cville_Sports.