Riverdale defeated Smyrna 30-14 on Thursday to move to 4-0 in the region and hand the Bulldogs their first league loss. Oakland and Blackman also won region games and stayed in the playoff race ahead of fall break.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Riverdale took sole possession of first place in Region 3-6A on Thursday, defeating Smyrna 30-14 and handing the Bulldogs their first region loss of the season.
The Warriors improved to 4-0 in the region and 6-1 overall. Smyrna fell to 3-1 in Region 3-6A and 4-3 overall. In TSSAA Division I, the top four teams in each region qualify for the playoffs, and region record is the only mark that decides those berths.
Smyrna scored in the second quarter and did not score again until Sucory Weathers caught a touchdown pass with 8:23 left in the fourth. That score made it 30-14. It was Smyrna’s first touchdown since the second quarter. Complete individual stat lines had not been posted.
Smyrna had been the surprise of the league. The Bulldogs opened region play with a 22-21 win at Oakland on Sept. 4, their first victory over the Patriots since 2011, then beat Rockvale 27-21 on a touchdown reception by RJ Williams as time expired. Those results had Smyrna tied with Riverdale atop the standings entering Thursday.
Riverdale had not been tested in a close game since its season opener, a 19-14 loss at Knoxville Catholic. The Warriors opened region play with a 38-14 win at Blackman, shut out La Vergne 56-0 and beat Stewarts Creek 55-6, then defeated Columbia Central 45-13 in a non-region game. Thursday’s win at Smyrna was the first time this season Riverdale faced another unbeaten region team.
Oakland and Blackman also won region games and stayed in the race for the four playoff spots.
Oakland defeated Rockvale 30-7 at Rockvale. The Patriots led 7-0 after the first quarter and 21-0 at halftime, then scored nine points in the third quarter and were shut out in the fourth. Rockvale’s only points came in the fourth quarter.
Oakland intercepted Rockvale on the opening play of the second half, and Jacob Vaughn scored on a 2-yard run to make it 28-0 with 10:55 left in the third. Rockvale’s only score was an 8-yard touchdown pass from Arden Lewis to Max Phanphaya on fourth down with 3:51 left, cutting the lead to 30-7.
Oakland improved to 2-1 in Region 3-6A and 6-1 overall. Rockvale dropped to 2-2 in the region and 4-3 overall. Oakland, ranked No. 7 in the state, had lost only to Smyrna before Thursday. The Patriots answered that loss with a 55-6 win over Siegel and a 35-6 win over Blackman before traveling to Rockvale. Rockvale had opened 4-0 before the loss at Smyrna and a 27-17 loss to Siegel.
Blackman shut out Stewarts Creek 22-0 and moved to 2-1 in the region and 4-3 overall. Quarterback Chase Bell hit Max Wilcox on a 59-yard pass to extend the lead to 22-0 with 8:20 left in the third. Stewarts Creek did not score. The Red Hawks fell to 1-4 in region play.
The shutout was Blackman’s second region win, after a 38-0 victory over La Vergne on Sept. 17. Blackman had lost its region opener to Riverdale and its next region game at Oakland. Stewarts Creek’s only region win this season was a 20-6 victory over La Vergne.
The three Rutherford County results leave Riverdale alone at 4-0 in Region 3-6A. Smyrna is 3-1. Oakland and Blackman are 2-1. Rockvale is 2-2. Siegel, Stewarts Creek and La Vergne are below .500 in the region. Each team has three region games left after this week’s open date. Region play resumes Oct. 16, when Riverdale visits Siegel, Smyrna visits Blackman and Oakland hosts La Vergne.
Elsewhere in Middle Tennessee, Mt. Juliet handed Gallatin its first loss, 26-10. Gallatin entered ranked No. 15 and unbeaten at 6-0. Green Hill, ranked No. 17, shut out Glencliff 48-0 on senior night to improve to 5-2. The Hawks next play at Lebanon on Oct. 16. Spring Hill defeated Dickson County 28-7 in a non-region game.
In East Tennessee, Gibbs defeated Anderson County 41-29 in Corryton to improve to 6-1 overall and 3-1 in Region 2-4A. Anderson County fell to 4-3, ending a four-game winning streak. Alcoa is the only remaining unbeaten team in that region. Both Gibbs and Anderson County have a bye next week.
Hardin Valley shut out Farragut 35-0 in a Region 2-6A game. Morristown West defeated West Ridge 27-17 in a non-region game, and Midway edged Whitwell 29-28.
Thursday was the last night of games before fall break for the Rutherford County programs. Full team and individual stat lines for the region games had not been filed. The region race that looked like a two-team tie at the start of the night now belongs to Riverdale, with Oakland, Blackman, Smyrna and Rockvale still alive for the remaining playoff berths.
