CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – There isn’t a better night for high school football than Friday night; however, several of our local squads will meet on Thursday this week, including Clarksville High School and West Creek. The game is Thursday mainly because the school system will be going on fall break next week. Playing a day earlier has its advantages but also adds stress on the week for the teams.
On playing Thursday night, Clarksville head coach Isaac Shelby said, “I like Friday. High school football is suppose to be played on Friday. The fans and all that stuff are a big part of the game, and when you do that on a Friday during fall break, you just don’t get that excitement.”
West Creek coach James Figueroa mentioned how important it is for the teams to still be able to make revenue from playing the game. “I guess a lot of people have been (playing the game) due to the fall break and the low attendance. If you play that Friday, you aren’t going to get a great gate.”
Battle of region foes
The Wildcats and Coyotes joined Rossview as the only teams in the county to move up to 6A this season. Clarksville High has a region victory over Rossview from earlier in the season, while West Creek has lost all three of their region games – to Gallatin, Rossview and most recently Beech.
The game has a lot on the line for the Wildcats, as a win will clinch their spot in the Class 6A playoffs. This would be the fifth consecutive season that Clarksville High would make it to the playoffs (their first ever in 6A), but they know the game against West Creek will not be easy.
“I think they are athletic,” said Shelby. “I think Coach Fig does a good job with those kids. They are definitely long and rangy. They run very well and stuff like that, so we are going to have to figure out a game plan to deal with that stuff.”
West Creek will look to pick up their first region win against the Wildcats but will also aim to snap a five-game losing streak. A win for the Coyotes would snap a three-game losing streak to the Wildcats that dates back to the 2017 season. To do this, the Coyotes will look to slow down the Wildcats’ rushing attack.
“They’re a big physical football team as well. They’ve got some good sized linemen; we’ve got some as well,” Figueroa said. “My goal for this week is to stop the run. I’m going to load up the box and that’s what we are going to do.”
The road so far
The Coyotes have had some struggles on the season. After starting hot against Northeast, the Eagles fired back and scored 62 points on the Coyotes in week one. West Creek would get their lone victory on the season in week two with a shutout victory over Northwest. Since week three, the Coyotes have been outscored 202-64 against Gallatin, Kenwood, Rossview, Station Camp and Beech.
Clarksville High has continued their roller coaster ride of the season with wins and losses coming one right after the other. The Wildcats have had only one winning streak this season when they won back-to-back games against Rossview and Dickson County. Since those weeks, the Wildcats have lost to Beech, beat Northeast, and most recently lost at Hendersonville last Friday night.
Time to play the game
Thursday’s game will be a big one for both the Wildcats and Coyotes. Clarksville High can secure their playoff spot with a win against West Creek. The Wildcats would also clinch a spot with another region loss by Rossview since they have the head-to-head tiebreaker.
A win for West Creek would be the second time in school history that the Coyotes have beaten the Wildcats. Clarksville High currently owns an 11-1 record in games against West Creek since the two teams first played in the 2009-10 football season. A win would also be their first region victory in their new class.
Kickoff for Thursday Night’s game is scheduled for 7 p.m. from Clarksville High School.
Catch the game live on ESPN Clarksville online, or on-air 104.1 FM/540 AM, and listen to the full interviews with the coaches starting at 6 p.m. Thursday on Sports Night Clarksville, also on ESPN Clarksville.