CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – It’s that time of year again. The regular season is in its final week, and playoffs will begin the first week of November. Three of our local teams will be playing in that week, with one more possible team getting to say the same. The question is who will be that team?
That question will be answered Friday night as the Kenwood Knights and the Northeast Eagles meet on senior night from Kenwood High School. The Knights (5-4, 2-2) enter the game with one more win in the region than the Eagles (2-7, 1-3), but that does not mean their postseason spot is locked up.
“You get to the region ramifications, we win and take care of business and we can finish as high as second and host a home playoff game which is huge, but again if we don’t take care of business we could be sitting at home out of the playoffs so there is a lot that we are playing for this Friday,” said Kenwood head coach Leslie Greer.
Northeast’s Head Coach Brandon Clark is also letting his team know that they are far from done, “We have a lot to play for. We are not completely out of playoff contention. If we can get this win and get some help along the way there’s a possibility. You just always have to give yourself that chance.”
SCORING AT EASE
One thing that is guaranteed in this game will be the offensive production that will be on display. Both teams will bring extremely athletic players to the field on Friday night.
Kenwood will be led by Jaylen Washington who is posting fantastic numbers on the season including over 1300 passing yards with 21 passing touchdowns. Washington’s favorite targets are Corben Howard (578 yards, 11 TDs) and Quentavius Barnes (449 yards, 6 TDs). The Knights also have a talented two-way starter in Keontay Showell who has over 500 yards rushing with five scores and several defensive touchdowns as well.
Northeast is also gifted this season with athletes on the offense. Despite using two quarterbacks this season, the Eagles returned to their previous starter, Jaiden Puig, against Henry County with Puig tossing four touchdown passes to Dez Fort in the 44-40 loss to the Patriots. The Eagles add running back Kham Athy to their arsenal of athletes as well.
With both teams entering this contest with such high powered offenses you can expect a lot of scores between the two teams.
“We are going to have our hands full,” said Coach Clark. “Everyone expects a shoot out. That’s the best way to put it. I feel like if you’re a spectator it will be a great game to come to. As a coach, I know me personally, I don’t ever want a shoot out, and that’s kind of what it ended up being with Henry County, but that’s just how it goes sometimes.”
As for the Knights game plan heading into the contest, Coach Greer said, “We don’t really worry about who we are playing ever, it’s just about us, and us executing and playing our brand of football and playing to the highest level of our abilities. If we do that, we can compete with anybody.”
THE ROAD TO THE PLAYOFFS
Getting to this game has been a journey for both teams. Kenwood spent almost two games without their quarterback, and Northeast played close with several of the region’s top opponents but came up short.
The Knights would take losses to Henry County and Springfield early on, but had a huge region victory in the beginning of October as they beat Portland 32-27. Add in their victory against Northwest and the Knights are sitting even in the region almost completely in but still needing to secure a victory against the Eagles.
As for Northeast, the Eagles played a tough first half in a loss to Springfield before dropping two nail-biters by a combined 5 points in region games against Portland and Henry County.
FINAL GAME
Friday night when the ball is kicked off at Kenwood High School, the Knights and the Eagles will have four quarters to try and secure a spot in the postseason. Two things that you can expect in this one: a lot of amazing moments by talented local products, and both teams will give everything they’ve got on that field to play one more week.