5 takeaways from TSSAA playoffs: 5 teams with losing records win first round, 2 get first playoff wins

The Tennessee high school football playoffs had teams making history, dramatic wins and a handful of teams with losing records pulling off upset victories.

Here are five takeaways from the first round of the postseason.

5 football teams with losing records win in first round

And then there were five.

Five Tennessee high school football teams with losing records advanced to the second round of the TSSAA playoffs on Friday night. That's a drastic decrease from the 48 that entered Friday night's first round.

The most notable win came in Class 4A when Marshall County (5-6) defeated Stone Memorial 30-29. Stone Memorial entered postseason play 9-1. Marshall County's win helped complete a Region 4-4A first-round sweep of Region 3-4A.

Stratford picked up its third win of the season when it beat Camden 29-22. Camden finished 6-5 for the season.

The only other Division I program to win with a losing record was Ripley (4-7). However, Ripley's 31-21 win over Milligan came against a team with a losing record. Milligan finished 4-7 for the season.

In Division II-A, Nashville Christian improved to 5-6 with a 41-0 rout of Ezell-Harding, which finished 3-8. St. George's beat Harding Academy 49-48 in a DII-AA first-round game. St. George's improved to 5-6. 

Pope John Paul II get first playoff win

Pope John Paul II didn't just reach the Division II-AAA quarterfinals with a 49-28 win over Chattanooga Baylor on Friday. The Knights made history.

JPII won its first playoff game in 14 appearances.

"We got the monkey off the school's back," Pope John Paul II coach Justin Geisinger said. 

Geisinger said coaches didn't talk about the Knights' 0-13 playoff record entering the game. They simply encouraged the team to be playing at a higher level in November.

JPII's Antwan Roberts ran for 253 yards and scored two touchdowns in the win. Ben Nixon was 7 of 11 for 126 yards and a touchdown.

The Knights play at Memphis University School (9-0) next week in the DII-AAA quarterfinals.

Montgomery Central gets first playoff win in 6 tries

Montgomery Central trailed 14-0 before coming back to beat Hardin County 17-14 in  its Class 4A first-round playoff contest. It marked the Indians' first playoff win in six appearances. 

Montgomery Central had previously lost first-round games in 1991, 1999, 2004, 2010 and 2015.

Devontay Skelton's 8-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter was the game winner.

Cane Ridge's Devon Starling shows out

Devon Starling showed why he received Class 6A Mr. Football semifinalist honors this past week.

The Cane Ridge senior running back ran for 161 yards and scored a touchdown in the Ravens' 41-6 rout of Franklin. Oh, he also showed off his defensive skills.

He intercepted two passes, returning both for touchdowns.

Beech wins in dramatic fashion

How about this for a first-round win: Beech needed three overtimes to end Summit's season.

Cory Edwards hit a 27-yard field goal to lead the Buccaneers to a 45-42 win. Beech (8-3) travels to Page (10-1) in the second round.

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