By SAM McGAW
Brentwood (1-3, 0-1) at Dickson County (1-3, 0-1), 7 p.m. Friday*
The Brentwood Bruins find themselves in a must-win situation against Dickson County Friday.
A loss this week would put the Bruins at 0-2 in Region 7-Class 5A. With matchups against region foes Centennial and Henry County later in the season, Brentwood can’t afford to fall behind in the standings.
The Bruins also enter the contest on a two-game losing streak.
After posting 41 points against Ravenwood in Week 2, Brentwood has scored only 20 over the past two weeks.
Luckily, this week’s matchup is just what the doctor ordered for the Bruins’ offense.
The Cougars have given up 56 points in each of their past two games against Centennial and Spring Hill, and they’re averaging 45.5 points allowed per game.
Brentwood running back Collin Rudolph (228 rush yds, 1 TD) has a chance to be the biggest beneficiary of this matchup against the Cougars’ porous run defense.
Dickson County has given up 894 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground over its last two games.
Rudolph rushed for 112 yards on 20 carries in last year’s win over DCHS.
Dual-threat quarterback Carson Shacklett also has an opportunity to shine this week.
He enters the contest with 677 pass yards, 178 rush yards, seven touchdowns (2 rush) and four interceptions.
His top targets through the air are receivers Parker Bullion (27 rec., 254 yds, 1 TD), Christian LaBreche (13/169/1) and Will Leone (9/140/2).
While Dickson County’s defense has struggled, its offense is built to withstand shootouts.
Led by quarterback Jacob Murphree, the Cougars average 38.75 points per game.
Murphree has thrown for 1,370 yards, 12 touchdowns and five interceptions this season. He also has a rushing touchdown.
He has four quality receivers in Trey Wiedman (21 rec., 388 yds, 3 TDs), Jack Sensing (22/342/2), Trey Grimes (13/318/3) and Demontez Coleman (11/221/4).
The Bruins’ defense will look to bounce back after it allowed 444 total yards against Franklin.
Mt. Juliet Christian (3-1) at Franklin Road Academy (0-3), 7 p.m. Friday*
The FRA Panthers enter Week 5 of the season still searching for their first win of the year.
They’ll look to turn around their recent misfortunes Friday when they host the Mt. Juliet Christian Saints.
FRA is coming off a 35-10 loss against Goodpasture, while Mt. Juliet Christian is on the heels of a 60-7 win over Houston County.
The Panthers’ offense enters the matchup averaging 234 yards per game.
The unit is led by receivers Adonis Otey and Lance Wilhoite.
Defensively, the Panthers allow an average of 34.67 points and 280 yards per game.
The Saints average 34.5 PPG on offense.
Sam McGaw is sports editor of Home Page Media Group. Email him at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @SamMcGawSports.
