Strength Versus Strength for the Regional Lead in Brentwood
Two of the county’s hottest teams meet up on Friday night in Brentwood with the regional lead on the line. Centennial, 6-1 overall, and Brentwood, 4-3 overall, both sit at 4-0 in Class 5A Region 7, tied with Henry County for the lead.
Defense Dominates for the Cougars
Through regional play, Centennial has given up an average of 12 points per game, led by linebacker Tyrel Dodson. With their talented running back corps and injuries at the quarterback position, the Cougars defense has been relied upon to give their team short fields. The Cougars defense has forced more than 15 turnovers since their week 2 loss to Independence, which has led to Centennial’s 5 game-winning streak.
Offensively, Dodson and Mondu Sawyers have led the Cougars on the season. Sawyers is coming off a 166-yard performance against Clarksville. Dodson added 97 yards last week against the Wildcats. Since Blake Lovell’s injury, the Cougars have used both Tristan Pisacane and Senturian DuReaux at quarterback, both of which have controlled the game and not made mistakes to cost Centennial any games. No matter who the Cougars have had behind center, the favorite receiver of all three signal callers has been Austin Waddell.
Bruins Ride Wave of Momentum into Matchup
After starting the season 1-3, Brentwood has won 3 straight regional contests with an improving offense and stout defense of their own. In regional play, the Bruins have given up a mere 7.5 points per game. Over the past two weeks, the Bruins have given up 100 yards to Clarksville Northeast and 8 yards to West Creek. Against Dickson County, Brentwood picked off two Cougar passes to key their victory. The Bruins have held opponents to 100 or fewer yards rushing in all 4 regional games.
On offense, Brentwood has been balanced, with dual-threat Carson Croy leading the way through the air. Croy is coming off a four touchdown performance against West Creek, with two through the air and two on the ground. Croy has been complimented out of the back field by Collin Rudolph and Ahmad Arnold. Croy, Rudolph, and Arnold have all led the Bruins in rushing through their first seven games. Josh Robertson and Parker Bullion have been leading receivers for Croy.
While both of these teams have clinched playoff berths, the next 4 weeks will decide the regional title. Centennial, Brentwood, and Henry County will all face off against each other in a round-robin challenge. In this first step of this three-way battle, the power run game of the Cougars and the stout run defense of the Bruins will be the matchup to determine this game.
