Creek Wood’s football team has grown accustomed to winning almost always finishing in the top 3 of their region.
Their only true competition season to season was Springfield, a program that has made multiple runs to the title in Cookeville.
Occasionally you might have seen a talented Montgomery Central team rise up, but even then Creek Wood was more than capable of defeating them.
None of the above is the case now however though.
On top of losing some premier talent on the field, the Red Hawks now have to contend in a much deeper, more talented region.
On paper, Creek Wood, even with their best teams throughout the years, would project as the 4th or 5th best team in their new region.
Why is that?
Well for starters they now reside in a nine team region, Class 4A Region 5, including themselves. That alone makes things tougher as it means every game from week 3 on, is a region matchup.
As if eight region games aren’t daunting enough, let’s take a look at a few of the teams now in Class 4A Region 5 alongside the Red Hawks.
- Pearl-Cohn
- Easily the region’s premier team, littered with D1 talent.
- The firebirds are a team that since 2017 have made it to two state semifinals and a state championship game where had they not run into Alcoa out of East, TN who has several straight state title wins, they probably hoist a trophy.
- Tullahoma.
- A powerhouse who while they have not had excessive playoff success in the last few years, play teams close in the playoffs and win a lot in the regular season, including 2 blow out wins over Marshall County last season on their way to a quarterfinal appearance where they lost to Nolensville by 1 point in a heartbreaker.
- Marshall County.
- Another very strong program that is used to playing big-time schools in big-time games. Last season their only 3 losses came to Tullahoma and the Nolensville team that eliminated Tullahoma.
- They win the games they should and compete in the games they should not. The mark of a strong program.
Creek Wood will also see some familiar faces in Greenbrier and Montgomery Central inside the region.
Obviously, Pearl-Cohn will be the standard by which everyone is measured, much like Springfield was in the Red Hawks’ previous region. However, unlike before, there will not be a substantial talent drop-off after the number one team in this region.
The final nail in the coffin this upcoming season for Creek Wood will almost certainly be that they have to face the three teams listed above in three consecutive weeks without a bye.
Week 3 on the road at Marshall County, week 4 at home against Pearl-Cohn, and week 5 at home against Tullahoma is a stretch that would challenge even the most veteran and prepared teams across the state.
Every week matters this season for the Red Hawks.
That three-week stretch is rough but keep in mind that prior to it in weeks one and two, Creek Wood will have back-to-back rivalry games with Dickson County and Fairview, respectively.
In week 6 coming off that three-week gauntlet, they’ll face a Montgomery Central team that is not only familiar with them but looking to pay them back for a lopsided loss last season.
With all they lost, Creek Wood will, most likely, have to battle it out with Montgomery Central next season for 4th place and hope that over the next few years they can build up their talent level and consistency to compete with programs that have set the standard like Tullahoma and Marshall County.
You can find a schedule with broadcast info and updated results below.
| Date | Opponent | Station | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug. 19th | @Dickson County | 101.5 FM and 1260 AM | |
| Aug. 26th | Fairview | ||
| Sept. 2nd | Marshall County* | ||
| Sept. 9th | @Pearl Cohn* | ||
| Sept. 16th | @Tullahoma* | ||
| Sept. 23rd | @Montgomery Central* | ||
| Oct. 7th | Greenbrier* | ||
| Oct. 13th | Hillwood* | ||
| Oct. 21st | Glencliff* | ||
| Oct. 28th | @Lawrence County* |
