LYNCHBURG , Tenn. — As a general rule, you can throw out the record books in the playoffs. Any team can beat any other team under the postseason Friday night lights. Eagleville proved that last week with a convincing 37-6 upset win at West Carroll and they’ll travel into Moore County on a mission for a round two match up with the Raiders.
The last time the Raiders and Eagles faced off was in game three of the regular season. Both teams came into the game with perfect 2-0 records, but only Moore County came out spotless. So the Eagleville will likely be motivated and itching for a bit of payback.
In the September 1 game, fans expected a defensive heavyweight match. Instead, the two offenses got into a shootout in the first half before the Raider D shutdown the Eagles offense in the second half. And make no mistake, the Region 5A foes didn’t like it one bit. The second half got chippy with multiple unsportsmanlike penalties on both sides. {To read our full coverage of that game, click here.}
The Eagles managed a 7-4 season and landed in the number three spot behind Moore County and Collinwood to make it into the playoffs. They travelled to West Carroll and managed a 37-6 upset first round win last Friday to earn the rematch.
Despite regular season win, Raiders should not overlook the Eagles
Senior Brody McLemore seems to have won the early season quarterback competition and will likely get the start for the Eagles. According to his Max Preps stats, he manages to connect on about 50 percent of his passes and is the Eagles second most effective rusher with around 45 yards per game. Junior Kaleb Snitzer will be the go-to guy on the ground on Friday with an average of 63 yards per game.
Through the air Snitzer and Elijah Fearns were the top producers for Eagleville in the last match up. Fearns had five receptions for 132 yards and two touchdowns, and Snitzer ran 21 times for 60 carries and a touchdown. In the open field, the Raiders will also need to keep an eye on junior Noah Lily, one of the Eagles top receivers.
On defense, Marshall Spann and Alex Bryant gave Moore County the most trouble last go round. Spann had four tackles and an interception, and Bryant had six tackles.
Despite their regular season win, the Raiders should not overlook the Eagles. Late in the season, Eagles Head Coach Walker challenged his team to a playoff mentality and they responded in the last two regular season games putting together impressive wins over Richland and Cornersville to clinch their #3 spot. They’ll be feeling confident following the upset win over West Carroll and looking to play spoiler to Moore County.
Kick off on Friday will take place at Doug Price Field at 7 p.m. Tickets will be available for $8 in advance on the Go Fans app or online. Raider fans can also buy tickets at the gate for $10. If you can’t attend in person, the Moore County High School Student Broadcasting Team will live stream the game on the NFHS Network. The Times will also live blog the game on our Facebook page.•
{The Lynchburg Times is a nonpartisan, independent community newspaper serving Lynchburg, Tennessee and the surrounding counties. We are dedicated to public service journalism for the greater good of our community. Click here to subscribe.}