Green Hill faces Wilson Central in first region game, Hawks vs. Mt. Juliet in ’21, ’22 finales

Green Hill will host Siegel and travel to Kenwood before the Hawks dive into region play for the first time at Wilson Central. They will host Columbia in Week 4 and close the regular season at Mt. Juliet.Perhaps the most interesting schedule for the next two years belongs to Wilson Central is no longer in the same region as Rossview, but the Wildcats will travel to face the Clarksville school in Week 1 before hosting Lebanon and Green Hill in back-to-back weeks. The Week 3 game will mark the Hawks’ inaugural Region 5-5A contest. The Wildcats will travel to Mt. Juliet in Week 6.

Lebanon is the only county school remaining in Class 6A. But the Blue Devils will continue to play their Wilson rivals with the exception of Green Hill. They will travel to Wilson Central in Week 2 and host Mt. Juliet in Week 8. Gallatin will come to Clifton Tribble Field/Danny Watkins Stadium for the home finale Oct. 22.

Also, with only five teams in Region 3-6A, only one team will miss the playoffs. In 2021, that team will be Shelbyville as the Golden Eagles will be serving the last of a two-year postseason ban stemming from their fight with Franklin County in October.

Perhaps the most interesting schedule belongs to Watertown. The Class 2A Purple Tigers will open next season at Class 1A champion Fayetteville, which will likely be favored to repeat not just in 2021 but probably in ’22 as well. Watertown will follow with a Week 2 contest with neighboring rival Gordonsville.

The other major change for the Purple Tigers involves Trousdale County, which is now the season finale in Week 11 instead of the Region 4-2A opener in Week 3. That means the region championship, if what has happened the past three seasons continues, will be essentially decided in Week 11 instead of Week 3. Of course, that would also mean the state quarterfinal rematch would only be three weeks removed from the regular-season meeting instead of 2 1/2 months.

In Division II, Friendship Christian and Mt. Juliet Christian are no longer in the same region as Class A has been divided from two to three regions, with the East-Middle split essentially running down State Route 109. But the Commanders and Saints will still meet in Week 2 at MJCA (wherever the Saints are able to play by then). It could be MJCA’s opener as coach Dan Davis was still seeking a Week 1 opponent. FCS will open its season at Pirtle Field against Trousdale County.

Friendship is also no longer with old rival Donelson Christian. But the Wildcats and Commanders will tangle in Week 3 at DCA as FCS and MJCA are doing a lot of cross-scheduling during the first half of the season.

The Commanders will open East Region play Sept. 17 at home against King’s Academy before its non-region finale the following week against Maplewood. MJCA will take on Franklin Grace Christian on Sept. 17 in the Saints’ Middle Region lid-lifter. Both teams’ bye week will be Week 8.

The bye week for the public schools will be Week 9, Oct.15, for all five Wilson County teams.

The 2022 schedule will largely be the same as ’21 with the home-and-away reversed.