The much anticipated start of the high school football season is this week and upwards of 170 games will be played during Week 1. Fewer than 10 matchups have been postponed or cancelled this week due to COVID-19 concerns. In 2020, there were approximately 120 games held on Week 1.

"Friday Night Lights'' did not look like what we’re all used to a year ago, and it may still look different in 2021. TSSAA encourages everyone -- administrators, coaches, officials, and fans -- to work together to follow the protocols that local host schools have in place so that our student-athletes have the opportunity to enjoy athletic competition throughout this new year.

Although most TSSAA mandates from a year ago are no longer in place, it is important that visiting teams and spectators adhere to the rules or requirements instituted by local school boards, municipalities and other government agencies where they are traveling. TSSAA believes that every adult and every participant must do their part and conduct themselves safely and thoughtfully so that the schools can provide as many opportunities as possible for the student-athletes this fall.

If a school is forced to cancel a contest due to COVID-19 this football season, the game will be considered a “no contest” and the team will not receive a loss on their schedule. The school who is able to play will receive a win for playoff seeding purposes. They may schedule a replacement opponent, but the result of the newly scheduled contest must count in the school’s overall record in place of the “COVID-19” win. A school’s overall, regular season record cannot include more than 10 results.

Six schools begin the season with a contest against a region opponent:

Jellico at Cloudland
Unaka at North Greene
Manassas at Freedom Prep

Five games will feature out-of-state opponents:

White House Heritage vs. Allen County, KY
Brentwood Academy at Florence, AL
Spring Hill at Greenwood, KY
St. George's at Hartfield Academy, MS
Fayette Academy at Marshall Academy, MS
Oneida vs. Williamsburg, KY

The full scoreboard and schedules can be found at https://tssaasports.com/sports/football/.

Historical Matchups

This week's meeting between Oakland and Hendersonville is a rematch of the 1998 Class 5A championship game. Oakland won, 46-24 for the school's second football championship.

The Riverdale/Franklin contest is a rematch of the 2004 state championship game. Riverdale claimed its fourth state title, 35-7. The game also marked Riverdale's last appearance in a state title football game.

Two contests feature Class 5A semifinal playoff matchups from a year ago. Oak Ridge defeated South-Doyle in last season's playoff series, 14-0. Summit also knocked off Henry County to advance to the state championship game, 35-21.

NFHS Network Games

Schools will be broadcasting more games this week on the NFHS Network than ever before. Almost 50 football games will be carried live on the NFHS Network this week. With an NFHS Network subscription you can watch any and all games for one low monthly or annual fee. The games (with links to the broadcast) are:

Waverly at Camden (Thu)
Pearl Cohn at Cane Ridge (Thu)
Greater Atlanta Christian, GA at Lipscomb Academy (Thu)
Cookeville at Upperman (Thu)
Rhea Co. at Alcoa (Fri)
Brentwood at Blackman (Fri)
Brainerd at Bradley Central (Fri)
King's Academy at CAK (Fri)
Waverly at Camden (Fri)
Moore Co. at Cascade (Fri)
Campbell Co. at Chattanooga Central (Fri)
Glencliff at Cheatham Co. (Fri)
West Creek at Clarksville Northeast (Fri)
Stewart Co. at Clarksville Northwest (Fri)
Jackson Co. at Clay Co. (Fri)
Marshall Co. at Columbia (Fri)
Columbia Academy at Davidson Academy (Fri)
Forrest at Eagleville (Fri)
USJ at Goodpasture (Fri)
Oakland at Hendersonville (Fri)
Maryville at Heritage (Fri)
Maplewood at Hunters Lane (Fri)
Sevier Co. at Jefferson Co. (Fri)
Hillwood at Kenwood (Fri)
Knoxville Webb at Knoxville Carter (Fri)
Chuckey-Doak at Knoxville Catholic (Fri)
Stone Memorial at Lenoir City (Fri)
Giles Co. at Lincoln Co. (Fri)
Greater Atlanta Christian, GA at Lipscomb Academy (Fri)
Clarksville at McGavock (Fri)
Huntingdon at McKenzie (Fri)
Morristown East at Morristown West (Fri)
East Hickman at Mt. Pleasant (Fri)
Arlington at MUS (Fri)
BGA at Nolensville (Fri)
Rockwood at Oliver Springs Middle School (Fri)
Fairview at Page (Fri)
Hillsboro at Pope John Paul (Fri)
Cleveland at Red Bank (Fri)
Wilson Central at Rossview (Fri)
Greenfield at South Fulton (Fri)
Smyrna at Stewarts Creek (Fri)
Montgomery Central at Sycamore (Fri)
West Ridge High School at Volunteer (Fri)
Notre Dame at Walker Valley (Fri)
Station Camp at White House (Fri)
Stratford at Whites Creek (Fri)

This week, 250 contests are set to be broadcast by schools across the state on the NFHS Network, including about 40 soccer games and more than 100 volleyball matches, as well as numerous Junior Varsity and Middle School contests. For a list of all Tennessee events this week on the Network, go to https://tssaasports.com/nfhsnetwork/. Your subscription to the NFHS Network sends money back to the schools and helps to cover the costs of offering the service.

Watching the games is easy, whether it's on your computer, tablet or smartphone. Download the NFHS Network app from Google Play or the iTunes App Store and take the live coverage with you wherever you go.