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Tennessee Making the Most out of Out-of-State Scheduling     From HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL DATABASE Staff     December 22, 2005       As high school football takes on more of a national flavor, we'll see more and more matchups between schools from different states, and if one takes the time to look at Tennessee high school football schedules, one will find that Tennessee programs not only are riding the wave of intra-state scheduling, but also are taking on some of the best teams other states have to offer.         A look at the composite national rankings for 2005, based on polls from six outlets who provide national rankings for high school football, shows four programs in the national Top 7 who have played Tennessee teams at some point during the past five seasons. Independence (NC), #4 in the 2005 composite rankings, appeared on Austin-East's schedule in 2001.  The two teams tied for #5, Byrnes (SC) and St. Xavier (OH), have taken on two Tennessee private schools - MBA (vs. Byrnes in 2005) and Brentwood Academy (vs. St. Xavier in 2002).  The nation's #7 team, South Panola (MS), took on two Tennessee schools in 2005 - Germantown and G.W. Carver.       Granted, Tennessee did not fare well in the five aforementioned matchups - 0-5 to be precise - but Tennessee schools have fared well in other out-of-state matchups with top flight regional and national programs over time.  MBA holds a 2-1 series lead over Louisville Trinity, including a 17-13 victory over the Shamrocks in 2003 when Trinity entered the game as the #4 team in America according to USA Today.  The Big Red also scored a 26-21 victory over highly-rated Jacksonville Bolles in 1999; Bolles is a perennial Florida power, coached by the state's all-time wins leader in Corky Rogers, and was rated the number one team in the country a few years prior to the matchup with MBA in 1999.  Christian Brothers scored a nice win over the aforementioned South Panola in 1995, when the Tigers were just two years removed from their first final Super 25 USA Today ranking.  Brentwood Academy has also played numerous out-of-state powers, highlighted by a 6-0 victory over Pascagoula in 1988, during a period in which Pascagoula was cracking national rankings with future NFL stars in Terrell Buckley and Shane Matthews. The previous matchups just scratch the surface when it comes to out-of-state teams played by Tennessee schools.  In addition to previously mentioned states, teams from Texas, Ohio, Missouri, Arkansas, North Carolina, Virginia, Alabama, Georgia, and Alaska have made their way onto Volunteer State schedules.  And while it is fully reasonable to expect a mixed bag, in terms of wins and losses, when unfamiliar foes are challenged, it is not unreasonable to think that such clashes on the gridiron only help put Tennessee on the national map.                            Return to Tennessee Commentary | Return to Tennessee

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