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FOOTBALL – Green Hill inherits schedule




Green Hill headgear

Green Hill headgear

Nashville’s RePublic drops football —

MT. JULIET — Sometimes “Plan B” has a funny way of working out.

Following several weeks of conversation, Mt. Juliet’s Green Hill High School has found itself with a complete varsity football schedule just in time for the fall of 2020.

RePublic High School, a charter school in Nashville, will not be fielding a football team this fall and has surrendered its 2020 schedule to Green Hill.

“Our first schedule (Plan A) was cobbled together against teams from four states, trying to fill in their open dates,” said GHSS coach Josh Crouch.

“We had seven road games, including two trips to Memphis, one to West Memphis (Arkansas), one to Knoxville, one to Kentucky and another to Dalton, Georgia.

“To say the least, it would have been a nightmare to transport the team and for our parents to see their boys play.”

As fate would have it, back in March a representative from RePublic called Crouch in order to cancel their scheduled 2020 contest.

 

 

The first year head coach inquired as to the status of the rest of the season and from that point on the negotiations proceeded hot and heavy.

“There were some hurdles to overcome, but once we got going it was a full-court press. I’m so glad it worked out,” Crouch said in a Monday morning interview.

“It’s given us an opportunity to stay local and not travel all the way across the state every other week, we get to host five home games, which will be huge for us when you look at gate receipts, concession sales — that sort of thing.”

Enrollment regulations will not allow the Hawks to be eligible for the TSSAA playoffs as RePublic has competed in Region 5 of Class 3A and Green Hill already has roughly 1,300 students on the rolls to attend this fall.

The inherited schedule featured nine games, five at home and four on the road with open dates Oct. 9 and 23.

Crouch added a 10th contest to the schedule — an Oct. 23 road game at Lakeway Christian School in Morristown — another first-year varsity program.

Technically, the former RePublic schedule required new one-year contracts between Green Hill and their opponents.

This step was considered a formality as the former RePublic opponents would be faced with playing just nine games this fall had they not agreed to replace RePublic with Green Hill.

RePublic fielded football teams in 2017, 2018 and 2019 — going 5-24 overall and winless last season.

“Some people might have a problem with playing a Class 3A schedule, but we’ll be playing some quality, established football teams,” Crouch said.

Pearl Cohn finished 14-1 last year and lost in the state championship game to Alcoa. East Nashville had a 9-3 record, Stratford went 8-4 and Giles County advanced to the third round of the playoffs.

Franklin Road Academy went 8-4 in 2019 and advanced to the Division II-AA quarterfinals.

“Pearl Cohn and East Nashville each had graduates selected in last week’s NFL Draft,” Crouch said.

“The football coaches and the types of kids we’ll be playing against in that region are top-notch.”

2020 Green Hill High football

Aug. 21    Clarksville Academy

Aug. 28    at Hillwood

Sep. 4      Whites Creek

Sep. 11    at Goodpasture

Sep. 18    at Pearl Cohn

Sep. 25    Franklin Road Academy

Oct. 2      at Stratford

Oct. 9      OPEN

Oct. 16    Giles County

Oct. 23    at Lakeway Christian, Morristown 

Oct. 30    East Nashville

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