Glencliff Colts kick heels high, eye 5A playoffs

Given years of disappointment, one of the biggest surprises this football season in Nashville is Glencliff.

The Colts (5-5), who had won only six games in the past four seasons, are kicking their heels up high this week, having landed in the 5A playoffs and earning a home game Friday against Hillsboro.

Glencliff hasn’t made the playoffs since 2003, resulting in a first round loss to Brentwood. The last time the Colts even won a playoff game was ’99 when they marched to the finals.

“All this is new for us. The excitement around school Monday has been unbelievable,”
said second-year coach Scott Murray whose first team was 2-8 last year.

“We have a group of guys who have really worked hard and took things very seriously to get to where we are,” he said. “You have success when parents, players, administration all are working hard together.”

Glencliff had to endure the July arrest of passing star Mitchell Clemons that seemed to put a damper on the upcoming season. But the Colts nonetheless got off to a 2-0 start before losing three straight before Clemons returned in mid-September.

After a big win over East Lit, they lost 6-0 in overtime to McGavock before pulling off their biggest win of the season, 14-13 over Class 6A rival Antioch.

That was a game where the Bears owned the offensive stats, but Glencliff won on two huge special teams plays — a 90-yard kickoff return by Dosha Mintlow and a 92-yard interception return by Michael Whittaker in what turned into the game-winner.

“That was a milestone win for us,” Murray said. “That was the first time since I’ve been here that we beat a team we really weren’t supposed to beat. It kind of brought our season into fruition.”

The Colts strength is their defense. Michael Clemons, Antonio Witherspoon and Donnie Williams are three of the leading tacklers in Nashville, while Whittaker’s four interceptions is tied for best in the city.

“Dosha has been a solid tailback for us ever since I’ve been here,” Murray said. “He has improved steadily. And Michael does a little bit of everything for us, he’s a good cornerback, wide receiver, quarterback and kicker.”

Glencliff next plays Hillsboro (3-7), a team that won the 4A state championship and clinched a playoff berth in the final game, a 9-6 overtime win over Centennial.

“Their record doesn’t in any way reflect the kind of team they are — Hillsboro is still Hillsboro — they are the defending champs, and they have a lot of good players back from that team that won it,” Murray said.

One of those is standout QB Greg Young who has passed for more than 1,500 yards as the Burros managed to win two of their final three games.

• No Bowl: East Literature (5-5), which just missed the Class 3A playoffs, was in line for the Stones River Bowl invitation at Middle Tennessee Christian, but bowl officials couldn’t find a suitable opponent.

• Rematch? If Brentwood High and Franklin win their first two 6A playoff games, they would rematch in the quarterfinals. Brentwood would be host team as a result of its 21-20 region championship win over the Rebels Friday. However, Franklin has a tough road to hoe, needing wins over both Overton (8-2), then likely Arlington (10-0).

• Soccer: CPA qualified for the Class A/AA state tournament with an 8-0 blitz over Spring Hill as Alyssa Curtis scored four goals and Victoria Anderson added two. The Lions (19-2) will play host Chattanooga Christian in the quarterfinals Wednesday at 3:30, CST. Father Ryan and Pope JPII also won sectional games to qualify in DII-AA.

• Playoff quirk: Hillsboro needed only to beat Centennial to make the playoffs as those teams were the only two 5A teams that region. In an even more bizarre scenario, White County (1-9) was in a two-team 5A bracket with Cumberland County, which the Warriors beat. It was their only win of the season but good enough to get them in.

Friday’s area playoff games

Class 6A
Independence at Arlington
Overton at Franklin
McGavock at Blackman
Dickson County at Hunters Lane
Rossview at Brentwood

Class 5A
Hillsboro at Glencliff

Class 4A
Scott County at Maplewood
Whites Creek at White House
Jackson South Side at Lipscomb

Class 3A
Grundy County at Goodpasture
Pearl-Cohn a Smith County

DII-AA
BGA at MBA
Pope JPII at Brentwood Acad.
Father Ryan, Ensworth, first-round bye

DII-A
FACS at DCA
Fayette Academy at FRA
Davidson Academy, first-round bye