Welcome to another week of High School Sports Saturday, host Tate Matthews breaks down an action-packed opening weekend. Sponsored by the historic Jimmy Kelly’s Steakhouse, the broadcast sets the stage for the season with a look ahead to Saturday's biggest matchups, including BGA vs. St. Michael Catholic and Riverdale taking on Knoxville Catholic. We also sit down with a stellar lineup of guests, featuring Upperman High School Head Coach Adam Caine, Fairview High School Head Coach Chris Hughes, and The Tennessean's high school sports reporter Tom Kreager to get their expert insights on the Mid-State headlines and early-season victories.

The heart of the show dives deep into Friday night's most thrilling game recaps and standout individual performances across the region. We cover all the major box scores, from Amari Sanders' explosive 98-yard kickoff return for Franklin Road Academy to Jackson Themm's clutch double-overtime field goal for Shelbyville. Listeners will get the full rundown on massive week-one wins, including Antioch's commanding ground game against Mt. Juliet, Blackman's decisive victory in Coach Will Hester's debut, and McCallie's nail-biting overtime victory against Lipscomb Academy. Plus, Tate shares a quick update on where to find deep-dive historical football interviews on The Tate Matthews Podcast YouTube channel.

Welcome to another week of&nbsp;High School Sports Saturday, host Tate Matthews breaks down an action-packed opening weekend. Sponsored by the historic Jimmy Kelly&rsquo;s Steakhouse, the broadcast sets the stage for the season with a look ahead to Saturday's biggest matchups, including BGA vs. St. Michael Catholic and Riverdale taking on Knoxville Catholic. We also sit down with a stellar lineup of guests, featuring Upperman High School Head Coach Adam Caine, Fairview High School Head Coach Chris Hughes, and The Tennessean's high school sports reporter Tom Kreager to get their expert insights on the Mid-State headlines and early-season victories.
The heart of the show dives deep into Friday night's most thrilling game recaps and standout individual performances across the region. We cover all the major box scores, from Amari Sanders' explosive 98-yard kickoff return for Franklin Road Academy to Jackson Themm's clutch double-overtime field goal for Shelbyville. Listeners will get the full rundown on massive week-one wins, including Antioch's commanding ground game against Mt. Juliet, Blackman's decisive victory in Coach Will Hester's debut, and McCallie's nail-biting overtime victory against Lipscomb Academy. Plus, Tate shares a quick update on where to find deep-dive historical football interviews on The Tate Matthews Podcast YouTube channel.

Growing up in a coaching family and now the owner of Mathews Team Sports, Tate Mathews brings a unique perspective to High School Sports Saturday.

With over fifteen years in the sporting goods industry in Middle Tennessee working with and for high school administrators and coaches, Tate’s relationships provide insight into middle Tennessee high school athletics.

High School Sports Saturday covers each sport during their respective competitive seasons.  Coaches, administrators, TSSAA officials and student-athletes are interviewed each week at 8 AM on 104-5 The Zone.

High School Sports Saturday with Tate Mathews

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High School Sports Saturday with Tate Mathews 8- 22- 26

Tate Is Joined By Tom Kreager of The Tennessean to break down a wild Week 1 of Tennessee high school football. After surviving a Friday night plagued by extreme heat and cramping, the guys recap standout performances, surprising finishes, and look ahead to a packed Saturday slate.

Segment Highlights:


Heavyweight Clashes: An analysis of DGG's dominant, massive offensive line against Brentwood Academy, and the looming question of whether Baylor is in a league of its own.


Goal Line Controversy: Breaking down Lipscomb Academy's overtime loss to McCallie, highlighted by the highly debated coaching decision to run a shotgun snap from the goal line.


The Pearl-Cohn Project: A sneak peek at the season-long embedded documentary series following Pearl-Cohn, featuring a fantastic anecdote about Hall of Fame coach Maurice Fitzgerald moonlighting on the chain gang.


Friday Night Standouts: Shoutouts to Ravenwood's impressive win, Kirkwood's Miles Redding putting up monster numbers in Montgomery County, and Quincy Mitchell's explosive 200-yard, three-touchdown performance at Chapel Hill.

Tate Is Joined By Tom Kreager of The Tennessean to break down a wild Week 1 of Tennessee high school football. After surviving a Friday night plagued by extreme heat and cramping, the guys recap standout performances, surprising finishes, and look ahead to a packed Saturday slate.
Segment Highlights:
<ul data-path-to-node="2">
<li>
Heavyweight Clashes: An analysis of DGG's dominant, massive offensive line against Brentwood Academy, and the looming question of whether Baylor is in a league of its own.
</li>
<li>
Goal Line Controversy: Breaking down Lipscomb Academy's overtime loss to McCallie, highlighted by the highly debated coaching decision to run a shotgun snap from the goal line.
</li>
<li>
The Pearl-Cohn Project: A sneak peek at the season-long embedded documentary series following Pearl-Cohn, featuring a fantastic anecdote about Hall of Fame coach Maurice Fitzgerald moonlighting on the chain gang.
</li>
<li>
Friday Night Standouts: Shoutouts to Ravenwood's impressive win, Kirkwood's Miles Redding putting up monster numbers in Montgomery County, and Quincy Mitchell's explosive 200-yard, three-touchdown performance at Chapel Hill.
</li>
</ul>

HSSS-  Tom Kreager 

Tate Is Joined By Coach Chris Hughes, head coach of the Fairview Yellow Jackets, to break down the team's gritty 21-7 season-opening road win over East Hickman and look ahead to an exciting Week 2 matchup. Despite early penalties and a "sloppy" second half, Coach Hughes highlighted the resilience of his notably young squad.
Week 1 Victory Breakdown
Aerial Attack: Quarterback Isaac Burgos made a splash in his first start under the Friday night lights, throwing for 137 yards and two touchdowns.
Ground Game: Running back Julius Carter continued his dominance with 13 carries for 114 yards, sparked by an explosive 68-yard run in the first quarter that put the Yellow Jackets on the board.
Defensive Youth: Facing a bruising, pull-heavy single-wing offense, Fairview's young defense—which started eight underclassmen—stepped up. Junior Bryson Harrison (13 tackles), freshman Rellan Langford (12 tackles), and sophomore safety Trace McCoy (10 tackles) led the physical charge.
Scout Team Reality: Coach Hughes candidly shared the brutal challenge of prepping for East Hickman's unique offense, noting he had to use his starting offensive line on the scout team just to give his defense a realistic look in practice.

Looking Ahead: Centennial Cougars
The Matchup: Fairview returns to the nest to host the 5A Centennial Cougars, presenting a drastically different athletic challenge and a major test of roster depth.
House Money: Embracing the underdog mentality against a larger Williamson County school, Coach Hughes noted his team is excited to prove themselves and is "playing with house money."
Covering the Spread: The segment wrapped with playful banter about the show's new betting lines. Coach Hughes joked about owing Patrick after missing a 42-point projection due to penalties, but promised they would try to cover the spread against Centennial.

What specific adjustments are you making to your scout team preparation this week to better simulate Centennial's speed and spacing?

Tate Is Joined By Coach Chris Hughes, head coach of the Fairview Yellow Jackets, to break down the team's gritty 21-7 season-opening road win over East Hickman and look ahead to an exciting Week 2 matchup. Despite early penalties and a "sloppy" second half, Coach Hughes highlighted the resilience of his notably young squad. Week 1 Victory Breakdown
<ul data-path-to-node="2">
<li>Aerial Attack: Quarterback Isaac Burgos made a splash in his first start under the Friday night lights, throwing for 137 yards and two touchdowns.</li>
<li>Ground Game: Running back Julius Carter continued his dominance with 13 carries for 114 yards, sparked by an explosive 68-yard run in the first quarter that put the Yellow Jackets on the board.</li>
<li>Defensive Youth: Facing a bruising, pull-heavy single-wing offense, Fairview's young defense&mdash;which started eight underclassmen&mdash;stepped up. Junior Bryson Harrison (13 tackles), freshman Rellan Langford (12 tackles), and sophomore safety Trace McCoy (10 tackles) led the physical charge.</li>
<li>Scout Team Reality: Coach Hughes candidly shared the brutal challenge of prepping for East Hickman's unique offense, noting he had to use his starting offensive line on the scout team just to give his defense a realistic look in practice.</li>
</ul>
Looking Ahead: Centennial Cougars
<ul data-path-to-node="4">
<li>The Matchup: Fairview returns to the nest to host the 5A Centennial Cougars, presenting a drastically different athletic challenge and a major test of roster depth.</li>
<li>House Money: Embracing the underdog mentality against a larger Williamson County school, Coach Hughes noted his team is excited to prove themselves and is "playing with house money."</li>
<li>Covering the Spread: The segment wrapped with playful banter about the show's new betting lines. Coach Hughes joked about owing Patrick after missing a 42-point projection due to penalties, but promised they would try to cover the spread against Centennial.</li>
</ul>
What specific adjustments are you making to your scout team preparation this week to better simulate Centennial's speed and spacing?

HSSS- Chris Hughes 

Tate Is Joined By Coach Adam Kane of the Upperman Bees to break down their thrilling season-opening victory over the Webb School. Coach Kane details the gritty, down-to-the-wire win in Baxter and shares his immense respect for opposing coaching legend George Quarles.
Segment Highlights & Key Takeaways:
Ground-and-Pound Identity: Coach Kane discusses Upperman's unapologetically physical offensive strategy. By leaning on a heavy offensive line and Ole Miss tight end commit Colton Johnson, the Bees dominated the time of possession, holding the ball for 35 of the game's 48 minutes and wearing down the defense.
Backfield Dominance: A standout performance from the workhorse duo of Jude Fitzpatrick and Gavin Fraser, who combined for 39 carries, 251 yards, and two touchdowns to power the offense.
Old-School Mentality: Kane emphasizes a commitment to winning over padding passing stats, sharing his blunt advice to college recruits: if you can't block, you can't play at this level.
Looking Ahead: A preview of next week's tough matchup against the reloaded Greeneville Green Devils, complete with a humorous anecdote about a late-night text from a fellow coach playfully ruining his Thursday evening with a scouting report.

Tate Is Joined By Coach Adam Kane of the Upperman Bees to break down their thrilling season-opening victory over the Webb School. Coach Kane details the gritty, down-to-the-wire win in Baxter and shares his immense respect for opposing coaching legend George Quarles. Segment Highlights &amp; Key Takeaways:
<ul data-path-to-node="2">
<li>Ground-and-Pound Identity: Coach Kane discusses Upperman's unapologetically physical offensive strategy. By leaning on a heavy offensive line and Ole Miss tight end commit Colton Johnson, the Bees dominated the time of possession, holding the ball for 35 of the game's 48 minutes and wearing down the defense.</li>
<li>Backfield Dominance: A standout performance from the workhorse duo of Jude Fitzpatrick and Gavin Fraser, who combined for 39 carries, 251 yards, and two touchdowns to power the offense.</li>
<li>Old-School Mentality: Kane emphasizes a commitment to winning over padding passing stats, sharing his blunt advice to college recruits: if you can't block, you can't play at this level.</li>
<li>Looking Ahead: A preview of next week's tough matchup against the reloaded Greeneville Green Devils, complete with a humorous anecdote about a late-night text from a fellow coach playfully ruining his Thursday evening with a scouting report.</li>
</ul>

High School Sports Saturday with Tate Mathews 8- 22- 26

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