Coach Kris Hooper, in his first year as the head coach of the Ravenwood Raptors, has led the team to a historic position through a culture focused on meticulous attention to detail and collective buy-in. Reflecting on their recent performance, Hooper highlighted a tense "nail-biter" victory against Summit and a high-energy offensive win against Page before the team eventually fell to a formidable Brentwood squad in the region finals. Despite that loss, the Raptors remain alive and are preparing for a critical sectional game on Monday night, where a victory would secure their first-ever trip to the state tournament, often referred to as the "Glass House".

Looking ahead to the matchup against Blackman, Hooper anticipates a grueling, low-scoring defensive battle where the first team to reach 30 points might emerge as the winner. He emphasizes that the game will be won in the paint, requiring his players to limit second-chance points and effectively rebound against Blackman’s standout post player, McDonald. To ensure his team is mentally and physically prepared during spring break, Hooper scheduled a concentrated Friday-Saturday practice block to allow for recovery time on Sunday, urging his seniors to embrace the magnitude of the moment as they attempt to make school history.

<p data-path-to-node="0">Coach Kris Hooper, in his first year as the head coach of the Ravenwood Raptors, has led the team to a historic position through a culture focused on meticulous attention to detail and collective buy-in. Reflecting on their recent performance, Hooper highlighted a tense "nail-biter" victory against Summit and a high-energy offensive win against Page before the team eventually fell to a formidable Brentwood squad in the region finals. Despite that loss, the Raptors remain alive and are preparing for a critical sectional game on Monday night, where a victory would secure their first-ever trip to the state tournament, often referred to as the "Glass House".</p>
<p data-path-to-node="1">Looking ahead to the matchup against Blackman, Hooper anticipates a grueling, low-scoring defensive battle where the first team to reach 30 points might emerge as the winner. He emphasizes that the game will be won in the paint, requiring his players to limit second-chance points and effectively rebound against Blackman&rsquo;s standout post player, McDonald. To ensure his team is mentally and physically prepared during spring break, Hooper scheduled a concentrated Friday-Saturday practice block to allow for recovery time on Sunday, urging his seniors to embrace the magnitude of the moment as they attempt to make school history.</p>

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.