Region schedules set for all Madison County prep football teams

The continuing trend in recent years of declining number of football officials and officiating crews has caused the TSSAA to become more proactive in making sure all games necessary for playoff qualification and seeding – region games – are adequately staffed with officials.

The state’s governing body in high school sports released region schedules for all football teams across the state for the next two seasons after the schools were realigned the week before.

"When we had to move games the past few years, the major feedback we received from coaches was 'don't move our region games,'" said Richard McWhirter, TSSAA Assistant Executive Director for Football. "I'm pleased we were able to make this process work and guarantee Friday night region contests for all the schools."

The schedules were assembled to assure that the games played on the date and at the location published would have local officiating crews available. While schools can still mutually agree to move region games to other weeks, doing so would mean that the game would no longer be guaranteed to have a local crew available on Friday night, according to a statement from the TSSAA.

No team in the state has a region game scheduled in the first two weeks of the season, which gives them a chance to get a couple games under their belt before playing games that directly affect their ability to get to the postseason and compete for a state championship.

Here's a look at each of the region schedules according to weeks in the 11-week regular season. Each matchup will be a home-and-home series with one team hosting in 2023 and the other hosting in 2024.

Jackson Central-Merry (Region 6-2A) – Week 3 – Camden, Week 5 – Milan, Week 6 – Adamsville, Week 8 – Huntingdon, Week 9 – Peabody, Week 10 – Riverside and Week 11 – Gibson County

Jackson Christian (Division II-A West) – Week 5 – Fayette Academy, Week 6 – Tipton-Rosemark, Week 7 – First Assembly Christian School, Week 10 – Harding Academy, Week 11 – Trinity Christian

Liberty (Region 7-3A) – Week 4 – Westview, Week 5 – Ripley, Week 6 – Scotts Hill, Week 8 – Covington, Week 9 – McNairy Central, Week 10 – Dyersburg and Week 11 – Bolivar

North Side (Region 6-4A) – Week 4 – Lexington, Week 5 – Hardin County, Week 9 – South Side, Week 10 – South Gibson and Week 11 – Chester County

South Side (Region 6-4A) – Week 5 – Chester County, Week 6 – Lexington, Week 8 – Hardin County, Week 9 – North Side and Week 11 – South Gibson

Trinity Christian Academy (Division II-A West) – Week 4 – Fayette Academy, Week 7 – Harding Academy, Week 9 – First Assembly Christian School, Week 10 – Tipton-Rosemark and Week 11 – Jackson Christian

University School of Jackson (Division II-AA West) – Week 6 – St. George’s, Week 7 – Northpoint Christian, Week 9 – Evangelical Christian School, Week 10 – St. Benedict and Week 11 - Lausanne