Region 7-3A Football: Can Westview repeat as region champion, state champion?
With a 62-21 victory over Gatlinburg-Pittman, the Westview football team won the Class 3A state championship.
The following week, Graham Simpson was named the Tennessee Titans Class 3A Mr. Football winner.
The Chargers outscored their region opponents 354-75, and many of those skill players are back.
Dyersburg and Covington seemed to be Westview’s closest competitors in the region, and those were the only two region opponents to score double-points on the Chargers last year.
So Westview is joined by Bolivar, Covington, Dyersburg, McNairy Central, Obion County and Ripley in Region 7-3A.
Predicted Order of Finish
1. Westview
2. Dyersburg
3. Covington
4. Bolivar
5. Obion County
6. McNairy Central
7. Ripley
Top region games
Covington at Dyersburg (Week 9; Oct. 16) – If Dyersburg wants to earn a home playoff game, the Trojans will have to knock off Covington. But at least the game is at home this year for Dyersburg. Covington will be working all season to replace some key personnel losses to be ready for this game.
Dyersburg at Westview (Week 10; Oct. 23) – The Trojans scored 30 points on Westview last season. Dyersburg returns some key guys too, so this has the potential to be the top two teams in the region playing for a region title depending on how the Dyersburg-Covington game went the previous week.
Westview at Covington (Week 11; Oct. 29) – After playing the regular season finale at Hardy Graham Stadium or two straight seasons, Westview will have to go on the road to play Covington. These two not only met in the regular season finale, but these two have played in the Class 3A semifinals for a spot in the state tournament each of the past two years. Westview won 40-34 in the semifinals last season.
Read about other region breakdowns
Region 6-1A Football: Can McKenzie make another run at the Class 1A state championship game?
Region 5-2A Football: Can Adamsville or Riverside battle for the region championship?
Region 7-2A Football: Will Huntingdon make a run at a second straight state championship?
Region 8-4A Football: Will Haywood win the region championship again?
15 players to watch
Carter Ayers (Obion County, Sr., OL/DL)
Asa Barnes (Westview, Sr., RB/LB)
Miles Brown (Westview, Sr., WR/DB)
Mekel Frazier (Ripley, Sr., WR/LB)
Colby Labermeier (Covington, Sr., QB)
Colton Mayfield (Bolivar, Sr., QB/LB)
JP Noblin (Dyersburg, Sr., LB/OL)
Andrekius Pirtle (Bolivar, Jr., RB/LB)
Graham Simpson (Westview, Jr., QB)
Finn Snider (Westview, Sr., LB)
Ty Seaton (Dyersburg, Sr., WR/FS)
Damari Stafford (McNairy Central, Jr., WR/CB)
Tyler Stork (Obion County, Sr., RB/LB)
Quincy Terry (Dyersburg, Sr., RB/CB)
Collen Winfrey (Covington, Sr., FB/LB)
Tidbits
Bolivar
Mascot: Tigers
2025 record: 5-6 (2-4)
Coach: Rennard Woodmore (3rd season, 11-11)
What to know: The Tigers finished fourth in the region last year, earning a playoff spot. And I expect the same to happen this season. Senior Colton Mayfield returns for his third season to lead the TIgers’ offense. Mayfield can be a dual-threat quarterback. But Bolivar lost the leading rusher and leading receiver from last season. So the Tigers will need some new talent to step up and be leaders in the offense. Senior JD Morrow could be the athlete to do that, and junior Andrekius Pirtle has the potential to be the go-to ball carrier. Junior Kayden McNatt has started each of the last two seasons, and he brings experience to the offensive line. Sophomore Kaleb Bryant will also be called upon to open holes for the rushing game. Senior Chris Henderson will be a leader on defense from his linebacker position.
Covington
Mascot: Chargers
2025 record: 12-2 (5-1)
Coach: J.R. Kirby (8th season: 72-18)
What to know: The Chargers have been hit hard by transfers. 1000-yard rusher Jaheim Smith is no longer on the roster, and the defensive line was also hit hard by hits leaving. But the kids that Kirby has back will play hard for him. Senior Colby Labermeier looks set to take over at quarterback. Senior Collen Winfrey will be asked to do more than block from the backfield as he will get the ball in his hands more often. WInfrey will have seniors around him in the backfield like Caden Simon and Quindaris Alexander. But the key will be the offensive line, who lost leader Jackson Kirby. The early weeks of the season will tell if this Covington team is ready to make another run in the Class 3A playoffs like the team has the past two seasons to reach the state semifinals.
Dyersburg
Mascot: Trojans
2025 record: 8-5 (4-2)
Coach: Bart Stowe (17th season: 138-65)
What to know: This could be the year that the Trojans battle Westview for the top spot in the region and move ahead of Covington. The Trojans aren’t a veteran ball club, so time will tell how good this team will be. Senior Quincy Terry Jr. will be key to the Trojans’ rushing game. Senior Ty Seaton will be key on both sides of the ball, playing receiver and safety. Seniors Will Rogers and John Revell will be leaders on the offensive line. Defense is where the bigger question marks are for Dyersburg. The two leaders on the defensive line were seniors, and the Trojans had seniors at key spots at linebacker and defensive back. Senior JP Noblin is back at linebacker and should be the leader on that side of the ball.
McNairy Central
Mascot: Bobcats
2025 record: 4-6 (2-4)
Coach: Justin Truett (3rd season: 7-13)
What to know: In Truett’s third year in charge, the Bobcats will try to take the next step and get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2019. Junior Jackson King has to get on the field for the Bobcats as he can make things happen, but what position he will play is yet to be seen. Sophomore Jarderious Gaines showed potential last season also. Senior Jasper Hickman is ready to take on a leadership role and become a playmaker. McNairy Central has put in the work during the offseason to try and take the steps toward a winning program and making that playoff berth. But the Bobcats have to stay healthy, and that improvement has to continue throughout the season.
Obion County
Mascot: Rebels
2025 record: 5-5 (2-4)
Coach: Clayton Morris (3rd season: 9-12)
What to know: The Rebels got back to .500 after a 2-9 record in 2024, but they missed the playoffs for the first time in three years. Obion County could have made the playoffs with a win in Week 11, but the team lost to Bolivar 7-6. Junior Tucker Phelon showed moments last year of being a consistent offensive weapon. But the Rebels lost the top three rushers from the 2025 season to graduation, including 1,100-yard rusher – Tucker Moore. Obion County also lost the top six receivers from 2025. So Morris will need new players to step up into key roles on offense. Senior Tyler Stork will be called up to pick up some carries and be a more consistent rushing threat. Obion County does have experience on the offensive line with senior Carter Ayers and junior Braylan Thomas. Senior Weston Quinn will be a leader on the defense at linebacker, and he is joined by another senior in Deacon Bentley.
Ripley
Mascot: Tigers
2025 record: 0-10 (0-6)
Coach: Joshua Northcutt (1st season)
What to know: The Tigers are coming off a winless season where they were shut out five times and didn’t score more than seven points in a game. In the end, Ripley missed the playoffs for the second straight season. It was the program’s first winless season since 2015. The roster is under 30 players, so the Tigers will rely on players to play both ways. Potential playmakers for Ripley are guys like senior Mekel Frazier and junior Cedric Murrell. The defense gave up 39.2 points per game last season, so this team needs to figure out ways to get stops on defense.
Westview
Mascot: Chargers
2025 record: 14-0 (6-0)
Coach: Matt McConnell (4th season: 34-6)
What to know: The Chargers are the defending Class 3A state champions and return weapons all over the field. Two players on offense that Westview will miss are CD Damron and Donteze Joy. Junior Graham Simpson was named the Tennessee Titans Class 3A Mr. Football winner after he completed 194-of-256 passes for 3,565 yards and 43 touchdowns with only three interceptions to go with 204 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Senior running back Asa Barnes has committed to Tennessee after he rushed for 1,270 yards and 25 touchdowns on 146 carries to go with 567 receiving yards and six touchdowns on 27 receptions. Senior Miles Brown has committed to Kentucky after he recorded 40 tackles with four interceptions, two fumble recoveries and six pass break-ups to go with 812 receiving yards with 13 touchdowns. Junior Drake Hickman is dominant on the defensive line as he recorded 91 total tackles with 18 tackles for loss, five sacks and three fumble recoveries. Westview might have the best linebacking duo in the state in Class 3A in seniors FInn Snider and Coree Wells. Snider recorded 150 total tackles to go with nine tackles for loss, three sacks, one forced fumble, one interception and one blocked kick, and Wells recorded 109 total tackles with 11 tackles for loss, five sacks, three fumble recoveries and one interception. Westview is even in good shape with special teams as senior kicker Kinzer Pratt converted 65 extra points and was 2-of-2 on field goals, while also hitting 10 touchbacks on kickoffs.
Michael Odom is the sports editor for the Mirror-Exchange, Weakley County Press, Brownsville States-Graphic and Fayette Falcon. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @GCSportsWriter. Reach him by email at michaelodom@milanmirrorexchange.com.
