Lions Hit the Road Again for Early-Season Showdown at Nashville

Week two of the high school football season takes us to Nashville Friday night, and this one has the makings of a very good early-season matchup. The Carterville Lions and Nashville Hornets both enter the night 1-0, but they took different paths to get there. Carterville survived a tough road test at Marion, 28-24, while Nashville opened its season with an impressive 42-14 victory over Roxana.

For Carterville, last Friday night showed a lot about this football team. The Lions went into Marion and found a way to win a close game against a physical Wildcat squad. Jonathan Miller picked up right where he left off last season, rushing for 161 yards and two touchdowns. Jack Dodson added 70 yards on the ground as Carterville finished with 272 rushing yards, while Gavin Johnson provided the big-play threat through the air with six catches for 136 yards.

Friday presents a different challenge. Nashville wasted little time making a statement in week one, jumping on Roxana and building enough of a first-half advantage that the Hornets cruised to a 42-14 win. Nashville has also been very good on its home field. Dating back to last season, the Hornets have won five straight home games, so Carterville knows it is walking into a difficult environment Friday night.

One of the things I’ll be watching is how Carterville builds off what worked at Marion. The Lions showed they can lean on Miller and the running game, but Gavin Johnson’s production gives the offense another dimension that defenses have to respect. When you can run the football effectively and still threaten a defense downfield, it becomes much harder to load the box. On the other side, Carterville’s defense will face a Nashville offense coming off a six-touchdown performance. Winning the line of scrimmage, limiting explosive plays and avoiding turnovers could go a long way toward deciding this one.

There is also some recent history between these programs. Carterville defeated Nashville 21-14 last season, but Friday night starts a new chapter with two 1-0 teams trying to build some early-season momentum. For the Lions, it is also the second straight road game to begin the season. A win would send Carterville home for its September 4 home opener against Charleston with a 2-0 record.

Keenan Clark and I will have the call Friday night from Nashville. Our pregame coverage begins at 6:40 PM, with kickoff scheduled for 7:00 PM. You can hear the game on NewsRadio WJPF, AM 1340 and 99.5 FM, and we'll also have the game live on YouTube.

▶️ WATCH THE CARTERVILLE LIONS AT NASHVILLE HORNETS LIVE:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nRw1bvPGHE&list=PLQ43quOPda-o

It should be a fun Friday night in Nashville — two unbeaten teams, two programs coming off impressive opening-week wins, and another early test for the Lions. We’ll see you Friday night!