By Joe Williams, Williamson Herald

Williamson County's high school football equivalent of a North-South battle fires up again Friday night when Brentwood travels to Summit in the Region 7-6A opener for both.

"Being 1-1 is one thing but being 1-0 in the region would be huge for us," said Bruins head coach Clint Finch. "It's at their place and it's going to be a battle."

As the featured Game of the Week, Summit's trip to Brentwood can be heard live on WAKM AM-950 locally and online at www.wakmworldwide.com. Joe Williams will handle play-by-play, with color analysis from Dana McLendon in the booth and sideline reporting by Charles Pulliam. All three will manage the pre-game show, which kicks off at 6:30 p.m. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday.

Both teams split with their respective opponents in the opening two weeks of the season, and both felt like they let one get away in their losses. New-look Summit fell to Henry County in Week 1 before stopping Spring Hill with a statement last week. The Bruins beat a strong Blackman team before falling at Father Ryan 10-7 in Week 2.

Finch said for the Bruins, it was a tale of two different games.

"We were really pleased after the Blackman game. It was all positive," he said. "We knew going to Father Ryan was going to be a tough place to play and we knew their defense was really good. We thought our defense would keep it manageable for us and they did. They held them to 10 points and forced four turnovers. 

"We just couldn't get anything going on offense at Ryan. We felt we let one get away."

There was no better example of the way things turned for the Bruins than the results for junior kicker Isaac Hayes. In the opener, Hayes was the difference, nailing three field goals including 49- and 50-yarders in the victory. Against the Irish, two attempts were blocked, one hit the goalpost and one just missed left.

"[Hayes] played a huge role in us beating Blackman," said Finch, "and a week later he had a bad night. Unfortunately, that happens, but that doesn't change the fact that we trust him and he's going to win ball games for us."

For Summit's Brian Coleman, the season has started the same way.

"We're doing things young teams do that we have to get fixed ASAP," the Spartans coach said. 

It's hard to think of a team that has been to three straight state championship games in two different classifications as young, but Summit begins the season with five new faces in the offensive line and plenty more across the board. 

"They are getting better," Coleman said. "They just need experience. Sometimes you have one or two returners, but we're starting with five new guys."

The "new guys" up front will have to be on their toes Friday night, as Coleman hopes to see them open holes for Dominick Hollis, who has collected 149 yards and two touchdowns on 33 carries this season, and Logan Frazier. The two are at the top of a bevy of Spartan rushers. 

But in Coleman's eyes, it won't be easy.

"They were probably the best defense we faced last year," Coleman said of Brentwood. "And [Jayson Lowe] flies all over the field. We don't need to get behind the chains. We need positive yardage every play. It's tough getting the 2-10, 3-15 conversions."

Finch is working with his own set of newcomers, but not because of graduation. Senior running back Homzi Nassar came from West Tennessee by way of Texas and has the bulk of the team's rushing attempts so far. Finch expects Nassar, Jackson Lowe, Adam Fontechia and quarterback Grant Nelson will share the rushing responsibilities Friday night.

"Homzi is a bruiser and has done an excellent job for us," Finch said. "It's a little running back by committee, but they all bring something different and they all know their role."

Nelson is another transfer who has performed well in the first two games after earning the starting spot under center. 

"He's pretty unflappable," Finch said. "He really wants to get better in a brand new offense. I'm super impressed with the way he's handled this, because what we're asking him to do is not a simple thing."

Coleman will depend on solid defense to stop Brentwood, including senior linebacker Finley Jameson.

"Finley is everywhere, and he just likes to hit," he said. "Our defense played really well last week against Spring Hill. They got a lot of offensive plays."

How good was the Spartan defense last week? The visiting Raiders were held to a single yard of offense in the loss. 

The Brentwood at Summit broadcast begins at 6:30 p.m. with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m.