Mt. Juliet and Green Hill return from fall break with region records on the line, as the final three-game stretch of Region 4-6A play begins Friday, Oct. 16.

The Golden Bears (4-3, 1-1 region) host Wilson Central (0-7, 0-2) at Roger Perry Field/Elzie Patton Stadium. Green Hill (5-2, 1-1) faces a tougher draw, traveling to region leader Lebanon (6-1, 2-0) at Clifton Tribble Field/Danny Watkins Stadium. Both games kick off at 7 p.m.

What's at stake

Lebanon sits alone atop Region 4-6A at 2-0. Gallatin is second at 2-1. Green Hill and Mt. Juliet are tied at 1-1, making Friday's results critical for playoff positioning, according to standings published by the Lebanon Democrat.

A Green Hill win at Lebanon would create a logjam near the top. A loss would drop the Hawks to 1-2 in region play with two games left.

Mt. Juliet, riding a three-game winning streak, can move to 2-1 in region play with a home win over Wilson Central, according to MaxPreps. The Golden Bears beat Gallatin 26-10 on Oct. 1.

Green Hill at Lebanon

The Hawks' biggest test of the season awaits in Lebanon. Green Hill's lone region loss came at Gallatin, 23-21, on Sept. 18. The Hawks followed with a 21-7 win over Cookeville and a 48-0 win over Glencliff before the break.

Lebanon shut out Wilson Central 34-0 on Oct. 2 in its last game. Running back Gyan Ezeta carried 15 times for 236 yards and four touchdowns in that win, Yahoo Sports reported. Quarterback Nate Dye completed 9 of 12 passes for 168 yards, and receiver Gavin Gregory hauled in seven catches for 124 yards and a 54-yard touchdown.

Wilson Central at Mt. Juliet

Wilson Central enters the game winless and on a seven-game losing streak. The Wildcats managed 101 total yards in the Oct. 2 loss to Lebanon, with quarterback Mason Crume throwing for 61 yards.

Mt. Juliet has won three straight: 49-14 over Jefferson County on Sept. 18, 34-12 over Northeast on Sept. 25 and 26-10 over Gallatin on Oct. 1. The Golden Bears' only region loss was a 28-7 defeat to Lebanon on Sept. 11.

Looking ahead

All three local teams play region opponents each of the next three Fridays. After Friday, Mt. Juliet travels to Cookeville on Oct. 23 and to Green Hill on Oct. 30. Green Hill hosts Wilson Central on Oct. 23 and Mt. Juliet on Oct. 30. Wilson Central visits Green Hill on Oct. 23 and hosts Gallatin on Oct. 30.