Christ Presbyterian Academy is walking away from the TSSAA postseason football tournament for the next two seasons. The Nashville school says it will opt out of Tennessee's Division II-AAA classification and play an independent schedule in 2027 and 2028, making it ineligible for the TSSAA playoffs both years. CPA intends to work with other schools to create a meaningful postseason experience.
The Tennessee Secondary Scholastic Athletic Association had classified CPA's football team in Division II-AA for 2027, but the school says it expects to land in Division II-AAA under the association's approved classification rules and is opting out as a result, according to WSMV. Instead, CPA plans to play an independent 10-game regular-season schedule in both years, per the same report. As FOX17 reports, the school also expects the team will classify in Division I-AAA once it goes independent in 2027.
Why CPA Says It's Stepping Away
CPA lists three reasons for leaving Division II-AAA: mission accountability, competitive integrity and student safety, the station's report states. The school said a structural disparity exists within Division II-AAA, arguing that boarding schools possess the unique ability to house and enroll students nationally and internationally — an advantage day schools like CPA simply don't have, according to FOX17. CPA framed the current structure as one that perpetuates a competitive imbalance for day schools.
The school also pointed to broader shifts in high school football rules. Per the same account, CPA said that changes involving money, zoning and player eligibility have created pathways for well-resourced programs to stockpile talent, tilting competitive balance across the sport. CPA framed its exit as an act of protecting the game itself, with CPA Head of School Nate Morrow describing high school football as being at an inflection point.
A Program In Transition On The Field
The decision comes amid a rocky on-field stretch. CPA opened the 2026 season 0-5, as Yahoo Sports reported. That follows a 2025 season in which the TSSAA moved CPA into Division II-AAA and the Lions went 4-9 while still reaching the state semifinals, according to the same WSMV report. A year earlier, in 2024, CPA won the Division II-AA state title while competing in that smaller classification, per WSMV.
Reports differ on the program's full championship history. WSMV states that CPA has won five state championships and played in four other title games since 2014, while Yahoo Sports reports that the school has appeared in 12 TSSAA state championship games and won seven titles, most recently in 2024. Both figures come from credible outlets but were not independently reconciled, so each is presented here with its own attribution.
By opting out of the Division II-AAA schedule to go independent, CPA would not be eligible for the TSSAA playoffs during that stretch. In the meantime, the Lions have a game on the schedule this week: CPA is set to play Pearl Cohn High School, a matchup FOX17 has slated for its Football Frenzy Live game of the week.
