For so many years Riverdale could count on being a playoff team.

This fall, when a postseason appearance has been anything but a sure thing, the Warriors at least had the luxury of knowing they had not lost at home.

Friday night, all of that changed. Smyrna jumped out to a lead almost from the moment it stepped onto the playing surface at Tomahawk Stadium, held on through a frentic fourth quarter, and dealt the Warriors' playoff hopes a critical blow with a 31-25 triumph. With the loss, the Warriors were doomed to miss the postseason for the first time since 1990.

The Bulldogs (5-4, 4-2), on the other hand, not only guaranteed themselves the opportunity to pursue a third straight Class 5A crown, but also left open the possibility that they could finish as high as second place in Region 4-5A.

They did so only after Riverdale (4-5, 2-4) scored 15 unanswered points in the fourth quarter and got the ball back with 2:38 to play. Only when Cody West's fourth-down pass with just under one minute remaining sailed too high for Trey Oliver was the outcome secured.

GLADEVILLE — Riverdale's hopes of another playoff bid haven't vanished. But the Warriors' margin for error has.

Led by Jordan Poole's two touchdowns and a defensive stop in the final minutes, host Wilson Central handed Riverdale its third region loss of the year here Friday night, 21-14, pushing the Warriors closer to the possibility of missing the playoffs for the first time since 1990.

Riverdale (4-4, 2-3 in Region 4-5A) faces probable must-win situations the final two weeks of the season, when it hosts Smyrna and La Vergne.

"It's disappointing we didn't make the plays when we needed to make them," Riverdale coach Ron Aydelott said. "That's a good football team. My hat's off to them."

Wilson Central (6-2, 3-2) won its fourth straight game. But Riverdale almost pulled it out.

With Wilson Central nursing a 21-7 lead midway through the fourth quarter, Riverdale's C.J. Overton intercepted a pass at midfield. On the next play, quarterback Cody West hit Erik Wallin for a 48-yard pass to the 7-yard line, and Aaron Ebalaroza scored on a fourth-and-goal run from the 1 to make it 21-14.

The Warriors' Joey Lee then intercepted another pass, giving Riverdale the ball at Wilson Central's 29 with less than five minutes to play. Riverdale got a pair of first downs to move the ball to the 15 — one came on a pass-interference call that nullified an interception.

But West was sacked twice, including once by Poole, and a fourth-down pass fell short. Riverdale got a final chance at a Hail Mary, but West's game-ending pass was intercepted.