CLASS 1A
South Pittsburg Pirates (10-2) at Knoxville Grace Christian Rams (11-1)
Kickoff, 7 p.m. EDT
The coaches: South Pittsburg's Vic Grider; Grace Christian's Randy McKamey
Playoff history: The Rams, including two wins this year, are 3-2 in the postseason. They made their first playoff appearance in 2007 and got their first playoff win last year with a 42-6 victory over Coalfield. Their wins this year have been 35-0 over Sunbright and 35-21 over Harriman.
The Pirates opened their 2009 postseason with a first-week bye and then a 50-0 win over Eagleville before beating Gordonsville 46-7 last week. They hold a 54-22 postseason record.
Things you may want to know: The teams had one common opponent in Grace Baptist Academy. Grace Christian beat the Golden Eagles 44-22 while South Pittsburg won 53-0.
The Pirates have scored 48 points while allowing 3.5 per game in their two postseason wins while the Rams have have put up 50 and allowed 10.5. Each had a first-round shutout. It gave Grace three shutouts for the year while South Pittsburg now has two. Grace went 2-1 against Class 2A teams. South Pittsburg's losses were to Class 3A Bledsoe County, which entered the playoffs unbeaten and finished 11-1, and Boyd-Buchanan, a Class 2A semifinalist with an 11-1 record. Eight of South Pittsburg's regular season opponents reached the playoffs and the Pirates scored 40 or more points in nine of their 11 games. Grace Christian has won 11 straight since a season-opening loss to Christian Academy of Knoxville. Their latest win came on the arm of junior quarterback Jordan Hopkins, who threw for 236 yards and three TDs. The Rams' program is in its seventh season. However, running back Chris Campbell may give Pirates defensive coordinator Danny Wilson cause to pause. Even with Hopkins' showing, Campbell ran for 175 yards on 10 carries.
The winner gets: A trip to Cookeville for a state championship game against Wayne County or Union City.
CLASS 2A
Rockwood Tigers (11-2) at Boyd-Buchanan Buccaneers (11-1)
Kickoff, 7 p.m. EDT
The coaches: Rockwood's John Webb; Boyd-Buchanan's Grant Reynolds
Playoff history: Rockwood has played three postseason games, beating Unaka 32-6, Oneida 21-14 and Hampton 28-14. Boyd-Buchanan, which had a first-round bye, broke open a close game in Round 2 to win 28-6 over Marion County and then shut out Cascade 21-0 last week. The Buccaneers went to state finals from 2002-2004, winning once, and also got to the quarters last year before losing in an upset to Marion County by 7-6. The Bucs have a 29-11 playoff record. The teams have never met in the postseason. This is Boyd-Buchanan's 12th consecutive year to enjoy the postseason. Rockwood's playoff history dates to 1975 when the Tigers went 1-1. They are 18-11 in playoff gamesbut have not advanced past the first round since 2004. Their lone state championship came in 1976.
Things you may want to know: Boyd-Buchanan played five games in which it scored 40 or more points. The Buccaneers also have four shutouts and only one team (Howard) has scored more than 15 points on their defense. The Bucs are coming off a shutout win in which they picked off six passes and recovered a fumble. The Tigers had four shutouts and two other games when they allowed 14 or fewer points. They also have a big turnover game, picking off five passes against Unaka. They were down 14-0 against Oneida and scored 21 unanswered points in the second half rally. Rockwood is primarily a running team and depends on backs Jeff Inman and Davey Templeton. They entered the Hampton game with a combined 1,880 yards. Their big concern last week was Hampton's offensive line, which averages 260 pounds. The obviously had little trouble with Hampton's size, which should serve as a wake-up call to the Buccaneers, who also have a hefty offensive line. Webb moved Lucas Jolley to quarterback in Week 5 and the Tigers have since averaged 10 passes per game. However, Jolley's season high is 122 yards against Oneida when the Tigers had to throw in their come-from-behind win.
The winner gets: A trip to Cookeville for a state championship game against Trousdale County and McKenzie.
GEORGIA
Jefferson County Warriors at Calhoun Yellow Jackets
Kickoff, 7:30 p.m. EDT
The coaches: Jefferson County's J.B. Arnold; Calhoun's Hal Lamb
A little history: This is a quarterfinal game. Jefferson County is ranked fourth in Georgia Class AA and unbeaten. Calhoun won the host spot this week when Lamb correctly called a coin flip on Saturday. Jefferson County was hard-pressed last week, forced to overtime for a 24-17 win over Thomasville. Prior to last week, Jefferson County's closest brush with defeat was a midseason 18-14 win over Swain County. Jefferson County is located in Louisville. The Warriors have held eight of their opponents to 14 points or less.
The winner gets: The winner of the Lovett-Charlton County game.
LAST FRIDAY
In Alabama, North Jackson lost to Cherokee 56-32 and Ider lost to Lamar County 35-13.
In Tennessee, Red Bank lost to Greeneville 14-13.
Ward Gossett is an assistant sports editor and writer for the Times Free Press. Ward has a long history in Chattanooga journalism. He actually wrote a bylined story for the Chattanooga News-Free Press as a third-grader. He Began working part-time there in 1968 and was hired full time in 1970. Ward now covers high school athletics, primarily football, wrestling and baseball and University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling. Over a 40-year career, he has covered ...
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