District 5-AAA Games remaining tonight, Oct. 28
Bradley Central 4-0 6-2 at Cleveland, vs. McMinn County
McMinn County 4-0 6-2 vs. Soddy-Daisy, at Bradley Central
Ooltewah 3-2 6-3 vs. Walker Valley Oct. 28
Cleveland 2-2 4-4 vs. Bradley Central, at Rhea County
Soddy-Daisy 2-3 3-5 at McMinn County vs. Warren County
If Bradley Central beats its crosstown rival tonight and McMinn County takes care of business against Soddy-Daisy, it will set up a winner-take-all scenario next week when the Bears host the Cherokees. It would also eliminate Soddy-Daisy. Ooltewah is in also and Cleveland needs to at least beat Rhea County next week to likely secure a playoff spot.
District 7-AA Games remaining tonight, Oct. 28
Bledsoe County 3-1 7-1 at Sweetwater, at CCS
Sequatchie County 3-1 7-2 vs. Signal Mountain
Grundy County 1-3 4-4 vs. Grace Academy, vs. Notre Dame
Notre Dame 0-4 4-4 vs. Whitwell, at Grundy County
Bledsoe and Sequatchie are in the playoffs, but the district championship is still up for grabs. While much has been made about Sequatchie County gaining an advantage by Signal Mountain having to vacate six wins, the Indians (7-2) would have earned a playoff spot regardless. Grundy County, the other Class 3A team, has a shot, as does Class 4A Notre Dame. Signal Mountain will miss the postseason because of the wins vacated with the TSSAA ruling that it had used an ineligible player.
"It's impossible to know right now which team would benefit from Signal Mountain not making it and earn a playoff spot in their place," the TSSAA's Earl Nall said. "It could be a team like Notre Dame, or it could be a team as far away as Memphis or Nashville. The ripple effects of the Signal Mountain ruling will be felt across the whole state, not just in the Chattanooga area."
District 6-AA Games remaining tonight, Oct. 28
Red Bank 5-0 7-1 at East Hamilton, at Tyner
East Hamilton 4-1 4-4 vs. Red Bank, vs. Howard
Tyner 3-2 3-5 vs. Howard Thursday night, vs. Red Bank
East Ridge 3-2 4-4 at Central, at Brainerd
Brainerd 2-3 3-5 vs. Hixson, vs. East Ridge
Central 2-3 3-5 vs. East Ridge, vs. Hixson
Hixson 1-4 3-5 at Brainerd, at Central
Red Bank is unbeaten in district play and could claim the title with a win at East Hamilton tonight. Should the Hurricanes win, they would also need to beat Howard next week to claim the title. It is possible that Tyner or East Ridge could finish second. Tyner is a Class 3A team; the rest are Class 4A. Seven of the eight teams in the district have a chance to win at least five games, with Howard the only district member that is out of the postseason picture. Last year, only one team in the state finished with five wins but did not make the playoffs.
"We could wind up the next two weeks putting each other out," Tyner coach Wayne Turner said.
"There isn't a single 4A school that has qualified yet," the TSSAA's Nall said. "Six-AA is maybe the least clear of any district in the state."
District 5-AA Games remaining
Polk County 3-0 6-2 at South Pittsburg, vs. Meigs County
Sweetwater 2-1 5-2 vs. Bledsoe County, vs. Sequoyah
Meigs County 1-2 4-4 at Tellico Plains, at Polk County
Sequoyah 1-2 4-4 vs. Loudon, at Sweetwater
Polk County has clinched. Sweetwater and Meigs are on the bubble in Class 3A, and Sequoyah could squeak into the Class 4A field.
District 6-A Games remaining
South Pittsburg 3-0 7-1 vs. Polk County, at Knox Grace Christian
Lookout Valley 2-1 6-3 at Copper Basin
South Pittsburg has clinched the title and a first-round bye, and Lookout Valley has secured second place and has a shot at hosting a first-round game.
District 5-A Games remaining
Boyd-Buchanan 2-0 8-1 at Copper Basin
Grace Academy 1-1 5-3 at Grundy County, at Silverdale Baptist
Silverdale Baptist 1-1 3-5 vs. Taft Youth Center, at Grace Academy
Copper Basin 1-1 3-5 vs. Lookout Valley, vs. Boyd-Buchanan
Boyd-Buchanan has clinched the district championship and should have a Class 2A bye. The rest of the teams are Class 1A. The winner of next week's Grace-at-Silverdale game will claim second in the district, and the other must hope for a playoff wild card. With five wins already, Grace has a better chance of earning a wild card than Silverdale, which has three wins so far. While Copper Basin moved into the 1A playoff bracket this week after last week's win over Marion, the Cougars need to beat Lookout Valley and Boyd-Buchanan just to finish with a .500 record. Otherwise, they are likely to fall back out of the playoffs.
Division II-AA Games remaining
Baylor 4-1 7-1 vs. Pope John Paul II, vs. BGA
McCallie 2-3 4-3 vs. MBA, at Brentwood Academy
All Division II teams are in the postseason but are playing for host roles. Baylor has secured a first-round bye already and could still finish as the top seed. Brentwood Academy, which beat Baylor, plays Ensworth this week. An Ensworth win, coupled with Baylor wins over Pope John Paul II tonight and BGA next week, would give the Red Raiders that spot. A Brentwood Academy win coupled with a victory next week over McCallie would make BA the winner. If McCallie beats Montgomery Bell Academy tonight, the worst the Blue Tornado could finish would be No. 5, which should still give them a first-round host's role.