McCallie Blue Tornado

Staff Photo by Dan Henry / The Chattanooga Times Free Press- 10/3/14. McCallie's JaVaughn Craig (3) runs the ball as Baylor defenders Will Jumper (46) and Ulysses Strawter (21) close in during the rival game at the Blue Tornado's home field (Spears Stadium) on October 3, 2014.

Pedal to the metal

There may be no team in the state facing a tougher schedule than McCallie.

With all 10 opponents coming off playoff seasons - including a state champion, a runner-up, another semifinalist and two other quarterfinalists - if players are healthy by the start of the postseason, the Blue Tornado will be accustomed to hostile environments and how to handle late-game pressure.

"It won't take long to find out exactly what kind of make-up we have as a team," McCallie coach Ralph Potter said. "The teams we play will find any weakness and expose it, so we will know a lot about ourselves real fast."

Potter hopes the disappointment of last year's late-season nosedive will serve as inspiration this year. After a 7-0 start, the Blue Tornado lost two of their final three regular-season games, allowing at least 58 points in each, then lost in the second round of the playoffs.

McCallie had whipped rival Baylor by 26 points, but the bottom fell out after that as a group of young players without experience handling the week-to-week grind was not able to recapture the same focus and energy.

McCallie opens this season with three road games, including against Parkview, a suburban Atlanta program and four-time state champion, and has just four home dates. There's also a late-season trip to Disney World to face Ox Bridge Academy, one of the top-ranked teams in Florida.

"We didn't have much choice but to schedule some of those out-of-town teams," Potter said. "But if we approach it the right way, it will make us better."

Capsule by Stephen Hargis; contact at shargis@timesfreepress.com or follow on Twitter: @StephenHargis