Gossett Blog: Baylor-McCallie, Signal-Notre Dame highlight a Friday of big games

Arkansas-SEMO Live Blog

It's big-game week with a number of rivalries sprinkled in for additional flavor, and the average fan, those with loyalty to no particular school, will have his choice of good games to attend.

Atop the list is Baylor at McCallie, but this time there is much more at stake than bragging rights.

McCallie is the state's top-ranked Division II-AA team now, and the Blue Tornado also put themselves in line for a national ranking with their 62-34 win last Friday over Ensworth.

Baylor, meanwhile, is 5-0 and No. 2 in the state and will have had two weeks to prepare for the Blue Tornado when the Red Raiders go visiting.

This will be the first time since 1978 that both teams enter this rivalry game undefeated. Coaches that year, by the way, were legends Pete Potter, current McCallie coach Ralph Potter's dad, and Red Etter.

• Have heard through the grapevine that Baylor students will be bused en masse to the game, that they won't be allowed to leave campus when school is dismissed, that they'll be served dinner on campus and that they have to ride the buses to McCallie and then back to the Baylor campus.

• Baylor-McCallie, though, is just one of numerous fan-attracting games on this Friday's schedule.

How about Signal Mountain-Notre Dame, Sequatchie County-Bledsoe County, Brainerd-Howard or Central-Tyner?

The Signal-Notre Dame game has been moved to Ringgold to avoid creating major traffic problems with two huge games originally scheduled within three blocks of each other. Notre Dame and McCallie fans trying to get to last year's games at Baylor and Signal will recall quickly the problems they ran into a year ago trying to get off Highway 27 and onto Signal Mountain Boulevard.

Each of those is a district game with significant playoff implications.

"I don't care where we play," Signal Mountain coach Bill Price said after his club moved to 6-0 with a 27-7 home win over Bradley Central. "All I know is that we just won a game and we're playing Notre Dame for the District 7-AA championship."

• Beyond those rivalries, though, are games with that will impact district placements and, therefore, playoff standings.

In a game that might well decide District 6-AAA when all is said and done, Rhea County is at home vs. Cookeville, but the list also includes Ooltewah at Bradley Central, East Hamilton at Cleveland, McMinn County at Soddy-Daisy, Grace Academy at Boyd-Buchanan, Grundy County at Chattanooga Christian and Hixson at East Ridge.

Cookeville, by the way, is 6-0 and Rhea County is 5-0.

East Ridge has suffered heart-wrenching losses the last two weeks, losing in overtime two weeks ago to Brainerd after leading 24-6 late in the fourth period and dropping a one-point loss to unbeaten Loudon last Friday. Coach Tracy Malone will see just how much heart his club has this week when it plays Hixson. The Wildcats, preseason co-favorites with the Pioneers to win 6-AA, last week bumped off previously unbeaten Livingston Academy. This one could be a head-knocker, especially if East Ridge has anything left in the emotions tank.

• There are several quality games in Georgia as well, the biggest likely being unbeaten Adairsville playing at unbeaten Calhoun. Dalton also is home for a key region battle, as are Ridgeland and Southeast Whitfield.

• FYI, Sale Creek will be playing at Finley Stadium on Thursday night, hosting Marion County. That game will kick off at 8 p.m.

• We're guaranteed of having one fewer winless team after Friday because 0-5 Boyd-Buchanan is playing 0-5 Grace Academy. This will be the first District 5-A game for each.

• Tyrik Twitty-Humphrey started Hixson's game with Livingston Academy wearing jersey No. 6. On his way to leading the Wildcats' rally for the win, his jersey was all but ripped away. Switching to No. 12 didn't seem to bother him, though. He finished with 131 yards on 20 carries in the 39-34 victory. It was Livingston's first loss and by far the most points they had given up this year. The previous high allowed was just 13.

• Understand it was for a good cause -- breast cancer awareness -- but Signal Mountain's pink jerseys and matching socks were a shock to the eyes and to the system. At least Price didn't break out a set of pink helmets, pink cleats or pink facemasks.

The Eagles made their point, both in dress and on the scoreboard.

The game with Notre Dame should be a dandy, and the Irish can boast one of the most explosive offenses with running backs Auston Banks, Ricky and William Montgomery, wide receiver Kareem Orr and quarterback Alex Darras.

Signal obviously has a power running game, but it will be interesting to see if this one becomes a slash vs. smash or smash-and-dash for both offenses. It should be a physical game, no debate.

• Though his team was picked on fairly well by Bradley quarterback Cole Copeland, Price saw it as a positive.

"It was good for us to see that type of passing game with what we'll be playing next week," he said.

There were a half-dozen or so Irish players -- no coaches -- in the Signal stands Friday night. Most opted to attend the Ringgold-Calhoun game.

• There were several tremendous performances last Friday, which made this the toughest week to date for selecting a player of the week.

The candidates included:

• Scottsboro lost to neighbor North Jackson, but DK Billingsley ran for 246 yards (8.5 ypc) and five TDs.

• Chattooga's Isaac Foster gained 206 yards (13.7 ypc) and five TDs in the Indians' win over Armchee.

• McCallie quarterback JaVaughn Craig, in his team's huge win over Ensworth, ran for 103 yards and two TDs and completed nine of 12 passes for 146 yards and three scores. He was one of three Blue Tornado players to gain at least 100 yards.

• Soddy-Daisy quarterback Hunter Maynor turned in another quality passing night, throwing for 380 yards and three touchdowns while rushing five times for 38 yards and two scores in the Trojans' win over Tyner.

• While it came in a losing effort, Tyner's Chasen Patrick gained 222 yards on 20 carries.

Contact Ward Gossett at wgossett@timesfreepress.com or 423-886-4765. Follow him at Twitter.com/wardgossett.

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