The TSSAA's latest region football alignments moved McMinn Central and Bradley Central into new territory.
"They always have sent us south, but this time they sent us north," McMinn Central coach Josh Goodin said of Region 3-2A. "There isn't a game on our schedule that we can mark down right now as a win."
Bradley Central is the only Chattanooga-area team competing in Region 1 of Class 6A - the Super 32 - and the adjustment includes games with such annual playoff performers as Science Hill and Dobyns-Bennett in northeastern Tennessee along with perennial state champion Maryville.
"Maryville's been the best team in the state the last 15 years," Bradley coach Damon Floyd said when asked about increased challenges from the Bears' move. "They're a step up, but the other teams are similar talent-wise to the teams we've been playing."
Headaches that accompany the shift are travel - Bradley will use charter buses - and other logistics.
"We have to figure out what time we'll need to leave school, where we'll stop for the pregame meal," Floyd said. "Besides that we don't have a whole lot of history with some of these teams. We have to get to know our opponents."
Region 1-6A also includes Hardin Valley, Jefferson County and William Blount.
"We're excited to be in it and wanted to be in," Floyd said. "We've had travel before. It is not a negative to us by any means."
The Bears go into the season with very few returning starters, but they do have one of the state's top dual-threat quarterbacks in junior Cole Copeland.
"He has to carry us, but he has some experience and he's a winner and a big college prospect," Floyd said, adding that Bradley will start numerous sophomores and will have freshmen in key backup roles.
While Bradley's Super 32 membership carries an automatic postseason berth, McMinn Central may be hard pressed to repeat its district championship and playoff run of 2014. The Chargers' Region 3-2A schedule includes Alcoa, York Institute, Christian Academy of Knoxville, Kingston, Loudon and Scott County.
"Four of those teams were in the (playoff) quarterfinals: two in 3A and one made the 3A championship, and Loudon made the semifinals in 4A," Goodin said. "Alcoa is the best team in the region, and then it's a tossup between CAK and Loudon."
Even with returning quarterback Jackson Guy, who passed for 1,000 yards and ran for 700, and running backs Jackson Long and Jordan Brooks, who combined for 2,000 rushing yards, the Chargers have a big challenge in finishing in the top four.
"We're going to have to be at our best to even get into the playoffs," Goodin said.
Contact Ward Gossett at wgossett@timesfreepress.com or 423-886-4765. Follow him at Twitter.com/wardgossett.