The East Ridge and Central high school football teams waited for nearly an hour and a half Friday night at Central, and the wait will continue until 5 p.m. today.
About 15 minutes before their scheduled kickoff, nearby lightning strikes and menacing dark clouds forced the teams and fans to clear the stadium. While players and coaches found refuge in the locker rooms, fans packed into the basketball gym.
The heavy rain and wind eventually cleared, but lightning remained in the area long enough to push the game back a day.
"We had actually made the decision to play, and just as I was ready to drive back over here, another lightning strike hit," Pounders coach Gary Bloodsaw said. "That put kickoff after 9:30, and that put us past 11 o'clock playing, which is too late for school kids, and I think Hamilton County has a rule against going past 11."
School administrators and officials decided the two teams will share the stage with college football, and Bloodsaw said he hopes his team comes back with the same enthusiasm it had Friday night.
"You know, it's kind of disheartening," he said about not getting to play. "This is the most pumped my kids have been pregame all year. They were ready to get out there and play. I told them, 'If you can be pumped today, you can be pumped tomorrow.'"
East Ridge will try to remain unbeaten after starting 3-0 for the first time since a 6-0 start in 2001. Last week, the Pioneers shellacked Signal Mountain 35-10 at Baylor.
Central is hoping to rebound from a 46-6 loss at the hands of Livingston Academy. The Purple Pounders are still looking for their first win.
Contact Idris Garcia at sports@timesfreepress.com