Prep Football Playoff Update: East Ridge, Walker Valley visit area rivals after first-round road wins

East Ridge High School football coach Tim James wanted his team to consider its visit to DeKalb County as a business trip Friday.

The Pioneers didn't disappoint, taking care of business in Smithville with a 23-18 win over the higher-seeded Tigers.

"It was a business trip. That's the way I approached it," James said Saturday. "We have an opportunity to make a presentation and the sale, and if we get it we get the contract to play again."

Weird was the way he described the game.

"As a coach you can see your team develop a rhythm. We didn't really have it except on the three series where we scored (touchdowns)," the coach said. "The kids were excited on the ride home, but less than halfway home you could've heard a pin drop. They played hard against a really big, really good football team."

Walker Valley also went on the road and beat a higher-seeded team, rebounding from a 14-0 deficit to defeat Oak Ridge 35-27.

"We started out rocky, stumbling around a little bit - a mistake here, a mistake there - and then we finally figured out we could play," Mustangs coach Glen Ryan said. "The defense played shutdown football in the second half except for one TD. We didn't play great, but everybody did enough to win the game."

It was the first football playoff victory in Walker Valley's history.

"You're on the road playing the No. 1 team in your quadrant and you win? It's definitely something to build on," Ryan said.

The upset sends Walker Valley on the road to fellow Region 4-5A member Ooltewah this week.

Meanwhile, East Ridge's victory boosted the Pioneers into a Class 3A round-of-16 outing at Red Bank.

"It's a storied series and it goes back further than the (19)70s and '80s when East Ridge and Red Bank were blood rivals and there was a bitter rivalry," James said. "They were always physical games, the kids playing hard and getting after each other. We played them earlier this year, and that aspect hasn't changed."

Red Bank won that Sept. 16 meeting 22-10.

Georgia playoffs start

The playoff pairings involving northwest Georgia teams are mostly set.

Dalton, after winning a thriller at Allatoona on Friday to complete a 10-0 regular season with the Region 6-AAAAAA title, will host Winder-Barrow. Region 6-AAAA champion Ridgeland will host St. Pius X, while runner-up Northwest Whitfield hosts Oconee County and No. 3 Heritage travels to Stephens County.

In Class AAA, Calhoun, after winning its 16th consecutive region title, will host Monroe Area. North Murray earned its first playoff berth Friday and will welcome Jackson County to Chatsworth, while Sonoraville will travel to Franklin County after a two-overtime win over Ringgold.

In Class AA, Chattooga will travel to Spencer, and in Class A public, Trion will await word of its opponent following the release of final power ratings by Wednesday.

Staff writer Lindsey Young contributed to this story.

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