Jim Schermerhorn knows his way around Murfreesboro, at least from a hotel along Interstate 24 to the Richard Siegel Soccer Complex.
He has taken Notre Dame girls' teams to the state tournament every year since he became the Fighting Irish's coach 15 years ago, and there have been another half-dozen state journeys with boys' teams.
Notre Dame is one of three Chattanooga-area teams headed for the 2016 girls' state. Schermerhorn's latest group joins 2015 runner-up Chattanooga Christian, which the Irish wouldn't see again unless both make Saturday's Class A/AA championship match, and Class AAA McMinn County, which is making its first trip to the state tourney.
McMinn (12-8-2) tackles defending Class AAA champion Houston (17-0-2) at 5 p.m. EDT today. CCS (15-6-1) opens with Madison (16-3-3) at 7:30, and Notre Dame (11-12-2) takes on reigning A/AA champ Greeneville (23-1) at 8.
The odds of a return for Notre Dame this season appeared long, especially with three freshmen and three or four sophomores on the field at one time.
"We're that young," said Schermerhorn, a former professional player.
The inexperience showed, especially early when Notre Dame went to Baylor's tournament and played three Memphis toughies, then followed that with a trip to the western end of the state to play three other Memphis teams and a visit to Knoxville to see some of the best there.
"On the front end we played a lot of tough teams. Before October hit, we had three wins," Schermerhorn said. "It was to prepare them for what was coming."
He was trying to replace two seniors who had produced 90 percent of the 2015 season's scoring while combining player education with trying to avoid match results that can tear the struts right out from under a rebuilding effort.
"There's a fine line to keeping everybody in position and being competitive, and it's tough to keep them working hard, hopefully getting better and making it to the state," he added.
Midfielders Meagan Eiselstein and Kelsey Barta have provided the glue as part of a five-senior class to keep Notre Dame on the high road.
"Senior leadership definitely is one of the things I've been pleased with. They've been a good group their whole time at Notre Dame," Schermerhorn praised. "I'm happy for them that they're getting another chance at state. Hopefully we can do something when we get there."
The Lady Irish have won eight times in October as they improved their scoring prowess and thus their ability to apply offensive pressure.
Contact Ward Gossett at wgossett@timesfreepress.com or 423-886-4765. Follow him on Twitter @wardgossett.