SOUTH PITTSBURG, Tenn. -- For all practical purposes, the TSSAA's 35-point continuous-clock rule could be renamed the "Pirates rule."

Demonte Bolden has 20 minutes of his life for which he can’t account.

When Will Adams was a junior at Cleveland High School he missed more than a month of school, sitting in a quiet, dark room at his house because of migraines brought on by concussions he sustained playing football. Adams not only returned the following fall to play his senior season, but he now plays for the Tennessee Crush minor league team.

STEVENSON, Ala. -- Shawn Peek recognized the desire immediately. As the linebacker coach at North Jackson, he knew the program's defensive identity had been built by players whose toughness overcame any athletic shortcomings. Peek knew early on that Zach Hammontree had that drive, but he also noticed something different about the kid who was an undersized sophomore at the time.

SOUTH PITTSBURG, Tenn. -- When you're a part of the same small-school football program as your older brother, comparisons are inevitable.

SOUTH PITTSBURG, Tenn. -- As with countless other young boys, there was a time when Shane Boles would stop whatever he was doing and stare at the players in solid black uniforms walking past him.

The formula for surviving this past Friday's playoff round was simple, but few area teams were able to follow it successfully. While 14 area teams had their season ended, six others advanced because of suffocating defense.

SOUTH PITTSBURG, Tenn. -- Before sending his team onto the field for its first playoff game, South Pittsburg football coach Vic Grider gave a simple speech.

Patrick Daly never realized just how much growing pains could hurt. In his second year after taking over a once-proud Copper Basin program, Daly realized numbers had dropped to the point that he would have to start 12 freshmen.

STEVENSON, Ala. -- Just two rounds into the postseason, North Jackson has an opportunity to avenge a regular-season loss.