It was a second round that was second to none as nearly all of the Chattanooga area’s remaining teams in the TSSAA football playoffs won Friday to extend their season for at least another week.
Of the 14 local teams that reached the second round in Tennessee, 11 earned impressive wins to advance.
That included Cleveland going on the road to keep its Cinderella season going with a 50-21 thumping of Green Hill in a showdown of ranked teams in Class 6A. The 10th-ranked Hawks (9-3) came into the matchup having won six straight games and had allowed more than 14 points only once all season.
But sixth-ranked Cleveland (11-1) opened the game with an impressive scoring drive that took more than seven minutes off the clock. After forcing Green Hill’s offense into a three-and-out possession, Cleveland added a second touchdown to take command early.
“Getting off to such a good start, on the road, shows that we have a high maturity level on this team,” Blue Raiders second-year head coach Chris Brown said. “To handle all the circumstances so well and put together such a complete game to win on the road against a quality opponent really says a lot about the focus and preparation by our kids.”