McCallie quarterback DeAngelo Hardy, shown during the Best of Preps jamboree Aug. 10 at Finley Stadium, has nearly 1,800 yards of offense heading into tonight’s game against Baylor.
South Pittsburg’s Garrett Raulston tries to surge forward with two Whitwell defenders attached to him during a regular-season meeting at South Pittsburg on Oct. 13, 2017. The host Pirates won 21-14 and also beat the Tigers in the playoffs. They meet again tonight.With the end of the regular season in sight for area high school football teams, several highly anticipated games tonight will help bring the playoff picture more clearly into focus.
Fresh off its dramatic upset win at Brentwood Academy, which has won three straight state titles, McCallie will host rival Baylor with a chance to secure the top seed in the Division II-AAA playoffs. McCallie moved into the top spot in the poll with last week’s victory, but a win by the Blue Tornado tonight coupled with a BA win over Montgomery Bell Academy next week would create a three-way tie atop the East/Middle Region standings. McCallie, which lost 34-14 to MBA on Aug. 31, would earn the top seed for state via tiebreaker.
The Blue Tornado (7-1, 3-1) have won the past two meetings with Baylor (3-4, 1-2) in lopsided fashion.
“I’m always more nervous when we’re favored,” McCallie coach Ralph Potter said. “The more I see of Baylor on film, the better they look. The way I am, by Wednesday I didn’t see any way possible that we can beat them. They’re a very good team, especially up front defensively.
“Our guys will be ready to play because of who it is. This is a rivalry, so you don’t look at records.”