Let the hype begin.
When Signal Mountain hosts Boyd-Buchanan in a Class 2A state football semifinal Friday night, it will be the first time that two schools in Hamilton County have met this late in the postseason. Only once previously, when Marion County defeated McMinn Central in 1995, have two teams from the area played with a berth in a state-championship game on the line.
“At this point you know it’s going to draw a great crowd and there’s going to be a great atmosphere,” Buccaneers coach Grant Reynolds said. “We’re the only game in town, so it’ll be a great stage for the kids. We just have to look at it as another big game. We’ll just play hard and see what happens.
“I think us having been through big games before will help, because our kids know how to prepare and how to act before the game and on the field. We played 14 games last year and this is our 14th game this year, so even the kids who didn’t have a lot of game experience last year have been around it and are experienced now.”
Boyd-Buchanan has more history of playing area teams deep in the playoffs than any other program. In the last 12 years the Bucs have played Charleston, Marion County, South Pittsburg (three times) and Tyner in the quarterfinal round. The only other quarterfinal matchup of area teams was in 2000 when Red Bank played Bradley Central – coached by Bill Price, Signal Mountain’s coach now – on the Lions’ way to the state championship.