We all have our Thanksgiving traditions. Whether it’s watching parades, overstuffing ourselves on turkey and dressing and desserts or beginning our Christmas shopping, this is the time for yearly customs.
A few area high school football programs have kept alive their own unique traditions.
If we’re in the fourth week of November, it can only mean that the vast majority of area schools are playing basketball or getting ready for wrestling. But there are four communities that seem annually to delay layup drills and mat workouts to prolong football season into a fifth month of meaningful games.
The programs at South Pittsburg, Calhoun (Ga.) and Stevenson (Ala.), as well as just over on Bonnieway Drive at Boyd-Buchanan have again extended their season to a point where players have had to break out the UnderArmour cold gear and gloves.
The last time at least one of those four programs wasn’t still alive in the playoffs during Thanksgiving week, Prince Charles and Lady Diana were still married, Don Shula still coached the Miami Dolphins, Garth Brooks was still churning out No. 1 hits and Bill Clinton had just been re-elected president. In that year (1996), Boyd-Buchanan qualified for the postseason for the first time in school history but got bounced in the second round, as did Calhoun, while South Pittsburg and North Jackson were beaten in the first round.
“Our kids take a lot of pride in playing this late in the season,” South Pittsburg coach Vic Grider said. “I’ll admit, we’re a little spoiled around here and our whole community pretty much expects us to be playing this late every year. It’s a big pride thing for everybody here to be on the map and known for our football program.”
South Pittsburg has more playoff wins (57) than any area team and is the only program in the state that has played for a state title in all five decades of the TSSAA’s playoff system. A win tonight would extend that streak into a sixth decade. The Pirates have advanced at least to the quarterfinals in 13 of the last 18 years, including four title-game appearances, and have lost four times in the semifinals to the teams that would become state champs.
Boyd-Buchanan (34), North Jackson (31) and Calhoun (25) also rank among the top eight area programs in playoff wins, with the Buccaneers and Chiefs each one win from also advancing to a state-title game and Calhoun needing two more to return to the Georgia Dome.
Boyd-Buchanan has missed the playoffs just once in the last 15 years and advanced at least to the quarterfinals 10 times during that span, with a state title and four runner-up finishes, including last year. Despite losing four times in the regular season, the Bucs have won back-to-back road games and will travel for a third straight week tonight to powerhouse Signal Mountain.
“Our kids just didn’t want to be an average team,” Bucs coach Grant Reynolds said. “We played a pretty tough schedule, and our kids have just kept working to get better. I believe having been on successful teams the last few years set the bar for our kids, and they didn’t want to let down the guys who played before them and helped build this program.”
Calhoun has won 10 or more games each of the last 10 years and reached at least the quarterfinals each of the last seven seasons, including two straight title-game appearances. North Jackson has made the playoffs 11 straight years and reached at least the quarterfinals five times (averaging 11 wins in that time). The Chiefs are traveling for a second consecutive week tonight, playing at nemesis Deshler, which has claimed four of the five meetings.
“There’s pressure being in a program that has such high expectations, but I don’t think any of us would want it any other way,” Chiefs coach Shawn Peek said. “At least we’re not practicing basketball yet.”