Polk County doesn’t charge for parking at football games, but coach Derrick Davis surely could have boosted his budget this season on two games alone.
One of those is at 8 tonight against South Pittsburg, the state’s top-ranked Class 1A team. Polk is No. 5 in 3A.
“We’re expecting a big crowd,” Davis said. “I hope there’s a big crowd, but it will be hard to top the Bradley Central game earlier this season. There were between 5,000 and 6,000 people here for that one.
“If the crowd is as big as the one down there last year, I’ll be happy. Both sides were packed and people were lining the fences. I just hope they travel as well as we did last year.”
Polk edged the Pirates 34-28 in that game.
At least three other area games may draw overflow crowds tonight. Baylor, Division II-AA’s No. 1-ranked team, hosts fifth-ranked Ensworth at 7; unbeatens Calhoun and Dade County meet at Trenton with eyes on Georgia’s Region 7-AA (B) championship at 7:30; and in a battle for the Tennessee District 6-AA championship, eighth-ranked Howard hosts 10th-ranked Tyner at 7:30.
South Pittsburg and Polk County have agreed to extend their series for the next two years. That agreement is based on the premise that nothing happens that would cause district membership to be realigned. Certain teams will move up or down based on a 20 percent enrollment change.
Polk was dropped by Notre Dame and Tellico Plains, and Davis added Signal Mountain and Central to a schedule that already includes 5-AAA members Bradley Central and Walker Valley.
Starling calling it quits
Veteran coach Jimmy Starling, a former head coach at Chattanooga Valley, East Ridge and Ridgeland, is retiring from coaching football at the end of the 2010 season.
“It has become such a strain,” said Starling, currently an assistant at East Ridge, his alma mater. “I will probably continue to coach track and I may teach another year, but I think it’s about time I gave up football.”
Chiefs go for title
North Jackson, Alabama’s third-ranked Class 4A team behind Jackson and Thomasville, puts its undefeated season on the line tonight. The Chiefs and Fairview, their opponent, each is 8-0 overall and 6-0 in Region 7-4A.
According to the Alabama High School Athletic Association, North Jackson leads all teams in the state with an average of 50.3 points scored per game. Deuntae Johnson is North Jackson’s scoring leader with 18 touchdowns, but Montel Hale has six and Khaleem Jones has five. Ten other Chiefs have at least one TD.
North Jackson has won all 10 of the previous meetings with Fairview with four shutouts. The Chiefs won 44-21 last year.