For five area Tennessee high school football teams, the entire season comes down to this one night. For each, a win means the season is extended by another week when the playoffs begin next Friday. But under the TSSAA’s new playoff format, a loss by any of these teams would result in more plot twists than an episode of “CSI.”
Here are the area teams hoping to avoid having their playoff bubble burst:
Class 2A
Marion County
Tonight: The Warriors (4-5) are at Lookout Valley (2-7).
Playoff plot: There will be 24 teams in the 2A bracket, and Marion County is 23rd in the standings. If the Warriors win tonight, they’re in. Also if Cumberland County (4-5), which Marion defeated earlier this year, beats White County (4-5), then the Warriors would be in even with a loss tonight because of their opponents’ overall record. However, should Marion and Cumberland both lose and Oneida and Watertown both win, then Marion likely would be the first of that group eliminated from the playoffs.
Class 3A
Chattanooga Christian
Tonight’s game: The Chargers (4-5) are at Bledsoe County (6-3).
Playoff plot: Thirty-two teams make the playoffs in 3A, and the Chargers currently hold the final postseason spot. If they win, they’re in. But Manassas, Cheatham County and Pigeon Forge currently are tied with CCS in overall record but trail the Chargers in the tiebreaker system. A CCS loss and a win by any of those three would eliminate the Chargers. Should all four of those teams lose, CCS likely would be eliminated and Manassas likely would get the final playoff berth.
Grundy County
Tonight’s game: The Yellow Jackets (5-4) are at Notre Dame (1-8).
Playoff plot: If the Jackets win, they’re in. A loss, however, opens the door for the possibility of Manassas, Cheatham County and Pigeon Forge winning, tying Grundy in overall record and overtaking the Jackets in the standings under the tiebreaker system of opponents’ overall record.
Class 4A
East Ridge
Tonight’s game: The Pioneers (4-5) host Howard (7-2).
Playoff plot: If the Pioneers upset the Hustlin’ Tigers, they’re in automatically. But there are eight teams with four wins and another 12 with three that could earn their fourth wins tonight. If East Ridge loses, its playoff hopes will depend on which of those other 20 teams potentially finish with four wins as well.
Class 6A
Soddy-Daisy
Tonight’s game: The Trojans (5-4) host Cleveland (6-3).
Playoff plot: The Trojans are in with a win. A loss opens the door for any combination of 16 other teams that could finish with five wins possibly overtaking Soddy-Daisy in the tiebreaker system.
The area team that is almost certainly on the outside looking in because of obscure rules under this playoff system is Rhea County. If the Golden Eagles win tonight and Soddy-Daisy loses, those two teams would finish with identical overall records and Rhea would have a better district record and has beaten the Trojans head-to-head. But because the first tiebreaker is opponents with a winning record, Soddy-Daisy – with six foes with winning records – would earn the playoff spot over Rhea, which has played five teams with winning records.