TSSAA CHATTANOOGA-AREA TEAMS’ NEW FOOTBALL ALIGNMENTS
* Region 3-1A: Copper Basin, Lookout Valley, Sale Creek, South Pittsburg, Whitwell* Region 2-2A: Cumberland Gap, Meigs County, Oneida, Rockwood, Wartburg* Region 3-2A: Bledsoe County, Marion County, Polk County, Tellico Plains, Tyner* Region 3-3A: Brainerd, Loudon, McMinn Central, Red Bank, Signal Mountain, Sweetwater* Region 4-3A: York Institute, Cannon County, Grundy County, Sequatchie County, Smith County, Upperman* Region 2-4A: Anderson County, Central, East Hamilton, East Ridge, Hixson, Howard, Sequoyah* Region 4-5A: Knoxville Catholic, Lenoir City, Rhea County, Soddy-Daisy, Walker Valley* Region 2-6A: Bradley Central, Cleveland, Heritage, Maryville, McMinn County, Ooltewah, William Blount* Division II-A East: Concord Christian, Donelson Christian Academy, Ezell-Harding, Friendship Christian, Grace Academy, King’s Academy, Middle Tennessee Christian, Mount Juliet Christian* Division II-AA East: Boyd-Buchanan, Chattanooga Christian, Christian Academy of Knoxville, Knoxville Grace Christian, Knoxville Webb, Notre Dame, Silverdale Baptist Academy* Division II-AAA East/Middle: Baylor, Brentwood Academy, Ensworth, Father Ryan, McCallie, Montgomery Bell Academy, Pope John Paul II
Now that the TSSAA has reclassified the sports programs for its member schools starting this school year, Grace Academy’s football team may want to look into having a gasoline pump installed on campus.
The Golden Eagles have been placed in the newly formed Division II-A East Region, with no other Chattanooga-area teams in there with them.
The first of Grace’s five regular-season road games is a trip downtown to Finley Stadium for its Aug. 25 nonregion season opener against Sale Creek. The others are league games, beginning with a Sept. 15 trip up Interstate 75 North to Knoxville to play Concord Christian.
According to calculations by mapquest.com, Grace and Concord are 85.9 miles apart. And that’s the Golden Eagles’ closest new region opponent.