Heading into the final night of Tennessee prep football’s regular-season schedule, the playoff picture is mostly in focus for the Chattanooga-area teams that have qualified. But there still are several positions – including region championships – up for grabs.
Here’s a look at what’s on the line for tonight’s matchups:
Region 2-6A: Maryville secured its 17th consecutive region title with Thursday’s win over Bradley Central, which also relegated the Bears to third place and gave Ooltewah second place and a first-round home playoff game next week.
What’s still at stake is the fourth and final playoff berth, which will be determined tonight between McMinn County and host Cleveland, with the loser being eliminated.
Region 4-5A: This is by far the least clear playoff picture among area regions. If Soddy-Daisy defeats winless Walker Valley on the road tonight and Knoxville Catholic beats Lenoir City, then the Trojans would win a region title for the first time since 1996. In that scenario Catholic would be second, Rhea County third and Lenoir City fourth.
However, if Lenoir City wins, regardless of whether Soddy-Daisy wins or loses, then Lenoir City would win the region title with Soddy-Daisy second, Catholic third and Rhea fourth.
If Lenoir City and Soddy-Daisy both lose, then Knoxville Catholic wins the region with Lenoir City second, Soddy-Daisy third and Rhea fourth.
While Trojans coach Justin Barnes will be busy on the field, he admitted to having someone designated to give him scoring updates from the Catholic-Lenoir game.
“Oh, somebody will keep us posted on that score for sure,” Barnes joked. “We’ll know pretty quick what the outcome of that other game is. We’ve been working toward winning a region championship for a long time, and it’s a big goal of ours to get that done.
“There’s a huge difference in where we finish. Getting to host that first-round game is pretty significant, because when we walk out on our field with our crowd you know what to expect. If you go somewhere else, then all the knowns are out the window. Just not having to travel is a big deal.”
Region 2-4A: The top two spots are set, with Anderson County repeating as champion and Central finishing second. Both East Hamilton and Howard are in the playoffs, but seeding is on the line when those two square off tonight, with the winner taking third place and the loser finishing fourth. Both teams will travel next week.
“The biggest thing for us, even though we’re already in the playoffs, is we just want to get better,” Hurricanes coach Ted Gatewood said. “We’re not worried about who we play just yet, but we’ll be ready to go play when the time comes. The exciting part of the playoffs is getting to see somebody new.”
Region 4-3A: The winner of Sequatchie County at Upperman will win the region title, and the loser is second. This game also brings Upperman coach Adam Caine against his former team. Caine guided the Indians to the semifinals two years ago and has the Bees undefeated in his first season there.
It would be just the fourth region title in program history for Upperman, which finished 6-5 last year but has won all nine games by at least 16 points this season.
York Institute would finish third with a win over Cannon County, and Smith County would finish fourth with a win over Grundy County. For Cannon County to earn a playoff berth, it would need to win and have Grundy upset Smith County; otherwise Smith County would earn the fourth playoff spot.
Region 3-3A: With Brainerd’s win over McMinn Central on Thursday, this region is set, regardless of what happens tonight. Red Bank successfully repeated as champion, while Signal Mountain is second, Brainerd third and Loudon fourth.
Region 3-2A: Tyner has first place wrapped up, while tonight’s winner between Marion County and host Polk County will earn second and the home-field playoff for next week’s opening round. If Polk County defeats Marion, the Wildcats will finish second and Marion would be third with Bledsoe fourth, but if Marion defeats Polk, the Warriors will finish second with Bledsoe third and Polk fourth, because Bledsoe won the head-to-head meeting with Polk earlier this season.
Region 2-2A: The top two spots are set with Meigs County repeating its title and Oneida finishing second. If Cumberland Gap defeats Rockwood, the Panthers would get the third spot and Rockwood would be fourth, which would also eliminate Wartburg. If Rockwood defeats Cumberland Gap, the Tigers would be third and Wartburg fourth with Cumberland Gap eliminated.
Region 3-1A: Whitwell owns its first region title since 2001, and the winner between South Pittsburg and host Lookout Valley tonight will take second. The loser will be third. Sale Creek has secured fourth place and the first playoff berth in program history.
Division II-AAA East/Middle: Montgomery Bell Academy and McCallie have the top two spots secured, and each will have a first-round bye. The winner between Brentwood Academy and Ensworth will earn third place, while the loser will be fourth.
Baylor, Pope John Paul II and Father Ryan are locked into fifth through seventh, with each advancing to the postseason. Regardless of what happens tonight, Baylor will host PJP II in next week’s first round.
Division II-AA East: Notre Dame successfully defended its region title with last week’s win over Chattanooga Christian, and Knoxville Webb can nail down second place with a win at Silverdale Baptist Academy tonight. The winner between CCS and Knoxville Grace Christian will earn third place, while Silverdale could finish fourth with a win over Webb and a CCS win.
Division II-A East: The top two spots already are secured by Friendship Christian and Mt. Juliet Christian, while the winner between Middle Tennessee Christian and host Grace Academy will claim the third spot. Friendship and Mt. Juliet will have first-round byes, and the next two will host first-round games.
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.