Still two weeks from the regular season's midpoint, McCallie football coach Ralph Potter has already learned plenty about what type of team he has to work with the rest of the way.
The Blue Tornado (2-0) will find out much more about themselves Friday night, when the three-time reigning state champions host Montgomery Bell Academy (2-0) in a rematch of last year's TSSAA Division II-AAA BlueCross Bowl and a pairing of the classification's top two teams in the current rankings.
Top-ranked McCallie, which brought back just four offensive starters from that state title team, has relied heavily on a veteran defense while new offensive contributors find their footing. Last week, after falling behind early against Georgia power Woodward Academy — which had five players committed to Football Bowl Subdivision programs — the Blue Tornado shut out the War Eagles in the second half, and the offense used an 18-play drive to salt away much of the fourth-quarter clock for an impressive victory.
The Blue Tornado's winning streak reached 18 games, and now they'll open their DII-AAA East/Middle Region schedule against the second-ranked Big Red, the Nashville program they've faced in two of the past three BlueCross Bowls. McCallie has won 12 straight region games.
"I told our guys before the season started that with our schedule we will have to just put the pedal to the metal and go as hard as we can for a while," said Potter, whose team will face Florida's West Broward next week before back-to-back region road games against fourth-ranked Knoxville Catholic and third-ranked Baylor. "When you play so many good teams right away, you find real quick where your strengths and weaknesses are.
"We've got so many new starters that a game like last week should really help build our confidence. That was trial by fire, and I thought we competed really well. Those games are how you come together and develop your identity in who you are. We got better as the game went on. It looked like they were the superior team in the first half, but somehow we were ahead at halftime. In the second half, our defense — especially up front — really came of age. That's what we're going to need to continue to do this week."
Led by senior quarterback Marcel Reed, a four-star recruit who has committed to Ole Miss, the Big Red have scored an average of 48 points per game while winning a pair of blowouts. Reed has thrown for 293 yards and four touchdowns and is also the team's leading rusher with 55 yards and two scores.
MBA's top four receivers from last season all returned, and senior Claiborne Richards is the top target.
"Before you think about stopping Marcel, you have to stop their run game first," Potter said. "Since Coach (Marty) Euverard has been there, if he can run it right at you, that's what they prefer to do. After that, the game becomes about maintaining Marcel.
"I told our guys they won't be able to tackle him individually, it'll have to come in tandems and groups. He's a year older, faster and better and has all his receivers back, so it's not an easy task. He can run all over the field just to keep a play alive and make it tough on a defense."
McCallie once lost 14 straight series meetings with MBA over 13 seasons before snapping that skid in the 2019 title game. In last year's regular-season meeting, the Blue Tornado scored two touchdowns in the final 9:46 to rally from an 11-point deficit for a 34-31 win. In the title game, McCallie's defense limited Reed's playmaking by constantly pressuring and harrassing him in a 21-point win.
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.