Here are three of the top prep football games to watch Friday night in the Chattanooga area.
Chattanooga Prep (6-2, 2-1) at Whitwell (6-2, 3-0): This is a key game for TSSAA Region 3-1A as the winner keeps alive its chances for the league championship.
A victory by the host Tigers would set up a title showdown next week at home against intracounty rival South Pittsburg. If Chatt Prep wins, it would then need to defeat winless Lookout Valley next week while also having the Tigers beat South Pitt to create a three-way tie at the top, in which case the Sentinels would get the No. 1 seed due to having the best overall record.
The Tigers had last week off to recover after consecutive close losses at home to state-ranked opponents (2A’s No. 5 Bledsoe County and 1A’s No. 3 Oliver Springs). Prior to that, a defense led by Blaine Henry (13 tackles for loss) had registered six straight shutouts (the only score allowed by Whitwell was an interception returned for a touchdown). The Chatt Prep defense is equally stingy, having held six opponents to seven points or less.
No. 10 Chatt Prep’s offense will test No. 6 Whitwell with more big-play potential than any team it has faced to this point. Sentinels quarterback Austin Jones is elusive and has a strong arm and several speedy targets, including Jatari Davis and Lon’Deon Kellogg, both of whom he connected with for touchdowns last week at No. 5 South Pittsburg. Running back Marquis Gardner adds not only balance another potential game-breaker.