EDITOR’S NOTE: As spring football practice gets underway for high school teams across Tennessee, the Times Free Press is taking a look back at how last season ended while offering a sneak peek at what the expectations are for Chattanooga-area programs in 2026. Our weeklong series continues with its second installment, this one focusing on TSSAA Division II-AA.
The mid-state continued its ownership of the mid-sized private school classification last fall as Battle Ground Academy won the TSSAA Division II-AA BlueCross Bowl in dominant fashion.
The Wildcats, who earned their program’s seventh state championship overall but first since 2003, finished 13-1. They scored an average of 52 points in their victories while winning each of those games by at least 28 points, including a 45-point thumping of Boyd Buchanan in the semifinals. They went on to avenge their only regular-season loss by hammering Franklin Road Academy 61-27 in the title game at Finley Stadium.
Since the TSSAA expanded its number of D-II classes to three before the 2017 season, Nashville-area private schools have appeared in eight of the nine DII-AA title games, with last year being the sixth time both finalists were mid-state teams.
During that span, only two Chattanooga teams (Notre Dame in 2017 and Boyd Buchanan in 2023) have reached the BlueCross Bowl. Both were beaten soundly by at least 22 points.