Dalton's Jack Ridley closes in on Ringgold's Dylan Wright during Friday night's game at Harmon Field in Dalton, Ga.Severe thunderstorms caused significant problems for most Chattanooga-area high school football teams on the first Friday of the season, with the inclement weather leading to delays and late finishes.
For some, the fallout carried over to the next day.
In Tennessee, three season openers that either had been suspended or had not started - Marion County at Hixson, Rhea County at Cleveland and Soddy-Daisy at Red Bank - were canceled by school administrators on Saturday and will not be made up.
In Georgia, a game that had been deemed official despite not being played to completion is now set for a proper finish.
At Harmon Field, host Dalton led Ringgold 21-10 at halftime when lightning was detected in the area just as the teams were headed out of their locker rooms to start the third quarter. They never returned to the field, and the Catamounts later left believing they were 1-0 with a nonregion victory.
On Saturday, the Georgia High School Association determined the game's officials misinterpreted the rule regarding the 11:30 p.m. curfew for delayed/postponed games, Tigers coach Robert Akins told the Times Free Press.
According to the GHSA Constitution & By-Laws' Rule 2.93, which reads in part, all "varsity football games that have been either interrupted or postponed must be played to completion. Schools must decide when completion will take place in a timely manner. The team behind in the score of an interrupted game has the option not to complete the game and the score will be recorded as it was at the point of interruption."
The rule goes on to state the curfew will be waived in such cases, meaning the game could have been played into the wee hours of Saturday morning if necessary. Instead, the game will resume 7:30 Monday night in Dalton, with Ringgold receiving the kickoff to start the second half.
The Soddy-Daisy at Red Bank and Marion County at Hixson games were canceled due to the fact the fields had not drained well enough to allow them to be playable.
Administrators from each of those schools decided it would be unsafe to try to play Saturday, and there was no future date that would allow those games to be rescheduled.
"Due to Red Bank High School not having basic proper field-draining capability and facility projects at Soddy-Daisy High, the previously scheduled game between the Lions and Trojans will be canceled," first-year Red Bank coach Chris Brown said in a statement released early Saturday. "All efforts were extensively exhausted by both administrations and staffs to find a playable solution."
Red Bank administration turned in a county request in March to have a burst drainage pipe fixed, but it has not yet been repaired. Soddy-Daisy's home field is undergoing construction of a new track surface, which would not allow for that facility to host the game.
Similarly, there was standing water on Hixson's field well after the storms blew through the area late Friday and into early Saturday morning. With the forecast calling for more storms Saturday, administrators decided not to make up the nonregion game.
Rhea County and Cleveland were tied 7-7 when their game was suspended with 17.6 seconds to go in the first quarter.
Another game that started Friday night in Dalton is set to resume later this month.
Host Christian Heritage led Gainesville's Riverside Military Academy 17-7 when play was suspended early in the third quarter. The game will resume at that point on Aug. 31.
GHSA Class A private schools qualify for the playoffs by a power ratings system, so all games must be played to completion, Christian Heritage coach Jay Poag explained.
His Lions scored on a 40-yard interception return by Zach Gentry, a 35-yard pass from Matthew Neff to Gentry and a 41-yard field goal by Joe Dixon. Evan Lester also intercepted a pass, and Duane Jones recovered a fumble in the first half.
Contact Stephen Hargis at 423-757-293 or shargis@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.