The mismatches, for the most part, are over and the drama of the TSSAA football playoffs should begin in earnest with tonight's second round.
Nearly half of the 108 first-round games played around the state last week - 51 -were decided by 30 or more points, with 12 teams from the Chattanooga area advancing as at least one local team remains alive in all but one of the nine classifications.
Here's a look at second-round games involving area teams:
Class 1A
Lookout Valley (6-4) at Whitwell (11-0): Last week Lookout Valley ran for 351 yards, led by Zane Howard's 167, and rallied for 10 points in the fourth quarter to earn the program's first playoff win in seven years, 17-14 against Jo Byrns. Howard also threw for 51 yards and two touchdowns, and Evan Ferguson connected on a 27-yard field goal with just more than three minutes remaining for the road win. But now the Yellow Jackets travel to face the team that beat them 47-0 in their fifth game of the season.
Whitwell has outscored opponents by an average of 46-8 this season, having allowed more than 10 points only twice. Senior quarterback Warner Ashworth stood out as the Tigers cruised to a 56-6 win against Clay County last week, throwing for 229 yards and four touchdowns and running for another score. Ashworth has more than 2,300 total yards and 33 touchdowns this season, and Mr. Football semifinalist Hudson Petty has more than 1,000 total yards, leads the team with 117 tackles and has picked off four passes. The Tigers are going for their second straight quarterfinals appearance.
South Pittsburg (10-1) at Gordonsville (9-2): The Pirates have faced Gordonsville in the playoffs more than any other opponent, winning eight of 13 matchups, though the Tigers won the previous meeting by a point in 2012. The Pirates have three backs with more than 700 rushing yards this season, led by junior Ronto Tipton's 1,097 and sophomore Hunter Frame's 780. Those two combined for nearly 350 yards and six touchdowns last week as South Pittsburg rolled up 436 rushing yards in a 53-15 win against Monterey. Gordonsville has 19 seniors on its roster, including running back Braxton Givens, who was a Mr. Football finalist last season.
Class 2A
Rockwood (7-4) at Meigs County (11-0): In the locker room prior to taking the field for the week-five meeting against Rockwood, Tigers coach Jason Fitzgerald informed his top-ranked team, "You might have to see these guys again in the playoffs, so don't just beat them on the scoreboard, beat them down mentally so they won't want to ever come back here!" Meigs County, which was looking to avenge its quarterfinal loss to Rockwood, went on to a convincing 46-6 win that night. Rockwood has won five of six since that loss, including four in a row. Meigs County junior quarterback Aaron Swafford, a two-time Mr. Football semifinalist, ran for 108 yards and threw for 99 more while accounting for six touchdowns and a 2-point conversion in last week's 41-point win against Sullivan North.
Trousdale County (8-3) at Tyner (10-1): This will be the first meeting between these perennial playoff powers. The Rams have been balanced on offense this season, rushing for more than 2,300 yards and throwing for another 1,600. Quarterback Martavius Ryals leads them in yards rushing (506) and passing (1,466) and has 32 total touchdowns, and fellow junior Jeremiah Batiste, a Mr. Football semifinalist, is among the area's receiving leaders with 1,178 yards and 15 scores. Last week Ryals and Batiste connected eight times for 192 yards and two touchdowns to help the Rams turn a one-point lead late in the third quarter into a comfortable 22-point win against East Robertson. Trousdale County's losses have come by a combined 11 points.
Class 3A
Sequatchie County (8-3) at Red Bank (10-0): This is a rematch of a 2017 first-round meeting that Red Bank won 21-13. Sequatchie County has scored at least 30 points in six of its past seven games, including last week, when the Indians put up 28 unanswered points to rally past Brainerd in the second half and win 34-14. Sequatchie's physical style of offense, which is designed to wear on opponents, starts with senior quarterback Collin Hudson (780 passing yards, 758 rushing yards, 12 total TDs); 240-pound fullback Brett Hicks has added 766 yards and 15 scores. Included among Sequatchie's scoring drives last week was one that covered 80 yards in 20 plays and took nearly nine minutes off the clock.
Conversely, Red Bank's balanced big-play offense can score on any snap, particularly when senior Calvin Jackson, a Mr. Football semifinalist, has the ball. Last week, Jackson scored the Lions' first three touchdowns (two rushing, one receiving) and finished with four scores and 138 total yards in a 49-13 win against Smith County. Junior quarterback Madox Wilkey, who has been very accurate while throwing for nearly 1,900 yards this season, has plenty of other targets, though, and completed 20 of 26 passes for 182 yards and four touchdowns in the first round.
Class 5A
Oak Ridge (9-2) at Soddy-Daisy (6-4): Soddy-Daisy's defense has limited seven opponents to fewer than 20 points this season, helping the Trojans overcome the loss of their top two quarterbacks to not only win their region but advance to the second round of state for the first time in eight years. Now they face the Wildcats, whose only losses this year were by single digits to top-ranked Fulton and Farragut, which is ranked seventh in 6A. Oak Ridge senior quarterback Herbert Booker has 15 touchdowns and more than 1,200 passing yards; on defense, he has picked off seven passes, returning three for scores.
Class 6A
Ooltewah (9-2) at Farragut (10-1): Cleveland's 24 points (in a 25-point loss last week) were the most Farragut has allowed all season. The Admirals are led by running back Isaiah Gibbs, who has committed to the University of Tennessee at Martin, and safety Tanner Corrum, who has committed to Southern Illinois. Defensive end Caleb Kuhn, another college prospect, is extremely disruptive to opposing offenses.
When these teams met two years ago in the quarterfinals, Farragut rallied from a 42-14 third-quarter deficit to eventually earn a 56-49 win in double overtime. The Admirals went on to stage a 28-point comeback in the 5A championship game to win the program's first state title. Twenty-five current Ooltewah seniors were part of that 2016 loss, which included Farragut stopping the Owls on the 1-yard line.
Division II-A
Grace Academy (7-3) at Davidson Academy (10-0): Grace earned the first playoff win in program history last week behind senior quarterback Cade Tinsley, who ran for 294 yards and two touchdowns and threw for 70 yards and another score. Tinsley has averaged 222 yards of offense per game this season and leads the Golden Eagles in total tackles and tackles for loss. The top-ranked Bears' average score this season is 54-21, and they had a bye in the first round. Quarterback Stone Norton has thrown for 2,704 yards and 32 touchdowns, and Purdue-committed Da'joun Hewitt has 1,672 rushing yards and 29 scores. Both are Mr. Football semifinalists.
Division II-AA
Franklin Road Academy (7-4) at Notre Dame (9-1): Notre Dame's ground game has barely been slowed this season - the Fighting Irish have scored at least 30 points in seven of their past nine games - but this is expected to be a big test. FRA's monstrous defensive line is led by Tymon Mitchell, who has committed to Georgia and has nine tackles for loss and four sacks this year despite most teams running away from him. FRA's offense is highlighted by 6-foot-3 receiver Lance Wilhoite, who's committed to Oregon.
"They've got the biggest front, offensively and defensively, we've seen all season," Irish coach Charles Fant said. "It will be a very tough challenge to move them and run the ball."
Last week, Monroe Beard and Jordan Ford each had more than 150 rushing yards for Notre Dame and Cam Wynn added more than 100 as the Irish totaled 575 on the ground in a 55-17 win against Christian Academy of Knoxville.
Division II-AAA
Ensworth (7-4) at McCallie (9-1): This will be just the second game in a four-week span for the host Blue Tornado, who had an open date before their regular-season finale and earned a first-round bye for state. The Tigers have been held to fewer than 20 points seven times this season, including a 29-0 loss to McCallie on Sept. 14. But Ensworth has started to find more success over its past three games, when talented senior athlete Keshawn Lawrence has been featured more. The 6-foot-2, 187-pound Lawrence, who has scholarship offers from Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Georgia and Tennessee, is the nation's eighth-ranked cornerback prospect for the class of 2019, according to 247sports.com. Anchoring the Tigers' defensive front is another four-star prospect, Tyler Baron (6-5, 245), who has offers from Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Tennessee and Virginia Tech.
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.