There's a very familiar feel to the third round of the TSSAA football playoffs for the Chattanooga area.
All five of the teams that remain also reached this round last season.
Adding to that familiarity, Class 1A cross-county rivals South Pittsburg and Whitwell will square off for the fourth time in two seasons, meeting in the quarterfinals for a second straight year.
In 2A, top-ranked Meigs County will try to avoid a second straight quarterfinal upset, while in 3A, Red Bank looks to return to the semifinals for a second consecutive year.
Because there are fewer teams that qualify for the postseason in Division II, tonight is the semifinal round for those teams, with winners earning an off week before deciding their state championships. McCallie is in the Division II-AAA semis for a second straight season, trying to get back to the title game for the first time since 2006.
CLASS 1A
South Pittsburg (11-1) at Whitwell (12-0): Similar to last year, the importance of the regular-season game was that the winner would earn the right to host the expected rematch. Since their previous meeting five weeks ago, both teams have cruised back to the quarterfinals by winning every game by at least two touchdowns.
Whitwell has tied its program record for wins and is looking to reach the semifinals for the second time in school history. The 1991 Tigers finished 12-2, losing to eventual state champion Franklin Road Academy 8-6 in the semis. That was also the last Whitwell team to beat South Pittsburg before this year's Tigers rolled to a 34-12 win.
A second win by the Tigers would make them the first team to beat South Pittsburg twice in the same season since Boyd Buchanan did so on its way to the 2003 state championship.
South Pittsburg, which has reached at least the quarterfinals 21 times, struggled offensively in the first half at Gordonsville last week before putting the game away by rushing for 203 of its 242 yards in the second half.
Junior Ronto Tipton has a team-leading 1,220 rushing yards as well as seven interceptions. The Pirates' defense limited Gordonsville to 45 yards on the ground and intercepted three passes and has been the team's strength all season, having allowed an average of just seven points per game.
However, Whitwell's offense has barely been slowed so far, and its defense has been just as impressive as the Tigers have beat opponents by an average score of 46-8. They have a variety of all-star-caliber talent on both sides, led by nine senior starters including versatile athlete Hudson Petty, a Mr. Football semifinalist, and Josh Wingo, the team's leading rusher with more than 900 yards, who returned last week after missing four games with an injury.
The winner will host the winner between Greenback and Coalfield. Top-ranked Greenback, the 2017 state champion, whipped Coalfield 49-0 in the regular season.
CLASS 2A
South Greene (8-4) at Meigs County (12-0): Although it can be dangerous to compare scores, it can sometimes indicate what to expect. With that in mind, while South Greene narrowly held off Oneida 23-21 last week, Meigs County thumped that same Indians team 35-0 in week eight. This is also a rematch of last year's first-round meeting, easily won by the Tigers, 46-7.
"That's something I don't like to do and I hope our kids aren't comparing scores, because the only thing that matters is who shows up and plays the best on game night," Tigers coach Jason Fitzgerald said. "They're scary because on film we've seen about six different defenses, so you just don't know what to expect. We just need to take care of ourselves."
The Rebels gave up 42-plus points in each of their first three games, all losses, but rebounded to score 34-plus in six of their past eight. Junior quarterback Levi Myers and senior receiver Tristan Biddy (6-foot-4, 175 pounds) are a dangerous combination.
The top-ranked Tigers, who have won 24 of their past 25 games, made the most of limited offensive opportunities last week, scoring on three of their four first-half possessions while jumping to a comfortable lead.
The winner will visit the winner of tonight's game between Trousdale County and Watertown. Watertown edged Trousdale 22-21 in the regular season.
CLASS 3A
Red Bank (11-0) at Upperman (12-0): Points are expected to be hard to come by against these two defenses. Upperman has given up just 95 points all season - allowing more than 14 in a game only once - thanks largely to a trio of linebackers who play like heat-sinking missiles. Caden Nash, Nick Stacey and Zac Stewart have combined to average more than 20 tackles per game.
In his first season in charge of the program, Adam Caine, who guided Sequatchie County to the semifinals two years ago, has the Bees one win away from reaching the semifinals for only the third time in school history.
Similar to his time at Sequatchie, Caine is using a physical ground game that chews up the clock and wears down opponents. Senior running back Blake Metzgar has gained 1,698 yards and scored 34 touchdowns, while Donoven McCallister has run for 987 yards to go with his 1,261 passing yards and 23 total touchdowns.
Red Bank's offense has been more balanced, led by junior quarterback Madox Wilkey's 2,166 passing yards (he has completed 63 percent of his throws) and a pair of backs - Calvin Jackson and Lumiere Strickland - who have combined for more than 1,500 rushing yards.
The Lions have scored 35-plus points in eight of their nine games since Jackson returned from injury, and he also has 680 receiving yards and 26 total touchdowns, making him one of the most versatile offensive weapons in the area.
Red Bank's defense has allowed an average of just 12 points per game, led by junior linebacker Clark Lockerby with 91 tackles and nine for loss.
The only common opponent was Sequatchie County, which Upperman beat by 12 in week 10 and the Lions beat by three last week (giving up a touchdown with less than 10 seconds remaining to make the game appear closer).
The winner will host the winner of tonight's game between Austin-East and top-ranked Alcoa, which owns 16 state titles, including the past three. Alcoa beat Austin-East 31-8 in the regular season.
DIVISION II-AAA
McCallie (10-1) at Memphis University School (10-0): This will be the first meeting of these teams since the 2013 quarterfinals, won by the Owls on their way to a runner-up finish in their most recent appearance in a championship game.
MUS receiver and defensive back Maurice Hampton (6-0, 205) is a Mr. Football finalist and one of the state's top overall college recruits. Also a professional baseball prospect, he's committed to LSU, where he's expected to play in the secondary, and has 998 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns this season.
Defense is the strength of both teams. MUS, which shut out five of its nine regular-season opponents, has allowed an average of just 67.6 rushing yards per game and held three teams to negative rushing yards.
Three senior linebackers are the heart of the defense, led by Dorian Hopkins, who's committed to Tulsa and has 12 tackles for loss. Senior Shy Sellers, who won the 400-meter dash at last spring's state track and field meet, has averaged 226 passing yards per game.
Similarly, McCallie's defense, which has nine senior starters, has held opponents to an average of 145 total yards per game, and junior quarterback DeAngelo Hardy, a Mr. Football semifinalist, has more than 2,400 total yards - more than 1,000 each rushing and passing.
The winner will play the winner of tonight's other semifinal between Brentwood Academy, which has won 11 state titles, including the past two, and Montgomery Bell Academy in the title game in two weeks. MBA nipped Brentwood Academy 25-24 in the regular season.
ALABAMA CLASS 4A
Hokes Bluff (10-1) at North Jackson (11-0): Two of Alabama's top running backs - North Jackson's Lee Witherspoon and Hokes Bluff's Darrian Meads - will be featured in this second-round matchup.
Witherspoon has set a state record with 53 rushing touchdowns and has gained 2,759 yards (he has averaged 251 per game and an incredible 21 per carry) while helping the Chiefs average 60 points per game this season. North Jackson is looking to move past the second round for the first time since 2010.
The Hokes Bluff defense has given up an average of 12 points per game this year, and the offense leans heavily on Meads, who has gained 2,351 yards and scored 29 touchdowns.
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.