Who doesn't love a good road trip? With a full tank of gas and the car pointed toward the open highway, we know the memories made during the trip will far outweigh any potential bumps in the road along the way.
Chattanooga has long been a vacation stop, and as high school football season kicks off, the Scenic City is the desired destination for teams throughout Tennessee.
Last spring the TSSAA awarded Chattanooga the rights to host the three-day state championship extravaganza known as the BlueCross Bowl for this season and the next as nine classifications will decide their titles on the Finley Stadium turf.
It was just a little more than eight months ago that McCallie won its second straight Division II-AAA state championship, capping a season that had given so many of us around the game a sense of normality - at least each Friday night - amid far too much negativity.
As we look ahead to a new season's kickoff, the Blue Tornado and rival Baylor each has enough talent to be the top contender in II-AAA. There are also some more of the usual suspects, as well as a few up-and-coming teams, who are gearing up for a playoff run toward potentially reaching their state title game as well.
Boyd Buchanan and Chattanooga Christian both have collections of talent - including several college prospects - to compete at a high level in Division II-AA.
East Hamilton and Red Bank have legitimate championship hopes in Class 4A, while Meigs County is poised for a trip to the 2A title game for a third straight year, although it must first survive one of Tennessee's toughest regions, where Marion County and Tyner have both played for a state title in the past five years.
With a handful of college prospects, South Pittsburg has the tools to return to the 1A championship game for a 13th time.
After an offseason that included nine head coaching changes among area programs and a reshuffling of the state's regions, the only thing that matters now are the results on the field as those expected contenders and hundreds of other teams begin working toward the playoffs, believing that with each win, all roads lead to Chattanooga in December.
Beginning with this annual preview, once again the Times Free Press sports staff is excited to be a part of highlighting the accomplishments of our area athletes and teams.
So pack up the car, hang your spirit flags from the windows and let's take off for a season-long trip certain to create a lifetime of new memories.
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.
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