Brackets set: Chattanooga area has 26 teams in TSSAA football playoffs

Talented and ticked off. That's the approach Meigs County football coach Jason Fitzgerald's team will utilize heading into the Class 2A playoffs.

The top-ranked Tigers - who have compiled a remarkable 71-7 overall record over the past six seasons, including five straight region titles and state runner-up finishes the past two years - felt overlooked and disrespected going into their regular-season showdown at fourth-ranked Marion County.

"Our kids saw how just about everybody in the newspaper picked Marion to beat us, and that (ticked) them off," said Fitzgerald, whose team polished off its second straight undefeated regular season Friday with a convincing 20-0 win. "We played with a chip on our shoulder the whole night, and I believe that'll carry over into how we prepare for the playoffs."

The TSSAA has released the brackets for this year's playoffs, which culminate in nine BlueCross Bowl state title games played at Finley Stadium on Dec. 2-4, and Meigs County is one of 26 Chattanooga-area teams that must find any edge possible - perceived or real - to help survive and advance once the postseason begins next Friday.

The Chattanooga area has multiple teams in eight of the nine brackets (no local teams compete in Division II-A), and an area team earned the top seed in five of those brackets, which assures them of home-field advantage for at least the first two rounds.

Top-ranked and two-time reigning Division II-AAA state champ McCallie received a first-round bye and won't play until Nov. 12, hosting the winner of this Friday's Father Ryan at Memphis University School matchup in the quarterfinals.

In Class 4A, Red Bank, East Hamilton and Central finished in a three-way tie for the Region 3 title, but the Lions and Hurricanes are the top two seeds due to the tiebreaker system and get to host first-round games, while the Purple Pounders must travel. If Red Bank and Central both win, they will meet in a second-round rematch of Central's 23-21 win against the visiting Lions in mid-September.

Those three along with the other nine area teams competing in classes 3A-6A will be looking to snap a lengthy dry spell for the area's larger schools. No area public school has played for a state championship in any classification above 2A since Red Bank won the 5A title in 2000.

Over the ensuing 20 seasons, Ooltewah, Red Bank and Rhea County have all advanced to the semifinals, but no further. Rhea County also won its 5A region this season and has the potential to end that streak, particularly if Ethan Davis continues his torrid pace. The sophomore has accounted for 734 total yards and 10 touchdowns over the Golden Eagles' past two games.

Besides Meigs, the other area small school that traditionally challenges for a title is South Pittsburg, which on Friday wrapped up its sixth 1A region title in the past seven seasons and has reached at least the semifinals in four of the past five years, including a runner-up finish last December. The Pirates would host the first three rounds this year if they survive and advance that far once again.

Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.

Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / Red Bank's mascot cheers from the stands during the Lions' Oct. 22 homecoming football game against East Hamilton.