Prep football playoff picture will become clearer tonight

McCallie quarterback DeAngelo Hardy, shown during the Best of Preps jamboree Aug. 10 at Finley Stadium, has nearly 1,800 yards of offense heading into tonight's game against Baylor.
McCallie quarterback DeAngelo Hardy, shown during the Best of Preps jamboree Aug. 10 at Finley Stadium, has nearly 1,800 yards of offense heading into tonight's game against Baylor.
photo McCallie quarterback DeAngelo Hardy, shown during the Best of Preps jamboree Aug. 10 at Finley Stadium, has nearly 1,800 yards of offense heading into tonight's game against Baylor.
photo South Pittsburg's Garrett Raulston tries to surge forward with two Whitwell defenders attached to him during a regular-season meeting at South Pittsburg on Oct. 13, 2017. The host Pirates won 21-14 and also beat the Tigers in the playoffs. They meet again tonight.

With the end of the regular season in sight for area high school football teams, several highly anticipated games tonight will help bring the playoff picture more clearly into focus.

Fresh off its dramatic upset win at Brentwood Academy, which has won three straight state titles, McCallie will host rival Baylor with a chance to secure the top seed in the Division II-AAA playoffs. McCallie moved into the top spot in the poll with last week's victory, but a win by the Blue Tornado tonight coupled with a BA win over Montgomery Bell Academy next week would create a three-way tie atop the East/Middle Region standings. McCallie, which lost 34-14 to MBA on Aug. 31, would earn the top seed for state via tiebreaker.

The Blue Tornado (7-1, 3-1) have won the past two meetings with Baylor (3-4, 1-2) in lopsided fashion.

"I'm always more nervous when we're favored," McCallie coach Ralph Potter said. "The more I see of Baylor on film, the better they look. The way I am, by Wednesday I didn't see any way possible that we can beat them. They're a very good team, especially up front defensively.

"Our guys will be ready to play because of who it is. This is a rivalry, so you don't look at records."

The Red Raiders' defensive front includes Seth Johnson and Thomas Latimer, who have six tackles for loss apiece, but they will have their hands full with a McCallie offense that has scored four touchdowns or more five times this season. That group is led by junior quarterback DeAngelo Hardy, who has totaled nearly 1,800 yards.

Outside the McCallie campus, the area's game of the week will be the Class 1A matchup of second-ranked South Pittsburg at No. 5 Whitwell. Both teams are 7-0, and the Region 3 championship will be decided by the rivals in front of what Tigers coach Randall Boldin admitted will be the largest crowd ever to fill the school's stadium.

Marion County is idle this week, which means most of the Sequatchie Valley will descend on Whitwell's campus. Gates will open three hours before kickoff, additional bleachers have been brought in and the main entrance to the school, off Highway 28, will be closed two hours before the game to begin rerouting traffic. Local churches are offering parking and shuttles to the game for fans.

"We're expecting a huge turnout, so we've planned for more of everything - workers at the gates, security, volunteers to help manage parking and all the things that come with so many people," Boldin said. "Last year's game at South Pitt prepared us for what the atmosphere will be like."

Whitwell's only two losses last season were to the Pirates, including a regular-season heartbreaker when the Tigers were stopped on fourth down inside South Pittsburg's 5-yard line. South Pittsburg has won 28 straight in the series, with Whitwell's last win coming in 1991 and the Pirates twice earning regular-season and playoff wins against the Tigers in the same season, including last year.

"The hype has been here since the last game ended last year," Boldin said. "You can't go anywhere in town and not have somebody talk to you about this game. This first game is huge because we learned last year how important it is to get back here in our environment when we probably see them again later in the playoffs.

"Historically, Whitwell hasn't competed with South Pittsburg, but that's changing. Now we're in the conversation, and you can see the pride throughout the whole community. We're on the path to where we want to be."

The Pirates have shut out five of their seven opponents this season, including each of the past three, and have given up just 13 total points. Whitwell has been held to fewer than 41 points only once this season. The Tigers will also be looking to snap South Pittsburg's streaks of 16 straight region wins and 26 consecutive regular-season wins.

Red Bank is another unbeaten looking to secure its region crown. When the Lions (6-0, 3-0) visit Brainerd (3-4, 2-1) tonight they can secure their third straight 3-3A title, but should the Panthers pull the upset - they led Red Bank in the fourth quarter last year - there would be a three-way tie that includes Signal Mountain.

Red Bank's offense has hit its stride over the past four games, averaging 54 points in wins over two region foes and two other teams from higher classifications. The Lions' margin of victory during that stretch has been 47 points. The Panthers, who have had two weeks to prepare for this game, will try to snap a two-game losing streak.

In Region 4-5A, Soddy-Daisy could finish anywhere from first to fourth, depending on the outcome of tonight's home game against Rhea County. If the Trojans (3-3, 1-1) win and Knoxville Catholic beats Lenoir City next week, Soddy-Daisy would earn the region title with a victory over winless Walker Valley in the final regular-season game and have home-field advantage in the playoffs.

Should Rhea County (4-3, 2-1) win, the Eagles likely would finish second in the region, behind Knoxville Catholic.

The Region 2-6A title is on the line when Ooltewah (6-1, 3-0) visits top-ranked Maryville (6-1, 3-0), last year's state champion. The perennial powerhouse Rebels, who have won 13 state championships since 2000, have won 17 consecutive region titles.

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

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