When the temperatures drop and the intensity magnifies, there's a clear signal across Friday nights in Tennessee.
Welcome to the TSSAA football state playoffs. Red Bank ignored the cold, the pressure and a frustrating first half Friday night and pulled away from visiting Sequatchie County in the second half for a 21-0 win in the first round of the Class 3A bracket.
In next week's second round, the Region 3 runner-up Lions (9-1) will travel to Region 4 champion Upperman (10-1), which won 45-0 over Signal Mountain (4-7). Sequatchie finished the season 6-5.
"I'm pleased we're still alive and we'll get to practice on Monday," Red Bank coach Chris Brown said when asked if he was happy with the way his team played.
"We're always going to be happy with a shutout against a quality opponent like Sequatchie County, but we have to control the things we can control better."
Persistent and deliberate, the Indians controlled the ball and the clock in a scoreless first half. Sequatchie ran 32 plays; Red Bank had 19.
Brown said a new wrinkle that Red Bank coaches had not seen on video - Sequatchie ran a single-wing set with quarterback Austin McCurry sweeping around the right end - allowed the Indians to keep the ball and the explosive Lions off the field.
But the Indians' control and plan did not produce points, in large part thanks to terrific defensive play by Red Bank cornerback Rico Tremble, who sliced between two blockers to drop Gabe Gibbons for no gain on a misdirection throwback screen that appeared to have the chance to be a huge play on fourth down, ending Sequatchie's first drive.
After the half, the Lions were through standing still.
"It was really kind of a whole team thing," Red Bank senior offensive lineman Ahmed Abazid said of the halftime motivational words. "We know this is the playoffs and this is the time we need to play our best. We didn't have the start we wanted, but we knew we needed to pick it up."
Red Bank senior quarterback Madox Wilkey and the offense changed speeds and preferences in the third quarter. After trying to mix the run and the pass in the first two quarters, Wilkey threw on the first seven plays of the third, completing four of them for 30 yards.
With the Indians, who had held Red Bank to minus-4 yards on eight first-half rushes, spread out, Trimble and Lumiere Strickland covered the final 26 yards on two rushes. Strickland's 7-yard run capped the drive and proved to be the winner.
Sequatchie fumbled on the ensuing kickoff, and Strickland's 25-yard touchdown run gave the Lions a commanding 14-0 lead.
"We played hard enough to win this game," Sequatchie County coach Mark Wattenbarger said. "But we made too many mistakes and they took advantage of them."
Tremble ended the Indians' next drive with an interception and a 48-yard return. On the next snap, Wilkey found Lucas Brown on a 38-yard catch-and-run for the final touchdown.
Contact Jay Greeson at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com.