Three of the mid-state's best teams will roll into Chattanooga on Friday night for high school football showdowns against three of the Scenic City's best—McCallie, Baylor and Tyner.

It will be a special night as McCallie plays host to Brentwood Academy, Baylor entertains Montgomery Bell Academy and Tyner plays host to Battle Ground Academy.

The six teams have a combined record of 19-3. Tyner lost to McCallie, Brentwood Academy lost to Christian Brothers of Memphis and BGA lost to MBA. Yes, it will be quite an entertaining night of high school football.

McCallie moved to 4-0 last week with an impressive road victory at Knox Central, 30-7. Brentwood beat an Illinois team last week after losing the week before to CBHS, 21-6.

"Knox Central was not as good defensively as they have been,'' McCallie coach Ralph Potter said. "I was impressed with our defense because Knox Central had three really good skill people We played well.

"And don’t be fooled by Brentwood's loss to CBHS because CBHS has also beaten Melrose and Germantown, has everybody back from last year and has a great defensive line.''

Potter said Brentwood Academy had nine turnovers against CBHS and still only lost by 21-6.

"Brentwood lost its quarterback from last year so its offensive play is not where it usually is,'' Potter said. "But they still have those two running backs—David Holbert and Theo Townsend. The key for us will be stopping their running game. We can't let them ram it down our throat.

"We have passed all our tests so far, but this week is key as we enter the upper echelon of Super Seven play. It will be a large test for us.''

Picking Winners

Brentwood Academy at McCallie: Brentwood will bring a strong team to town. But if McCallie can win road games at Tyner and Knox Central, it can handle the Eagles at home. This could be a wild one. McCallie by 3.

MBA at Baylor: MBA opened with wins over Louisville Trinity, LaVergne and Southhaven from Mississippi. Last week, the Big Red was very impressive in a 24-10 victory over BGA. Baylor will have its hands full. MBA by 7.

BGA at Tyner: BGA beat Centennial and Knox Webb before losing last week to MBA, the defending state champion of the Super Seven division. The Rams scored 50 points last week against Branerd, but didn't play well in every quarter. That could be their downfall tonight. BGA by 7.

Knox Webb at Notre Dame: It is going to be a long year for the Irish. Knox Webb by 8.

Soddy-Daisy at Bradley Central: The Bears got a good win last week at Red Bank, but can't handle the Trojans. Soddy-Daisy by 6.

Farragut at McMinn County: It's hard to figure out the Cherokees, who lost at Cumberland County and beat Cleveland at home. Flip a coin. McMinn County by 1.

Ooltewah at William Blount: Look for the Owls to bounce back in this one. Ooltewah by 3.

Whitwell at Boyd-Buchanan: The Bucs have too many weapons for the Tigers. The Bucs' homecoming showdown against South Pittsburg on Oct. 3 will provide a fabulous high school football scene. Boyd-Buchanan by 30.

Copper Basin at Lookout Valley: The Cougars come to the beautiful little high school stadium in the valley and emerge with a victory. Copper Basin by 10.

Brainerd at East Ridge: Which group of Panthers will show up? Will it be the team that led Tyner, 8-0, after one quarter last week? Or will it be the team that gave up 34 point to the Rams in the second quarter? East Ridge by 10.

Cleveland at Red Bank: The Blue Raiders will still be fuming after losing last week to McMinn County. Cleveland by 21.

Rhea County at Hixson: The Wildcats continue to struggle. Rhea County by 3.

Walker Valley at Grundy County: The Yellow Jackets bounce back after losing to rival South Pittsburg. Grundy County by 11.

Bledsoe County at Meigs County: Hats off to Meigs County for its pounding last week of McMinn Central. Meigs County by 17.

Polk County at Marion County: The Warriors are still celebrating their 29-28 victory over neighbor Sequatchie County last week. Oops. Upset special. Polk County by 2.

Sequatchie County at Tellico Plains: Indians regroup after tough loss at Marion County last week. Sequatchie County by 9.

LFO at East Paulding: Warriors remain on a roll. Lakeview by 13.

Last week 12-5 (.706). Overall 43-13 (.768).

(E-mail Stan Crawley at wscrawley@earthlink.net)