23 Chattanooga Area Football Teams In TSSAA State Playoffs

Ooltewah, Notre Dame Ride Hot Streaks Into The Postseason

Saturday, November 1, 2014
Larry Fleming

The TSSAA announced first round playoff brackets on Saturday morning and 23 Chattanooga area schools will continue their 2014 seasons with hopes of winning state championships.

Six district champions lead the area contingent into the postseason.

Third-ranked Ooltewah (10-0) won the District 5-AAA title by posting the school’s third undefeated regular season.

The Owls' last loss came in last year's second round, a 26-19 decision to district rival East Hamilton.

The Owls will host Stone Memorial (6-4). Soon after the brackets were e-mailed by TSSAA (its web site crashed), coaches were scratching their heads while believing the seedings for Ooltewah (No. 3) and Rhea County (No. 2) should be flipped.

Once Owls coach Mac Bryan spoke with Richard McWhirter, a TSSAA assistant executive director, the matter was cleared up.

As it turned out, the Owls were going on a sixth tie-breaker that indicated the most by wins opponents of the two teams trying to solve the tie. However, that tie-breaker was discontinued after last season and No. 7 – a coin toss – was moved up to No. 6.

“We were told we lost the coin flip that took place about 2 in the morning (Saturday),” Bryan said. “We’ve got that resolved, so now we’ll just see what happens.”

Ironically, if Ooltewah and Rhea County, the District 6-AAA champion, win their first-round games, they would face off in the second round in Dayton in a game fitting a semifinal matchup.

“Well,” said Bryan, in his second year at Ooltewah, “you’ve got to play them eventually.”

The Owls are off to the second-best start in school history – they went 13-0 in 2006 before losing to Smyrna in the playoff semifinals – and coming off a 30-12 win over McMinn County on Thursday that wrapped up the undefeated regular season.

That’s history now.

“That’s something to be proud of and we’ll have it forever,” Bryan said. “But right now the situation is we’ve got a five-game, survive-and-advance season. There are no style points anymore. No polls. We came out ranked No. 3 in the state and we’re the No. 3 seed. That’s how it worked out, but this is a new season.”

The Owls roared through the regular season relying on an explosive offense (38.3 points per game), a stingy defense (11.1 points) and a kicking weapon in Laszlo Toser, a senior who has the ability to settle tight games with his strong right leg.

Toser has kicked 23 career field goals. Fourteen have come this season, including a school-record 52-yarder against Bradley Central, and he’s put 62-of-70 kickoffs in on through the end zone. His career and 2014 field goals rank ninth and five, respectively, on the TSSAA list of state records.

Notre Dame’s Irish (9-1), ranked No. 3 in Class 3A, steamroll into the postseason riding a nine-game winning streak and will hope Chattanooga Christian (4-6) after capturing the District 6-AA crown. It’s the only first-round game pitting two Chattanooga teams.

The Irish, seeded No. 1 in its quadrant, defeated the Chargers 42-7 on Sept. 5, the second victory in a nine-game winning streak to close out the regular season. In the winning streak, Notre Dame outscored the opponents, 401-57, including a 68-13 trouncing of Grundy County on Friday.

McMinn Central (8-2) is the second-seed and Red Bank (6-4) No. 3 in the Irish’s quadrant.

“Having the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage (through the quarterfinals) is exciting,” Notre Dame coach Charles Fant said. “We had several players injured last year and we’re healthy and playing really well in all three phases of the game this year.”

The Irish who lost to Upperman 19-10 in last year’s quarterfinals, and if both teams win Friday they would meet in the second round.

“We break the season into thirds,” Fant said. “The first five games determine what you need to fix. In the next five you’re vying for district championships and trying to get to the playoffs. The last third is you’ve got five games and you’re trying to win them all for a championship.

“We hope and pray we’ve done what we’ve needed to do in the first 10 that prepared us to make a really nice playoff run.”

Chattanooga Christian has failed to post a winning record in its first six years playing football, but first-year coach Rob Spence, who has extensive experience coaching at the college level, has directed the Chargers to the school’s first playoff appearance.

Five of the six teams in District 7-AA reached the playoffs. Sequatchie County is the only team that didn’t make it.

“They played us really well for a half,” Fant said of the Chargers (17-43) in six seasons. “We made some adjustments and distanced ourselves in the second half. Coach Spence does a wonderful job with those kids and they’ll come ready to play.”

District 6-AA winner Hixson (8-2) will be at home against Page (6-4), a team the Wildcats know absolutely nothing about.

But what Hixson coach Dan Duff does know is that the Wildcats are playing “pretty good football right now.”

Duff would like to see the Wildcats, who are on a six-game winning streak, finish a few more offensive drives than they’ve been doing of late.

“The kids are finding ways to win games and that’s good,” he said. “I feel like we’ve run the gauntlet in our last six games, playing six tough teams. We’ve done pretty well.”

Like many others, Duff is not a big fan of the TSSAA playoff system, which can cause hair-pulling episodes in even the strongest-willed coaches across the state.

“It’s beyond my thinking how the TSSAA ever developed this system,” Duff said. “Two of the best teams in any given classification might meet in the second round. You can’t tell who you might play or where they’re coming from.

“I’m glad we’re in the playoffs, but I’m also glad there’s only one more year to deal with this thing. They’ve got a new system coming next year. It’s good that they have seen the errors of their ways and did that.”

District 5-A champion Boyd-Buchanan (5-5), which opened the season with five losses and closed with five straight wins, will be at home against Rockwood (7-3).

Marion County (9-1), the state’s No. 3 Class 2A squad, drew a first-round bye and will host the Jackson County-Eagleville winner in the second round on Nov. 14.

In Class 6A, Bradley Central (5-5) travels to Johnson City for an opening round game against sixth-ranked Science Hill (9-1).

In Class 5A, Soddy-Daisy’s Trojans (4-6), who secured a playoff berth despite a loss to Walker Valley on Friday, tangles with unbeaten and seventh-ranked Oak Ridge. The Wildcats are the No. 1 seed in the second quadrant with the Trojans, Ooltewah, Rhea County and Cleveland.

Coach Ron Crawford’s Blue Raiders (5-5), who reached the semifinals in 2013 where they lost to Knoxville West, gets to stay at home and play Clinton (7-3).

Walker Valley also got in, but the Mustangs (5-5) drew a challenging first-round Class 6A opponent in perennial champion Maryville (10-0). Maryville has won 14 straight region/district titles with a 94-game winning streak in league play, completed its 11th undefeated season – fourth in a row – and captured 10 championships dating to the 2000 season.

Signal Mountain (8-2), runner-up to Notre Dame in District 7-AA, will entertain DeKalb County (5-5).

Chattanooga Central (6-4) reached the playoffs, but drew a tough assignment at once-beaten Livingston Academy (9-1).

In Class 3A, Red Bank (6-4) will entertain Bledsoe County (5-5) and Grundy County (5-5) goes to McMinn Central (8-2).

Whitwell (6-4), under first-year coach Richard Helton, will play at Trousdale County (7-3) and Meigs County (6-4) earned a playoff berth and plays at Knoxville Grace (7-3). Meigs is coached by former Rhea County and Hixson coach Jason Fitzgerald.

In Class 2A, Marion County is the District 6-A champion and No. 1 seed in the Class 2A second quadrant. The Warriors (9-1) have a bye and will catch the Jackson County-Eagleville winner in the second round.

In Division II-AA, McCallie and Baylor are in and will host first-round games.

The Blue Tornado (8-2) play Pope John Paull II and the Red Raiders (6-4) will be at home against Father Ryan, the same team they beat 35-28 on Friday.

McCallie won a 59-38 shootout with Pope John Paul on Sept. 5. The Blue Tornado, which started 7-0, gave up 59 points to Brentwood Academy and 58 to Montgomery Bell Academy in their two losses.

First-Round Pairings

Chattanooga Area Schools

Games start at 7 p.m. Local Time

Class 6A

Bradley Central (5-5) at Science Hill (9-1)

Walker Valley (5-5) at Maryville (10-0)

Class 5A

Stone Memorial (6-4) at Ooltewah (10-0)

Soddy-Daisy (6-4) at Oak Ridge (10-0)

Clinton (7-3) at Cleveland (5-5)

Tullahoma (5-5) at Rhea County (10-0)

Class 4A