TONIGHT’S AREA HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL MATCHUPS
HIXSON WILDCATS (0-1) AT WALKER VALLEY MUSTANGS (0-1)
Storyline: The Wildcats are coming off a 39-3 home loss to Class 2A power Marion County and now they’re on the road to play one of the Region 4-5A favorites. Hixson’s skill-position players have seized opposing coaches’ attention, and those folks will have to step up in a big way. The only points Hixson generated last week were on a 32-yard field goal by Austin Slifko. The Mustangs, meanwhile, got a 370-yard passing performance from Kolten Gibson, but special teams play was abysmal in their 40-28 season-opening loss at Bradley Central. At one point, they were down 21 but had given up just 31 yards of offense.
MCMINN COUNTY CHEROKEES (1-0) AT BRADLEY CENTRAL BEARS (1-0)
Storyline: Cherokees coach Bo Cagle stretched the truth in the preseason when he said the Cherokees wouldn’t throw the football. QB Bradley Hayes went 7-of-7 with two TDs, contributing 85 of the team’s 279 offensive yards vs. McMinn Central last week. Bradley Central capitalized on special teams play and rushing defense against Walker Valley. On offense, the Bears had 46 rushing plays while QB Cole Copeland attempted just 13 passes. Bradley Central won this matchup 34-13 last year; the Cherokees last won in 2013 (28-8).
SIGNAL MOUNTAIN EAGLES (0-1) AT OOLTEWAH OWLS (0-1)
Storyline: The Eagles were respectable in a 24-13 loss to East Hamilton last week, when the Owls were definitely feeling the effects of inexperienced starters in a 47-14 road loss to Riverdale. In the first half alone, the Owls gave up TDs on a blocked punt and a punt return and suffered three interceptions. Ooltewah won this matchup 46-3 last year.
SODDY-DAISY TROJANS (0-1) AT CENTRAL POUNDERS (0-1)
Storyline: Last week Soddy-Daisy was surprised by better-than-expected Red Bank while Central couldn’t hold an early lead in a loss to Notre Dame. Trojans QB Justin Cooke will have to find a target other than Ty Boeck, who is sure to begin drawing double coverage or, this week, the special attention of Pounders DB D.J. Baxter, who’s coming off a good season-opening performance on both sides of the ball. (He’s also a receiver.) The Trojans won this matchup 40-6 last year.
MCMINN CENTRAL CHARGERS (0-1) AT RHEA COUNTY EAGLES (0-1)
Storyline: The Chargers had a tough time with their rivals last week and suffered a second straight series loss to McMinn County despite the best efforts of veteran RB Jackson Long. Rhea, meanwhile, was routed 35-0 by Baylor, suffering its first shutout loss since falling 16-0 to Ooltewah on Sept. 18, 2015. The Eagles will look to provide more help via the offensive line and running backs Mason Stephenson and Andrew Bice for sophomore QB Zack Pemberton. They’ve had a week to work on timing, so fumbles should be much less of a concern. Rhea thumped the Chargers 62-20 a year ago.
MEIGS COUNTY TIGERS (1-0) AT ONEIDA INDIANS (1-0)
Storyline: Fumbles were a problem for the Tigers last week in a win over Sweetwater — they had five in the first half — and Sweetwater ran 42 plays to 17 for Meigs in the first half. The offensive line played better than expected, but coach Jason Fitzgerald said the group has just scratched the surface of its potential. Meigs started freshman QB Aaron Swafford, but the brunt of the offense fell to running backs Zy Moore and Logan Swafford as the Tigers outrushed Sweetwater 279-9. Oneida, which beat Oakdale 38-12 last week, topped the Tigers 13-7 last year.
SEQUATCHIE COUNTY INDIANS (1-0) AT WHITWELL TIGERS (1-0)
Storyline: Last week Whitwell went on the road, played poorly on special teams and rather sloppily on offense — and still came away with a 35-12 win at Grundy County. The defense forced four fumbles, with ends Garrett Shrum and Travis Nolan playing well; RB Trayce Condra also had good contributions to the victory. Sequatchie, meanwhile, survived a battle with South Pittsburg thanks to a stingy defense led by LBs Hunter Davenport and Kyle Cates. The Indians scored with less than a minute to play to pull out a 27-21 victory, shutting out the talented Pirates in the second half.
BRAINERD PANTHERS (0-1) AT EAST RIDGE PIONEERS (0-1)
Storyline: Brainerd’s mission in this neighborhood battle: Don’t fall behind so quickly. Early turnovers by the Panthers contributed to a four-TD deficit last week. And consider that behind QB Vesta Melvin, they rallied to within four points midway through the fourth quarter. East Ridge is still awaiting star RB Traneil Moore to return from surgery. Backup Lorenzo Stewart went down with an injury in the second quarter last week and is questionable tonight. Even so, Kashawn Cosey filled in and registered more than 200 yards rushing and receiving. However, the defense struggled against Polk County’s ball-control ground game and surrendered 35 points in the loss. The Panthers’ passing game presents a whole different set of problems.
CONCORD CHRISTIAN LIONS (0-1) AT VS. SALE CREEK PANTHERS (0-1) AT FINLEY STADIUM
Storyline: Fourth-year varsity program Sale Creek earned its first victory in its 22nd game, and it came against Concord Christian last year. The Lions are a second-year program that was 0-9 in 2015. The Panthers, who emphasized working on pass coverage this week, were competitive on the road against Richland through the first half last week before QB Jeb Hart went down with a concussion. Then the same thing happened to substitute QB Tanner Harvey, and FB Chase Poole had to finish the game behind center. Hart has been cleared by doctors and will start this week.
CHATTANOOGA CHRISTIAN CHARGERS (1-0) AT LOOKOUT VALLEY YELLOW JACKETS (0-1)
Storyline: Things couldn’t have gone much smoother for the Chargers to begin last week’s opener as they raced to a 28-0 lead in Mark Mariakis’s first game as their head coach. Now they have another nonregion game, this one against a young team trying to get experience in several key positions and avoid injuries before beginning its region schedule.
HOWARD HUSTLIN’ TIGERS (0-1) AT DAVID CROCKETT PIONEERS (0-1)
Storyline: The Pioneers are a senior-led team — nine occupy starting positions — that narrowly missed the playoffs last year and lost in a bowl game to McMinn County. Howard struggled offensively in last week’s shutout loss to Donelson Christian Academy but has big-play potential with a speedy backfield.
EAST HAMILTON HURRICANES (1-0) AT CLEVELAND BLUE RAIDERS (1-0)
Storyline: East Hamilton is stressing cutting down on penalties this week, as well as working on responsibility defense in an effort to counteract the Blue Raiders’ speed. Last week Cleveland QB Dallas McCrary completed seven passes but for 221 yards. The Hurricanes know what they have in the passing game with senior QB Nick Woods, and the running game gets a boost with the return of FB Huichan Yun, who did not play last week. The Blue Raiders also rushed for more than 300 yards in their opener, and they totaled more than 600 total yards. Can their defense match East Hamilton’s physicality in the trenches?
TYNER RAMS (0-0) AT NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH (1-0)
Storyline: The Irish worked out the early-season kinks last week, rallying from a 13-0 first-quarter deficit to score 30 unanswered points. This nonregion game will serve as a good measuring stick for both teams, with each expected to be a playoff contender in its classification. There’s nothing fancy about what Tyner does offensively, but the Rams are physical and fast and claimed an overtime win against the Irish last year that set the tone for a solid season.
BLACKMAN BLAZE (0-0) AT MCCALLIE BLUE TORNADO (0-1)
Storyline: The Blaze held on for a twopoint win last season against McCallie but return only eight total starters from a 10win team. Among those are two-way athlete Amauri Burks, who has great speed. McCallie’s offense struggled last week against one of Georgia’s better teams, and tonight’s opponent will also present a challenge. With several key Division II games looming, the Blue Tornado need a confidence-building win.
RED BANK LIONS (1-0) AT BAYLOR RED RAIDERS (1-0)
Storyline: Both teams claimed impressive opening wins last week as Red Bank upset rival Soddy-Daisy and Baylor completely shut down the state’s No. 2-ranked Class 5A team, Rhea County, in a shutout. Baylor will again rotate two young QBs — sophomore Lorenzo White and junior Trusten McArtor, who each accounted for two TDs last week — and rely on a stout defense that allowed Rhea to cross midfield only twice.
GRUNDY COUNTY YELLOW JACKETS (0-1) AT MARION COUNTY WARRIORS (1-0)
Storyline: In the debut of first-year head coach Joey Mathis, Marion scored five TDs in the first 12:06 of last week’s game, including three of 30-plus yards. Jacob Saylors ran for 128 yards and scored on three of his four carries, all on runs of 19-plus yards. He added another TD on a blocked punt he recovered in the end zone. Grundy has 14 starters back from last season but likely isn’t ready to challenge one of the state’s Class 2A powers.
SOUTH PITTSBURG PIRATES (0-1) AT BLEDSOE COUNTY WARRIORS (0-0)
Storyline: The Pirates got pushed around by a physical Sequatchie County team last week, giving up more than 300 rushing yards and four TDs in a loss. Sequatchie County also used the clock to keep the ball out of the hands of South Pittsburg’s bigplay offense, a strategy Bledsoe will likely try to follow.
CALHOUN YELLOW JACKETS (1-0) AT DALTON CATAMOUNTS (0-0)
Storyline: Calhoun has of late dominated this matchup between northwest Georgia’s most successful programs, winning seven consecutive games in the series and eight of the past nine (Dalton won 30-7 in 2008 at its Harmon Field at Bill Chappell Stadium). The Class AAAAAA Catamounts believe, however, this may be their best shot in a while. The Jackets opened last week with a 28-0 win over Douglass, though they struggled on offense with a new QB, Baylon Spector, and three new linemen. Dalton, on the other hand, has a potentially explosive offense led by RB Ahmaad Tanner, WR Zeke Cobb and athlete Kyric McGowan. The best matchup will be the Dalton receivers against a stout Calhoun secondary led by Ryan Randall, Malik Lawrence and Bailey Lester.
TRION BULLDOGS (0-0) AT LAFAYETTE RAMBLERS (1-0) AT
Storyline: There probably weren’t many teams in Georgia hit harder by graduation than Trion, which has eight new starters on each side of the ball. However, the Bulldogs do have playmakers in QB Jarrett Gill and RBs Jarrett Piece and Logan Blevins, who will also be keys in the middle of the defense. The Ramblers, after a slow start, ran past Armuchee 22-6 last week and displayed a ball-control offense built around an improved line and RBs KaDarrin Ramsey (118 yards) and Colton Lane (71 yards, two TDs). The LaFayettte defense — led by Logan Teasley, Dillon Reynolds, Grant Blaschke and Jonah Hobbs — held Armuchee to negative yards in the second half and will try to press the Bulldogs tonight and make them throw the ball.
HERITAGE GENERALS (1-0) AT RINGGOLD TIGERS (0-1)
Storyline: The Generals, coming off a 38-0 win over one Catoosa County team (Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe), will go for the sweep tonight against a team trying to recover after allowing nearly 500 yards in a loss to Northwest Whitfield. Heritage, despite the high points total, managed only 283 total yards against LFO, and QB Corbee Wilson was 6-of-14 passing for 159 yards. The defense, led by DL Tanner Nance and LBs Zaine Burton and Hank Weldon, will get a much stiffer test tonight. Ringgold features dual-threat QB Cole Kibler, who ran for 102 yards last week, and hard-running backs Dee King and Ty Jones to go with talented WRs Mac Brower and Andre Tarver.
SOUTH ATLANTA HORNETS (0-1) AT NORTHWEST WHITFIELD BRUINS (1-0)
Storyline: South Atlanta, under a new coaching staff led by Brad Stephens, nearly pulled one of the Peach State’s biggest upsets a week ago against top 10-ranked Heard County. However, after leading 19-7 in the fourth quarter, the Hornets lost. Still, the athletic team will present a rarely seen test for the Bruins by bringing the wishbone offense to Tunnel Hill. The Bruins will seek a different path for points behind the dynamic play of QB Luke Shiflett, who had 262 passing yards and 126 rushing yards in a lopsided win over Ringgold. Add in powerful RB Dominique Sistrunk, and Northwest will challenge the inexperienced South Atlanta defense.
RIDGELAND PANTHERS (1-0) AT PEPPERELL DRAGONS (0-1)
Storyline: Ridgeland announced its arrival as a team to be reckoned with last week with a dominating 49-7 win over Adairsville, putting up 306 yards in the first half. RB Jalyn Shelton had 166 yards of those yards and four touchdowns as the Panthers unveiled a deep and talented stable of backs that also included Grayson Moore, Jordan Hughley and Skye Wilson, who made a huge impact defensively in his first start. A key tonight will again be quarterback play. Starter Ivy Boehm was an efficient 5-for-6 and a touchdown and backup Tanner Moore 1-for-1 for a score in the opener. The Dragons, a Class AAA playoff team last year, bring an experienced QB in Trevor Thomas and Tae Hammond, a 1,000-yard rusher last year.
SOUTHEAST WHITFIELD RAIDERS (1-0) AT GORDON CENTRAL WARRIORS (0-1)
Storyline: Southeast had high hopes of opening the season on a strong note, and the Raiders did just that with a 49-0 win over Coahulla Creek in which the defense stole the show by allowing 15 total yards and scoring two TDs. Offensively, the ground game was strong behind RB Cody Gillean (103 yards on six carries), and that matchup could be even more fruitful tonight against a Gordon Central defense that gave up 500 rushing yards in a 55-13 loss to Murray County. Warriors QB Martavius Harris was a rare bright spot and will need to make big plays tonight to keep it close.
LAKEVIEW-FORT OGLETHORPE WARRIORS (0-1) ARMUCHEE TIGERS (0-1) AT
Storyline: The Warriors suffered a 38-0 loss against Heritage a week ago, when their offense was nearly nonexistent. The defense held its own against the Generals, allowing less than 300 total yards. The good news for LFO is that its ground game, led by QB Noah Flowers and RB Nathan Williams and a large front line, should get moving against an Armuchee defense that allowed more than 200 rushing yards against LaFayette. Defensively, the Warriors will try to slow QB Seth Stanley and RBs Jacob Henderson and Adam Hart.
MODEL BLUE DEVILS (0-0) AT SONORAVILLE PHOENIX (0-0)
Storyline: This opener features playoff teams from last season. The Blue Devils have one of Class AA’s most exciting — and productive — players in QB/LB Kyler Eldridge. The senior had more than 2,000 yards of total offense and 28 touchdowns a year ago to go with a team-best 134 tackles from middle linebacker. RB Chris Dublin is coming off a 1,300-yard season, though the lines lost several starters. The Phoenix will have a new QB in junior Patrick Moore, who makes up for his lack of size with quick legs and a strong, accurate arm. The Sonoraville defense will be the key tonight, where LB Sherrod Agee and DB Tate Moore will have to keep Eldridge and Dublin under control.