Tonight's greater Chattanooga area high school playoff matchups

Arkansas-SEMO Live Blog

Tennessee playoff semifinals

(All kickoffs at 7 p.m. local time)

Class 2A

KNOXVILLE GRACE CHRISTIAN RAMS (10-3) at MARION COUNTY WARRIORS (11-1)

Stars: Grace Christian's leading rusher is Cameron Kuerschen, who has 1,096 yards and 10 touchdowns on 128 carries. QB Jimmy Clevenger has thrown for 905 yards and nine touchdowns, and he's a 59-percent passer with one interception in 103 throws. Kobe Kelley is by far the leading receiver with 31 catches for 619 yards and seven TDs. Rhett Elwood has made the most tackles in the backfield. Marion County is sparked on both sides of the ball by RB/LB Blake Zeman and his 1,650 rushing yards and 32 rushing touchdowns offensively, and his 111.5 tackles, 31 tackles for loss and four fumbles caused on defense. He's aided offensively most by Josh Henderson's 698 rushing yards and 10 TDs. First-year starting QB Bryce Massengale rarely throws (63 attempts on the season) but has 633 yards and seven touchdowns on his 39 completions. DE Hayden Tudors has been particularly disruptive throughout the playoffs, and K Christian Stephens has had a solid year.

Storyline: This is "new school vs. old school." Start-up Grace played its first 10-game schedule in 2005 but quickly rose to power. The Rams are 70-14 from the beginning of the 2008 season through the present. However, they're still seeking that elusive state title. They've been to the semifinals twice previously, including last year when they lost by seven points to eventual champion Trousdale County. Marion County has resurrected its past. The Warriors' first of six state finals was in 1982. They've won four championships, but the last was in 1995.

Key matchup: Given the girth of the Rams' offensive linemen and Grace's penchant for loading up the backfield and running behind them, Marion County's front four, or front seven, or front nine if necessary, will have the biggest challenge. As Warriors coach Ricky Ross put it, "If they're running us off the ball, that's not good."

How they got here: Grace Christian defeated Meigs County 35-23, won at Hampton 54-27 and won at Oneida 35-3. Marion County had a bye the first week, then whipped Jackson County 49-6 and beat Trousdale County 41-20.

Coach's quote: "We're not really changing anything. The last thing I want to do is change something and our kids play slower because of it. We're going to do what we do. I just hope we do it a little better than we've done it before." -- Marion County's Ricky Ross

Class 3A

ALCOA TORNADOES (12-1) vs. NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH (12-1)

At Finley Stadium

Stars: Alcoa RB Jaquez Tyson has run for 1,852 yards and 31 TDs and leads a quartet that has rushed for at least 300 yards. The others are RB Karim Shereef (512), QB Mitchell McClurg (392) and WR Keishaun Johnson (320). The Tornadoes' two quarterbacks (McClurg and Jaylen Myers) have combined for 1,235 yards, six TDs and seven interceptions while completing 81 of 144 passes. Notre Dame counters with RB Auston Banks (1,690 yds, three TDs), who has the bulk of carries, but the Irish also have Ricky Ballard (382) and William Montgomery (231). Each is averaging better than 6 yards per carry. QB Alex Darras is coming off one of his best games. He threw four TD passes and completed 18 of 22 passes for 285 yards while using seven receivers. Darras has thrown for 1,419 yards and completed 60 percent of his passes. His primary receivers are Kareem Orr and Anthony Flemister. Tornado LBs Jake Warwick and Keller Maples have 110 and 102 tackles, respectively, DT John Decker has 58 with 15 tackles for loss and four sacks, and SS Dustin Clabough has been credited with 89 tackles. LBs Kealey Green and Tyler Enos are the Irish's leading defenders and Green had a pair of interceptions last week. Notre Dame also has five players with double-digit totals in lost-yardage hits: Enos, Robert Murphy, Josh Russell, Joe Dossett and Michael Flynn.

Storyline: Defending state champion Alcoa is on a 10-game win streak, and the Irish are undefeated since a season-opening loss to Knoxville Catholic. The Irish, who passed for close to 300 yards last week in a 48-7 win over McMinn Central, feel they must run the football consistently and effectively in order to win. Alcoa obviously prefers to run the football but has been effective when it passes. While the Irish rolled to a 42-7 halftime lead against McMinn Central, Alcoa had to use a fourth-quarter eruption to bolt from a 14-all tie to a 35-14 victory over Christian Academy of Knoxville. With the exception of a 52-35 victory over Heritage and a 41-14 loss to neighbor and 6A power Maryville, Alcoa has limited opponents to an average of two touchdowns. The Irish, who have enjoyed a second-half running clock for at least part of their last 11 games, have three shutouts and have given up an average of 8.3 points per game.

Key matchup: The Irish offensive line will be outweighed and Alcoa has a strong defensive line led by tackle John Decker. Banks may be the quickest RB and Orr may be the fastest and most sure-handed receiver the Tornadoes have seen. Alcoa loves to wear opposing defenses down, but the Irish are quick and their defensive line creates matchup problems. Notre Dame spent some extra time on the kicking game this week after missing several point-after kicks.

How they got here: Following its three-point loss to Catholic at the start of the season, Notre Dame has reeled off 12 straight wins that included an undefeated district schedule. Their first-team defense has allowed just three TDs in the last 10 games. Playoff wins have come over Chattanooga Christian, Upperman and McMinn Central, all with a running clock in the second half. Alcoa has enjoyed running clocks in two of its postseason wins (Johnson County, Gatlinburg-Pittman). Its last playoff win was its second 2014 victory over district rival CAK. The Tornadoes have topped 50 points three times this year, while the Irish scored at least 48 six times.

Coach's quote: "Three times in my career we've been a game away from playing Alcoa in the postseason. Those are guys you want to compete against, and their coach, Gary Rankin, is an incredible coach, one of the winningest coaches in the state. They are what we aspire to be." -- Notre Dame's Charles Fant

Class 5A

KNOXVILLE WEST REBELS (12-1) at RHEA COUNTY EAGLES (13-0)

Stars: The Eagles have four backs with more than 500 yards and two with more than 1,000 yards this season. Zach Daoust has 1,571 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns; Cody Bice has 1,139 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns; Jacob York has 863 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns. The Rebels will counter with RB Nathan Cotrell, who is headed to Georgia Tech and ran a 4.35 40-yard dash at the Nike Sparq combine in Atlanta. QB Seth Marshall is 5-foot-8 and bench-presses 330 pounds. DE Noah Hoxie has committed to Air Force and has been pursued by Ivy League schools.

Storyline: This game could be over in a hurry. Neither team likes to throw, so the clock will be moving. The team that stays ahead of the chains and throws when it wants to -- not when it needs to -- will have the best chance of advancing to the state championship game.

Key matchup: As is the case any time a veer offense like that of Knoxville West faces a wing-T like that of Rhea County, the battle is won in the trenches. A key individual matchup could be between Hoxie and Rhea County tackle Jake Williams.

How they got here: Rhea County beat Tullahoma 52-14, then defeated Ooltewah 47-14, then won at Oak Ridge 35-21. The Rebels beat Knoxville Central 46-0, then Tennessee High 46-10, and won at South Doyle 34-14.

Coach's quote: "It's a nightmare to prepare for the offense Rhea County plays. We know they'll be very patient on offense, and we have to be patient, too. As long as we make them punt, then we've done our job. It's important to convert because we won't have many possessions." -- West's Scott Cummings

Georgia Class AAA quarterfinal, 7:30 p.m.

ELBERT COUNTY BLUE DEVILS (9-3) at CALHOUN YELLOW JACKETS (12-0)

Stars: Elbert quarterback/cornerback Mecole Hardman, who has been offered scholarships by Tennessee, Georgia and Clemson among others, is part of a rushing attack that has amassed 3,135 yards and 38 touchdowns. He missed six games with a meniscus injury, three of which the Blue Devils lost, and in the team's two playoff wins he has gained 361 yards. Elbert, coached by former Sequatchie County and Rome coach Sid Fritts, has three other backs with more than 400 yards, including Rantious "Boochie" Reed with 1,248 yards and 19 scores. Calhoun's attack is very balanced, relying on the strong playmaking ability of junior quarterback Kaelen Riley, who was 16-of-21 passing last week, and running backs Cole Jackson and Olico Dennis. Thomas Lester, who is a stalwart at safety, has emerged as Riley's main receiving target. The Jackets' defense has allowed one touchdown in the playoffs with the starters in, led by a front seven who include Landon Rice, Austin Bennett, Tristan Fuller, Will Conley and the dangerous Jireh Wilson.

Storyline: It's simple -- on paper -- for a Calhoun defense no one has run on with any consistency: Crowd the line and make a team that has thrown for only 645 yards for the season try to beat you in the air. Of course, every team Elbert plays has attempted that, and with Hardman healthy no one has succeeded.

Key matchup: Calhoun's linebackers vs. the dangerous Hardman and his bevy of backs. Elbert will run quite a bit of misdirection, so the Jackets' linebackers cannot over-pursue or miss tackles in open space.

How they got here: Elbert County defeated Lumpkin County 28-18 and Appling County 54-3; Calhoun defeated Rockmart 43-14 and Cedar Grove 38-18.

Coach's quote: "Elbert is a very, very athletic team, and the quarterback is really special. He's lightning in a bottle, and we're going to have our hands full with him." -- Calhoun's Hal Lamb

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