Cleveland challenges 8-0 Owls for 5-AAA title

Arkansas-SEMO Live Blog

Ooltewah and Rhea County are two of 19 unbeaten teams remaining in TSSAA football this season, but before the two Class 5A teams begin looking at a possible playoff showdown, there is still business requiring their attention.

Rhea County, which plays a nondistrict game at East Hamilton this week, has secured the District 6-AAA championship.

Ooltewah, though 8-0 like Rhea County, has yet to secure more than a playoff spot and is facing a battle this week with Cleveland for first place in District 5-AAA. And as unlikely as it seems, Cleveland (5-4) could win 5-AAA outright with a victory over the Owls.

"We have one (district) loss and everybody else (besides Ooltewah) has three. Finish one or two and you're automatically in. Ooltewah's a one or two. If they lose two in a row they're still second," Cleveland coach Ron Crawford said. "We beat Ooltewah, we're champs."

This game is the biggest of the year for Ooltewah, but Owls coach Mac Bryan has said that every week since week zero when his team dismantled Brainerd.

"We tell our kids the most important game is the next one -- the game of the year," he said.

Playoff jockeying abounds beyond 5-AAA and 6-AAA, all the way down to District 3-A. The top two in each league automatically qualify for the postseason.

Meigs County currently stands fourth in 3-A and can finish no better than 6-4 overall, 4-2 in the district. Even winning out likely will leave the Tigers watching the unveiling of TSSAA playoff pairings on Nov. 1 and hoping.

District 5-A will come down to Oct. 31 when defending champion Boyd-Buchanan plays at Silverdale Baptist, and the 6-A title will be decided that same week when Marion County visits South Pittsburg.

In 5-AA, McMinn Central has finished district play and is destined to finish second.

While Hixson currently leads 6-AA, numerous scenarios remain possible, depending on the next two weeks when the Wildcats play Central and Brainerd.

Central is making waves to the tune of 38 points per game in a three-game win streak that started after a 37-7 loss to Red Bank, and that is the next 6-AA challenge facing Hixson, which is 6-2 overall and climbed to 4-0 in the district with Friday's win over Red Bank.

Hixson would have to lose both remaining games and Red Bank would have to win out against Howard and Tyner for the Wildcats to surrender their current league lock. Both Central and Brainerd remain in the automatic-playoff-spot picture although Red Bank has the head-to-head advantage on each.

Notre Dame went a long way toward locking up the 7-AA crown with a win over Signal Mountain, but each has secured a playoff berth.

Meanwhile, in the week's biggest game, Ooltewah is gunning for its first unbeaten regular season since 2006 (13-1, Benny Monroe's second year as head coach), but the Owls still have to get past the Blue Raiders.

Getting to this game with a title shot was a thought Crawford never entertained during his team's up-and-down season.

"Shoot no," he responded. "Two weeks ago we were 2-4 (overall) and we'd been beat by Soddy-Daisy. Ooltewah's the best team in the league, but we're going to go down there, compete like crazy and see if we can win a district championship."

Bryan professed ignorance of the playoff situation.

"I have no idea," he answered when asked if the Owls had the playoffs locked. "We're trying to win Friday night and win the next one to go 10-0."

While there are few that can match his team's prowess to date, they're all trying to win the next one and the next one with playoffs now resonating through the minds of numerous players and coaches.

Contact Ward Gossett at wgossett@timesfreepress.com or 423-886-4765. Follow him at Twitter.com/wardgossett.

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