Not even a steady rain could dampen the enthusiasm for this year's BlueCross Bowl. Despite inclement weather for two of the event's three days, it still produced a high-water mark since moving to Finley Stadium with a total attendance of 32,177.
That total is the most in the three years since the TSSAA event moved to Chattanooga and also surpassed figures for each of the 12 years it was held at Tennessee Tech in Cookeville.
"Our community once again demonstrated how we collectively produced a championship environment as one team," said Tim Morgan, Chief Sports Officer for Chattanooga Sports.
Having four Chattanooga-area teams playing in state championship games — the most ever — certainly helped the spike in numbers. Also benefitting the event was the fact that three of those teams — Boyd Buchanan, which fell to Christ Presbyterian Academy in Division II-AA, and particularly the DII-AAA showdown where McCallie edged Baylor — were staged on Thursday, which was the best day weather-wise of the event.
That first-day total for all three games was 18,149, a single-day record since the event was moved to Finley, while Friday's attendance, which included South Pittsburg winning the Class 1A title over last year's champ McKenzie, drew 6,751.
Since the event moved to 20,412-seat Finley Stadium in 2021, the previous best for attendance was 27,052 in that first year, which exceeded the highest mark in the previous five years by more than 6,000 fans.
"Chattanooga just continues to do an impressive job of hosting the event," TSSAA director Mark Reeves said. "The list of things we will need to work on is short and pretty minor, and that's a reflection of how prepared the city is to serve as host."
With 18 teams making up the nine championship games played over three days, the BlueCross Bowl brings in an estimated economic impact of more than $3 million to the local economy. Fourteen of those teams traveled from 100 miles or further.
Earlier this year, Chattanooga Sports and TSSAA agreed on a one-year contract for the event to remain at Finley Stadium this season, with an option to extend it another year. Morgan said Chattanooga Sports will discuss that extension at the next TSSAA Board of Control meeting in January and have until February 28 to sign the agreement which would keep the BlueCross Bowl in Chattanooga for the 2024 season.
"We want to keep the event, but first we just have to make sure the numbers work out from a budgetary standpoint," Morgan said. "When we renegotiated the current contract, we made it to where it helps both sides more than just a flat guarantee. When all the numbers come in and everything is a clearer picture, we'll do our due diligence to speak with TSSAA about getting the extension done.
"The out-of-town teams traveled well and the local people were obviously engaged. In our three years of hosting, we've demonstrated our commitment."
Lion King moment
Among the celebratory moments following McCallie's thrilling 34-28 win was Blue Tornado coach Ralph Potter posing for a family photo with the newest member — nine-week-old grandson Pete, who is named for Ralph's father and legendary former McCallie coach Pete Potter, for whom the school's football field is named.
"We went out on Big Pete's field with little Pete and had sort of a Lion King moment of holding him up in front of the scoreboard," Ralph Potter said with a laugh.
Asked where the newest state title ranks among the five he has guided McCallie to, Potter didn't hesitate in saying, "Oh, this one is number one. No doubt. The first one in 2001 was pretty special, especially since we had to make a game-winning drive and field goal late, but the last three honestly haven't been that close. So, considering who we beat, the atmosphere and setting and how extremely well we played, this is my favorite."
Amari rolled
Among the stat lines that should not be soon forgotten from the Baylor-McCallie showdown is Red Raiders senior receiver Amari Jefferson, who finished with eight catches for 210 yards and two touchdowns, including a 63-yarder midway through the fourth quarter that pulled his team within six.
Of that total, the University of Alabama commitment had five catches for 135 yards in the second half, accounting for all but 18 of his team's receiving yards in the final two quarters.
No apology necessary
When Boyd Buchanan coach Gary Rankin was asked to sum up how he thinks other coaches around the state view his legendary career, he replied, "We went 0-10 my first year as a head coach at Smith County, and I don't remember anybody calling to say they felt sorry for me, so I decided once we got things going in the right direction that I would never apologize for winning."
Rankin will enter next season as the nation's fourth all-time leader in high school football wins with a 486-82 overall record. That is 13 behind Jim Roth of Pennsylvania's Southern Columbia Area. The top two on the list are John Curtis of Louisiana's John Curtis High (592-109-6) and Robert Hyland of Wisconsin's St. Mary's Springs (514-114-2).
Impressive Pirates plunder
With its seventh state championship, South Pittsburg broke a tie with Trousdale County for most titles claimed by a 1A program. Six of Trousdale's nine crowns came in 1A, with another three coming in 2A.
Also, after capitalizing on one of South Pittsburg's three third-quarter fumbles by covering 22 yards in two plays for a 7-0 lead midway through the quarter, McKenzie's next 11 plays produced minus-1 yard of total offense. That included a fake punt on fourth-and-2 that gained just one yard and an interception on its final offensive snap, which was also a fourth-down play.
For the game McKenzie had 11 possessions, with all but two ending in a three-and-out. On those nine possessions, the Rebels managed 42 total yards on 29 offensive plays (1.5 yards per play), while the other two drives produced the Rebels' lone TD and a two-play possession which ended in a lost fumble to set up South Pittsburg's first score.
The Pirates also maintained possession for more than 18 of the 24 second-half minutes.
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com.