SOUTH PITTSBURG, Tenn. -- For all practical purposes, the TSSAA's 35-point continuous-clock rule could be renamed the "Pirates rule."

Demonte Bolden has 20 minutes of his life for which he can’t account.

When Will Adams was a junior at Cleveland High School he missed more than a month of school, sitting in a quiet, dark room at his house because of migraines brought on by concussions he sustained playing football. Adams not only returned the following fall to play his senior season, but he now plays for the Tennessee Crush minor league team.

STEVENSON, Ala. -- Shawn Peek recognized the desire immediately. As the linebacker coach at North Jackson, he knew the program's defensive identity had been built by players whose toughness overcame any athletic shortcomings. Peek knew early on that Zach Hammontree had that drive, but he also noticed something different about the kid who was an undersized sophomore at the time.

SOUTH PITTSBURG, Tenn. -- When you're a part of the same small-school football program as your older brother, comparisons are inevitable.

SOUTH PITTSBURG, Tenn. -- As with countless other young boys, there was a time when Shane Boles would stop whatever he was doing and stare at the players in solid black uniforms walking past him.

The formula for surviving this past Friday's playoff round was simple, but few area teams were able to follow it successfully. While 14 area teams had their season ended, six others advanced because of suffocating defense.

SOUTH PITTSBURG, Tenn. -- Before sending his team onto the field for its first playoff game, South Pittsburg football coach Vic Grider gave a simple speech.

Patrick Daly never realized just how much growing pains could hurt. In his second year after taking over a once-proud Copper Basin program, Daly realized numbers had dropped to the point that he would have to start 12 freshmen.

STEVENSON, Ala. -- Just two rounds into the postseason, North Jackson has an opportunity to avenge a regular-season loss.

As details of the arrests of three freshmen on the University of Tennessee football team continue to be sorted, part of the aftermath is how the incident will effect recruiting.

JASPER, Tenn. -- The sun had set behind the mountains and a chilly November wind blew across the field at Bill Baxter Stadium late Wednesday evening. But long after most of his teammates began making their way home from practice, Nick Wells remained on the field, catching punts.

Every dominant defense needs an enforcer -- a player willing to sacrifice his body to deliver punishing hits that cause an opponent to worry more about his whereabouts than making a play.

The natural reaction would have been to pout or lash out in anger. Instead, Matthew Oellerich's quiet determination to accept a new role and simply do his job has made him a true leader for Baylor's football team.

Jacques Smith did not want the lasting memory of his senior season to be standing on the sideline of Ooltewah's first-round playoff loss.

Four area players are among the 33 finalists for the TSSAA’s Mr. Football awards.

After just one week of the Tennessee high school football playoffs, the number of Chattanooga-area teams keeping their state championship hopes alive has been cut nearly in half.

DUNLAP, Tenn. -- Dickie Brown gets to keep his secret for at least another week.

For the last two decades, change has been the main constant in Chattanooga-area high school football programs.

Having experienced about every situation a high school football coach can face, Benny Monroe knew he had a decision tougher than any fourth-and-inches call.

Ooltewah High School senior defensive end and University of Tennessee commitment Jacques Smith will have to sit out Friday night’s first-round playoff game between the fifth-ranked Owls and seventh-ranked Knoxville Farragut. Owls coach Benny Monroe today confirmed the suspension, which he cited was for disciplinary reasons.

It's tough to steal the excitement of a day as anxiously anticipated as the release of the state football playoff brackets. But that's just what happened Saturday when TSSAA officials reached into their bag and handed out far more tricks than treats.

The TSSAA unveiled its new playoff format Saturday, and 21 Chattanooga-area teams earned the right to begin competing for a state championship.

Having won five of its last six games to finish second in a district full of larger high schools, Tyner appeared poised for a deep run in the Class 3A football state playoffs. But that potential took a gut-shot when the playoff brackets were announced Saturday morning.

Two plays into the game, Brentwood Academy had set the tone as well as an ominous trend of things to come. The Eagles scored less than a minute in and consistently continued using their tremendous speed advantage to run away from McCallie for a 42-21 Division II-AA victory.

JASPER, Tenn. -- Needing someone to step up and ensure its season would continue into the playoffs, Marion County got a take-charge game from two seniors on offense.

There are nights, as he patrols downtown, that officer Lee Mayweather will stop along Chestnut Street and gaze up the hill where AT&T Field sits. Closing his eyes briefly, Mayweather can picture the black track that encircled the football field where Kirkman High School once played and remember the three years he spent playing on Hawk Hill.

The chance of rain lingering in the forecast again has caused several area high schools to move their football games to Thursday.

SOUTH PITTSBURG, Tenn. -- It was brutally simple and simply brutal. Polk County used a straight-ahead game plan, physically dominating South Pittsburg for much of a 34-28 nondistrict win Friday night.

When time expires on an athlete's career, one of the toughest transitions can be changing his or eating habits to match the suddenly less-intensive workouts.

I had hoped my chosen profession meant I was finished with math equations. But thanks to the TSSAA's new playoff format, I've found myself studying quadrants and ratios like a trigonometry student.

With only two weeks remaining in the regular season, the playoff picture is becoming clearer. Only one district champion remaining to be decided and a handful of other area teams now turn their attention to finishing the season strong in hopes of earning a wild card selection.

Marion County High School senior post Cody Henegar has committed to sign a basketball scholarship with UNC Greensboro.

SOUTH PITTSBURG, Tenn. -- One week after the flu left him too weak to play, Terrell Robinson returned and continued his trend of leaving opponents feeling queasy. South Pittsburg's senior all-state quarterback was fabulous in the first half, helping build a commanding lead on the way to a 58-20 District 6-A win over Lookout Valley.

In less than two seasons, Adarius Bowman is back doing what always came easily for him -- shredding opposing defenses and winning over fans of all ages.

Boyd-Buchanan snapped two streaks in one muddy, hard-fought game Friday night.

Regardless of which team wins tonight's mammoth small-school game between Class 2A's second-ranked Boyd-Buchanan and 1A's top-ranked South Pittsburg, the real winners are those of us who love high school football.

STEVENSON, Ala. -- An eerie silence began to creep over R.D. Hicks Stadium in the second half as North Jackson fans could sense something was amiss.

KNOXVILLE -- After essentially having the night off Friday, Jacques Smith was a lot busier Saturday.

For the second straight week, Brainerd's football program will attempt to snap a frustrating losing streak to a rival.

JASPER, Tenn. -- The toughest obstacle between Signal Mountain and the state playoffs has been cleared.

SOUTH PITTSBURG, Tenn. -- The knock at the door jolted Jonathan Blevins alert. The unexpected visitor not only broke the silence but brought Blevins face to face with the opportunity he had prayed for.

The pregame choice of meat and three vegetables can help a football team gain those "3 yards and a cloud of dust" needed later that night. That's according to Tess Canlas, clinical nutrition manager for Memorial Health Care System.

They're just that good.

If it were allowed, the mercy rule would have been in effect after the first quarter. As it was, Boyd-Buchanan was as impressive as its ranking would indicate, while Notre Dame looked every bit like a team missing nine starters.

DUNLAP, Tenn. -- With one swing of his right leg, Lupe Martinez accomplished something that he believes would have otherwise taken years to accomplish.

To say the least, Alvin Tarver will be grateful to be done with September's sadistic schedule.

It was football's version of an old-fashioned tent revival. With facilities still being built, visitors must dress in a tent in the corner of Signal Mountain's new football field.

Not even halfway into the prep football schedule, we've already reached a night that will cast the die for quite a few area teams' seasons. Call it "Filter Friday," because while some are playing for postseason positioning, others will be sifted out of the playoff picture altogether.

Regardless of you're allegiance, the best advice for anyone planning to attend tonight's mammoth small-school clash between state-ranked South Pittsburg and Signal Mountain would be arrive early.