Tonight should be a pretty good gauge of whether familiarity does in fact breed contempt. Of the 30 high school football playoff games being played throughout the Volunteer State, 13 will be 2017 rematches, including five involving Chattanooga-area teams.
Depending which sideline they're standing on, the coaches involved in those intriguing matchups will preach the chance for either redemption or extinction.
"We're both different teams than when we played the first time," said Marion County coach Joey Mathis, whose team has hit a different gear over the past four weeks and will need to do so again as it travels to Tyner, which has won 10 straight games. "We've got young kids who have grown up since then, and Tyner is playing at a higher level and with a lot more confidence than the first time we saw them.
"There won't be a whole lot of surprises, as far as what either team wants to try to do. We know each other fairly well."
Marion at Tyner is one of two quarterfinal rematches in Class 2A involving area teams, along with top-ranked Meigs County hosting a Rockwood team that scored more points on the Tigers than any other opponent this season. Bradley Central travels to perennial powerhouse Maryville in a 6A rematch, while top-ranked South Pittsburg hosts Whitwell in 1A.
It's the semifinal round for the private schools, and in Division II-AAA McCallie travels to top-ranked Brentwood Academy.
As the opportunity awaits for one set of teams to avenge regular-season losses and the other side to double down on bragging rights, here's a quick look back at what decided the first meeting for each matchup and what could determine tonight's outcome.
McCallie (8-3) at Brentwood Academy (10-0)
» That was then: The first meeting was on Oct. 6 at McCallie with BA winning 46-24 by using a second-half surge to pull away. After rolling up 208 yards in the first half and trailing by only seven at the break, McCallie was held to 79 total yards in the final two quarters. As the Blue Tornado sputtered in the second half, the Eagles never took their foot off the accelerator, collecting 302 of their 551 total yards after halftime. BA had five touchdowns of 31-plus yards, with Tomario Pleasant scoring on runs of 67 and 69 yards and Camron Johnson catching three TD passes that totaled 145 yards.
» This is now: Since their first matchup McCallie has whipped three straight opponents - all league foes - by an average of 47-18, thanks in large part to the maturation of a couple of young players. Sophomore quarterback Deangelo Hardy has become more confident in his role, rushing for 423 yards and three TDs in the last three games, while freshman runner B.J. Harris has averaged more than 110 yards over the same stretch. The BA defense has held five opponents to seven or fewer points, and McCallie is the only team to score more than 14 on the Eagles all season. Tornado coach Ralph Potter hopes the emergence of his younger backs and having two of the past four weeks off has allowed his team to rest and get healthy.
"It's been a month since we played them, so you look at how things have progressed over the course of the year and you try to see if there are areas where we've improved or where they may have changed," Potter said. "You look back and think of things you would've done differently, but nobody is going to make drastic changes in anything they do this time of year. It will just come down to executing within your system."
Bradley Central (10-2) at Maryville (11-1)
» That was then: The first meeting was on Oct. 27 with Maryville breaking open a close first half by shutting out the Bears in the final two quarters on the way to a 31-7 win.
Although the Rebels closed the door in the second half, it actually was the early part of the game that was most frustrating for Bradley. The Bears drove into Maryville territory on their first two possessions but came away with no points, and four of their first five possessions reached Maryville territory. The Rebels out rushed Bradley 251-69 and added 197 passing yards as senior quarterback Dylan Hopkins ran for 100 yards and threw for nearly 200.
» This is now: The Bears have survived a pair of scares in the first two rounds - scoring three TDs in the fourth quarter to rally from a 13-point second-half deficit on the road last week and in round one using two fourth-quarter TDs and a late defensive stand to advance. Meanwhile, Maryville has cruised past its two postseason foes by 60 points and hasn't had an opponent come within 20 points since an early-September showdown at Alcoa.
But having just played the Rebels and proving its offense could move the ball should take away some of the intimidation factor for Bradley.
"We know they're going to make plays. We can't get frustrated when they do," Bears coach Damon Floyd said. "We just have to match them with some big plays of our own and be there at the end to hopefully make one or two more plays than them. We're excited to get a second chance. That's all you can ask for."
Marion County (7-5) at Tyner (10-2)
» That was then: The first meeting was Sept. 15 with Tyner rallying for three TDs in the final five minutes for a 37-28 win. The teams combined for 35 points in a wild fourth quarter, and by the end the Rams had outgained Marion 403-340 in total yards (a balanced 190 rushing, 214 passing). All-state defensive lineman Tracey Justice was a big reason for the late momentum shift as he helped shut down Marion's offense and helped Tyner outgain the Warriors 110 to minus-21 over the final three possessions.
Rams quarterback Jaylen Bowens was all over the field, finishing with 114 passing yards, 51 rushing and an interception on defense. That game was the springboard the Rams used to gain the confidence needed to believe they could play with anybody, and they have won seven straight games since that night.
» This is now: Jacob Saylors, who was named a state Mr. Football finalist earlier this week, has proven why he's one of the top two-way players in Tennessee over the past month by rushing for 200-plus yards in four of the past five games and intercepting four passes during that time. Although the Warriors have plenty of other weapons - including dual-threat QB Isaiah Sampson, receiver Kane Hale and running backs Seth McClain and Brett Nelson - when the game is on the line, expect Saylors to be the man with the ball in his hands.
Tyner is much tougher to defend because of the number of athletes who can make plays in space. It starts with Jeremy Elston, a 1,200-yard rusher, and includes quarterback Bowens (1,000-plus all-purpose) as well as burly fullback Tyon Young and speedy receiver/defensive back Jeremiah Batiste. Any of those guys are capable of changing a game's outlook on one play, but while the Rams offense is averaging 40-plus points, it's the defense that has been the biggest reason for the current run they're on, holding six of the last nine opponents to one score or fewer. Justice has 100-plus tackles, 25 for loss, and seems to always be disrupting plays in the backfield.
Rockwood (9-3) at Meigs County (12-0)
» That was then: The first meeting was Sept. 15, when Meigs needed four third-quarter TDs to pull away for a 48-27 win. Rockwood led early and the game was tied at 14 at halftime, but Meigs opened the third quarter with three straight TD runs from sophomore quarterback Aaron Swafford and a TD pass from the Mr. Football finalist. Swafford accounted for 186 rushing and 143 passing yards and seven combined TDs that night as the Tigers outgained Rockwood 406-190 thanks to the decisive second-half onslaught.
» This is now: Rockwood hasn't lost since the previous matchup with Meigs, having scored 36 or more points four times and allowing more than two scores just once in those last seven games. Rockwood is also a senior-dominated team that can certainly manage the clock and play keep-away with its wing-T offense, led by power runners Nate Brackett and Ryan McCain, both 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds.
The biggest difference for Meigs now is the emergence of junior runner Martin Smith, who's closing in on 1,000 yards this season with around 500 of that coming in the last three games. That makes it all the more difficult to key on Swafford.
Whitwell (11-1) at South Pittsburg (12-0)
» That was then: The first meeting was Oct. 13, when South Pittsburg held off a furious late rally to post a 21-14 win at home. With the largest crowd in Beene Stadium's 50-year history, both teams ran the ball 40-plus times with the Pirates narrowly outgaining the Tigers 276-255 on the ground. The Pirates led 21-8 early in the fourth quarter and had two possessions with a chance to put the game away but were stopped, opening the door for the Tigers to rally. After a 73-yard TD run from Trace Condra, Whitwell continued its comeback with an 18-play, 78-yard drive, converting three third downs and a fourth down to reach the Pirates' 3. With no timeouts remaining and the clock under 10 seconds and running, a Hudson Petty pass was batted down in the end zone, allowing the hosts to hold on.
Petty and Condra each finished with 100-plus rushing yards as Whitwell wore on the Pirates, gaining 159 of its 266 rushing yards on its final two drives and doubling the hosts in yardage in the second half.
» This is now: It's been one of the best seasons in program history for Whitwell, which is one win from reaching the state semifinals for only the second time. It was widely believed once the last game ended that these two teams would have no trouble working back to a rematch. Sure enough, both teams have won by mercy rule in the four games that followed their last meeting.
The Pirates have shut out three straight opponents, and although they're riding a 27-game win streak in the series, the confidence gained from nearly winning the last game could help Whitwell end that skid.
"We're going to play a really good team that seems to hitting their peak," Pirates coach Vic Grider said. "They feel good about who they are and know they're good enough to do what they do and have success. We feel the same. I'd say we both have each other's full attention."
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.