Ten area games to circle on this season’s calendar

Sequoyah at Polk County — Sept. 4

Sequoyah’s defense will have seen plenty of the run game when Week 3 rolls around and the Chiefs travel to Benton. After a solid start to the preseason, the Chiefs have the chance to get on the right foot with their defensive effort against the Wildcats.

It also gives the program the chance to shake off the early-season jitters in its two biggest rivalry games in Weeks 1 and 2.

Sequoyah may be looking for its first win Sept. 15, 2023, a streak that would be at 27 games if the Chiefs are winless in the first week of September.

A year ago, Sequoyah held the Polk County offense in check — a team that swept all schools from Monroe County. Doing so again may be the spark needed for the boys in red and gold.

Tellico Plains at Sweetwater — Sept. 4

This week 3 matchup brings two rivals and programs that are on the rise head-to-head in Sweetwater. The Wildcats will look to take the County Cup back for the first time since 2023 while Tellico will look for the first three-peat as county champions in program history.

Sweetwater is bigger, stronger and more physical, and they hope to bring that against a Tellico team that has been defined by its physicality since Bobby White arrived as head coach in 2022.

The running backs in this bout will put on a show. Sweetwater senior Ty Fitch has been a workhorse for several seasons while Tellico’s Gio Carter will look to pick up where he left off before an injury.

The Bears also have sophomore Jasper Hamilton, who has only gotten bigger and stronger since establishing himself as a playmaker his freshman year.

But this game will be decided in the trenches and who will step up in the moments. Make sure to get there early. This will be fun.

Sequoyah at Howard — Sept. 11

A week later, Sequoyah will face off against a different type of offense from Howard. On the road in Chattanooga, the Chiefs will meet with the Hustlin’ Tigers, the team they topped 31-6 for that last win three seasons ago.

As week 4 rolls in, we will have a better understanding of how competitive the Sequoyah defense can be and how the secondary may handle an offense with more passing intent than the first three weeks.

It will also bring a look at the longevity of an offensive line as well as the legs of workhorses like Evan Hunt, Andrew Smith and Carter Tallent.

Kingston at Sweetwater — Sept. 18

Two teams that have played on and off throughout their history, Sweetwater and Kingston both will look to make a fast start in Region 2-3A play in this week 5 bout.

A year ago, the Wildcats gutted out a gritty win that put them ahead of the curve in the region standings and ultimately doomed Kingston to qualifying for the postseason as a four seed. Since then, the Wildcats have gotten meaner and more physical.

A win here would keep the Wildcats' trajectory up and cap off a three-game home stint in early September. It would also build momentum ahead of next week’s clash.

Tellico Plains at Oneida — Sept. 18

The Bears will travel nearly 130 miles to start Region 2-2A play in Week 5. The Bears have one all-time win over Oneida, coming in 2024 in Oneida, a win that set that Bears team up for a postseason win in November.

Region 2-2A’s four-team structure guarantees a playoff berth for both teams here, but the Bears team — one that coach Bobby White described as one of his most complete teams — has higher hopes than entering the postseason as the region’s fourth seed for the third year in a row.

That journey starts here in late September. A win puts Tellico on the right foot in the league, but it will have to come on the back of a two-hour bus ride and a third consecutive road game.

Sweetwater at Meigs County — Sept. 25

A program with the history of Sweetwater will build a long list of rivals over the years that includes Meigs County, which has had control of this series and the region since moving up from Class 2A in 2023.

Since then, Meigs has gone 14-1 in region play. They have also won every meeting with the Wildcats since Aug. 29, 2014 — an 11-game run.

Snapping that skid would be a fantastic feather in the hat of the new-look Wildcats but, more importantly, it will move the program into the lead of Region 2-3A.

All roads to the top spot in Region 2-3A go through Decatur.

Tellico Plains at Eagleton Academy — Oct. 2

Perhaps the biggest challenge of Tellico’s season comes in Week 7 when the Bears travel to Eagleton Academy for a Region 2-2A clash.

The Royals, another Blount County program that made the state semifinals last fall, will look to build on that, but Tellico’s coming off a bye and has a chance to make a splash in the region and turn heads with a road win.

Come Oct. 2, we should know more of Tellico’s quarterback room — is it Caiden West, Coy Russell or a hybrid system that gets the most out of two athletes? It also ends a four-game road trip for a Bears team that is readying itself for the final run of the regular season.

McMinn Central at Tellico Plains — Oct. 16

Tellico steps out of region play in Week 9 to host McMinn Central in Week 9. The Bears will get another solid test out of a Chargers offense that returns eight starters and a solid passing quarterback in Bryce Mullins. The Bears may not see as many passing offenses in the build-up to this late-season clash, making it an important test for the defense.

It doubles as a rivalry that has seen some classics in other sports the past few years, especially in basketball. With several multi-sport athletes on the roster, Tellico will hope to find a way to down the Chargers for the first time since August of 2021.

Sweetwater at McMinn Central — Oct. 23

A late season Region 2-3A bout means there could be plenty at stake when the Wildcats head to Englewood.

Both teams would have hopes of taking a massive stride towards a Region 2-3A championship in Week 10, but the result could also play a factor in who hosts the opening round, who gets paired with the Region 1-2A champions or even is getting a seat at the table.

The playoff stakes are massive, but it doubles as a rivalry between two teams that do not like each other. At the same time, the Chargers have won three straight since Sweetwater’s 55-21 postseason beatdown in the second round of 2022’s Class 3A playoffs, making this a meaningful bout, especially for the seniors.

Polk County at Tellico Plains — Oct. 30

A region rivalry ends the Bears’ regular season. Hosting Polk County could be a key game in determining if Tellico wins the region or earns the first home playoff game since 1994 with wins over Smith County and Oliver Springs.

This also doubles as another rivalry game for the Bears, one that Tellico has not won since 2020. Two teams that like to establish the run and show how aggressive they can get in the trenches, this bout is key in region play and to the identity of the program.