Key Faceoff Set For Thursday

Walker Valley and Cleveland got big boost to their seasons before they begin preparations to square off in a huge Thursday night showdown this week.

After slow starts to the season, Cleveland High and Walker Valley both came on like gang busters this week with blowout victories over a pair of Chattanooga squads.

Dropping three of their first four games, the Blue Raiders bounced back for a big Region 4-5A victory in Athens a week ago before whipping Signal Mountain 44-13 Friday evening to reach the .500 mark for the season.

Likewise, the Mustangs also came out on the short end in three of their first four but trampled eighth-ranked (2A) Tyner 41-14 this time around.

As they head into the third and final county showdown of the season, Walker Valley is 2-3 overall but has lost its lone region battle 37-19 to McMinn County.

Like their overall mark, Cleveland is also even in 4-5A play its 34-27 victory over the Cherokees but had a 39-21 loss to previously unbeaten Soddy-Daisy.

Although the Trojans couldn’t weather the storm Friday evening as East Hamilton pulled off the 28-26 upset for their first defeat of the campaign, they are still atop the region standings at 2-0.

This week’s horse race at Benny Monroe Stadium will be key for the two local squads as they try to position themselves for a playoff push.

The Raiders are currently tied with McMinn and 10th-ranked Rhea County for third place in the 4-5A list, while the Mustangs are in sixth place, trying to fight for one of the four postseason berths.