TSWA prep football poll: Grundy County rising, Baylor and McCallie top DII-AAA

Chattanooga-area teams continue to make their presence felt in the latest Tennessee Sports Writers Association prep football poll, with Grundy County on the verge of breaking into the rankings, Silverdale Baptist climbing despite a rash of injuries, and Baylor and McCallie once again atop Division II-AAA. Here are four observations from this week's TSWA prep football poll, which features 10 local teams. 1. Grundy County rising One of the area's most overlooked teams could certainly be Grundy County. The Yellow Jackets are one of only four teams in the state yet to allow a point this season and fell just four votes shy of the Class 2A Top 10. After starting last season 7-0, Nick Bryant's team endured a momentum-sinking three-game losing streak, which included losing fourth-quarter battles to Bledsoe County and Marion County. There is plenty of reason to believe Grundy County is even stronger and poised to surpass last year's eight-win total. While the strength of schedule has been extremely easy, the Yellow Jackets have still put forth dominating performances by outscoring opponents 184-0 through a 3-0 start. JC Dyer and Eli Seagroves have led a defense that averages 12 tackles for loss and are forcing an average of more than three turnovers per game. The biggest vote of confidence for believing in this team is the return of a dynamic backfield comprised of quarterback Beau Roberts and running backs TK Brown and Vince Bryant. Roberts has completed 74% of his passes so far and has built a strong, deep connection with Easton Rymer. Meanwhile, the backfield duo of Brown and Bryant provides the thunder and lightning with tough running and explosiveness. Bryant is averaging nearly 20 yards per carry and has already taken half of his 16 carries for touchdowns. With an experienced squad, expect Grundy County to look capable of a double-digit win season and be a regular in the state rankings sooner rather than later. 2. Silverdale Baptist shows toughness No team through its first three games has experienced more adversity than the Seahawks. Every single game for Mike Connor's team has been decided inside of the last two minutes, which has included back-to-back wins on 2-point conversion halts against South Pittsburg and Knox Webb. The next-man-up mentality was spotlighted in last Friday's 27-26 road victory to begin region play, as Silverdale found a way to win despite losing star senior quarterback Connor Jenne on the first play of the game and with co-starting running back Keion Brooks out due to injury. Jackson Deitch leads the team in tackles (26) and rushing yards (213), while Vanderbilt commit Luke Burger (four tackles for loss) has overpowered opponents on both sides of the ball. The Seahawks moved up a spot to No. 4 in the Division II-AA rankings and are the only area team in the league to start 1-0 in league play. They will host a pivotal region showdown with third-ranked Grace Christian this Friday. 3. Division II-AAA runs through Chattanooga There is a good chance that for the eighth straight season either Baylor or McCallie will lift the TSSAA DII-AAA state championship trophy. Baylor is the undisputed No. 1 team in the state and is ranked 11th in the nation by MaxPreps after putting up 51 points on a Rabun Gap defense that featured both a Georgia and Notre Dame commit up front, along with another defensive lineman and linebacker who both have offers from Georgia. The Red Raiders scored 37 points in the first half of Friday's road win and now have scored at least 35 points in 14 of their last 15 wins in a row. Meanwhile, for the first time this season McCallie climbed to the No. 2 spot in the TSWA state rankings. Sophomore Levi Scott already has 19 catches through a 3-0 start for the Blue Tornado, which he aided with an 80-yard game-tying touchdown reception from junior Louis Fortier in the third quarter. Fortier added the game-winning score in the fourth quarter to another second-year standout receiver, Pat Meyers, to provide a 23-16 road win over Father Ryan. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound Fortier has thrown for 1,022 yards already, while the McCallie defense has had seven different defenders record an interception this season. The Blue Tornado, which has won five of the past seven BlueCross Bowl championships, will open region play this Friday at home against Ensworth. 4. South Pitt responds After coming up two yards shy of knocking off No. 4 Silverdale Baptist on the road the week before, South Pittsburg showcased just how powerful it is in the smaller public school classification. Senior Knox Israel stole the spotlight as the dual-threat quarterback rushed for 195 yards and three touchdowns on 18 carries to help the Pirates score all 41 of their points in the first three quarters of a 41-7 home victory over Sequatchie County, which fell from sixth to ninth in the Class 3A rankings this week. With a loaded defense that has only allowed 219 total yards the past two weeks against state-ranked foes, don't be surprised if South Pittsburg dominates the rest of the way and ultimately collects its ninth state title while defending last year's crown. Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com. TSWA PREP FOOTBALL POLL | WEEK 3 The Tennessee Sports Writers Association announced football rankings after Week 3 on Monday. Top 10 teams in each of the six Division I classifications and Top 5 in three Division II classes were selected by TSWA members with first-place votes in parentheses and total points based on 10 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 10th-place vote. Division I Class 1A 1. South Pittsburg (2-1) — 169 points (16). Last week: No. 1. 2. Coalfield (2-1) — 145 points. Last week: No. 3. 3. Hampton (3-0) — 131 points (1). Last week: No. 4. 4. McKenzie (1-2) — 118 points. Last week: No. 2. 5. Humboldt (3-0) — 113 points. Last week: No. 5. 6. Sale Creek (2-0) — 88 points. Last week: No. 6. 7. Greenback (3-0) — 64 points. Last week: No. 8. T-8. Cornersville (3-0) — 32 points. Last week: Not ranked. T-8. Jo Byrns (2-1) — 32 points. Last week: No. 10. 10. Memphis Middle College (1-1) — 24 points. Last week: Not ranked. Others receiving 10 or more points: Richland (13). Class 2A 1. Huntingdon (3-0) — 170 points (17). Last week: No. 1. 2. Marion County (3-0) — 148 points. Last week: No. 2. 3. East Nashville (2-1) — 138 points. Last week: No. 3. 4. East Robertson (3-0) — 118 points. Last week: No. 4. 5. Gordonsville (3-0) — 99 points. Last week: No. 6. 6. Milan (2-1) — 83 points. Last week: No. 5. 7. Happy Valley (3-0) — 56 points. Last week: No. 9. 8. Bledsoe County (2-1) — 47 points. Last week: No.8. 9. Memphis Academy of Science & Engineering (1-2) — 25 points. Last week: No. 10. 10. Mt. Pleasant (2-1) — 16 points. Last week: No. 7. Others receiving 10 or more points: Fairley (12); Grundy County (12). Class 3A 1. Westview (3-0) — 170 points (17). Last week: No. 1. 2. Tyner Academy (3-0) — 153 points. Last week: No. 2. 3. Meigs County (3-0) — 135 points. Last week: No. 3. 4. Forrest (3-0) — 113 points. Last week: No. 4. 5. Giles County (2-1) — 104 points. Last week: No. 5. 6. Covington (2-1) — 79 points. Last week: No. 7. 7. Whites Creek (2-0) — 58 points. Last week: No. 8. 8. Fairview (3-0) — 46 points. Last week: No. 9. 9. Sequatchie County (2-1) — 36 points. Last week: No. 6. 10. Unicoi County (2-1) — 28 points. Last week: No. 10. Others receiving 10 or more points: Kingston (10). Class 4A 1. Alcoa (3-0) — 170 points (17). Last week: No. 1. 2. Greeneville (3-0) — 146 points. Last week: No. 3. 3. Springfield (3-0) — 137 points. Last week: No. 4. 4. Pearl-Cohn (1-2) — 112 points. Last week: No. 2. 5. Lexington (3-0) — 100 points. Last week: No. 5. 6. White County (3-0) — 72 points. Last week: No. 6. 7. Macon County (3-0) — 50 points. Last week: No. 7. 8. Anderson County (1-2) — 48 points. Last week: T-No. 9. 9. Gibbs (2-1) — 47 points. Last week: No. 8. 10. Upperman (2-1), 33 points. Last week: T-No. 9. Others receiving 10 or more points: Haywood (13). Class 5A 1. Sevier County (2-0) — 168 points (15). Last week: No. 1. 2. Page (3-0) — 155 points (2). Last week: No. 2. 3. Munford (2-0) — 134 points. Last week: No. 3. 4. Powell (3-0) — 113 points. Last week: No. 4. 5. Knoxville Central (3-0) — 104 points. Last week: No. 5. 6. Columbia (3-0) — 82 points. Last week: No. 6. 7. Nolensville (3-0) — 62 points. Last week: No. 7. 8. Beech (2-1) — 55 points. Last week: No. 8. 9. Lincoln County (3-0) — 42 points. Last week: No. 9. 10. Memphis Central (3-0) — 14 points. Last week: Not ranked. Others receiving 10 or more points: None. Class 6A 1. Riverdale (2-1) — 167 points (15). Last week: No. 2. 2. Maryville (2-1) — 145 points (2). Last week: No. 3. 3. Oakland (2-1) — 137 points. Last week: No. 1. 4. Southwind (3-0) — 116 points. Last week: No. 6. 5. Oak Ridge (3-0) — 96 points. Last week: No. 7. 6. Blackman (2-1) — 81points. Last week: No. 4. 7. Antioch (3-0) — 66 points. Last week: No. 8. 8. Whitehaven (2-1) — 43 points. Last week: No. 9. 9. Brentwood (2-1) — 30 points. Last week: No. 10. 10. Ravenwood (1-1) — 11 points. Last week: No. 6. Others receiving 10 or more points: None. Division II-A 1. Nashville Christian (2-1) — 85 points (17). Last week: No. 2. 2. Jackson Christian (3-0) — 66 points. Last week: No. 3. 3. University School of Jackson (2-1) — 45 points. Last week: No. 4. 4. Friendship Christian (2-1) — 39 points. Last week: No. 1. 5. Middle Tennessee Christian (2-1) — 16 points. Last week: No. 5. Others receiving 10 or more points: None. Division II-AA 1. Battle Ground Academy (3-0) — 85 points (17). Last week: No. 1. 2. Franklin Road Academy (2-1) — 60 points. Last week: No. 2. 3. Grace Christian-Knoxville (2-0) — 49 points. Last week: No. 4. 4. Silverdale Baptist (2-1) — 35 points. Last week: No. 5. 5. Lakeway Christian (3-0) — 25 points. Last week: Not ranked. Others receiving 10 or more points: None. Division II-AAA 1. Baylor (3-0) — 85 points (17). Last week: No. 1. 2. McCallie (3-0) — 53 points. Last week: No. 3. 3. Brentwood Academy (1-2) — 51 points. Last week: No. 2. 4. Briarcrest (3-0) — 39 points. Last week: No. 4. 5. Knoxville Catholic (3-0) — 27 points. Last week: No. 5. Others receiving 10 or more points: None. pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com Patrick MacCoon is an avid sports lover who joined the Chattanooga Times Free Press January 2, 2019. He covers prep sports along with the Chattanooga Football Club and Chattanooga Lookouts. Patrick is a fan of Atlanta professional sports and began reading newspapers at an early age to analyze the MLB box scores. He is a graduate from Red Bank High School and the University of Tennessee (Knoxville).