Playoffs?!
Getting ready to head out for my fourth straight Greenback game, and I thought it might be time to check out the Cherokees playoff scenarios.
It doesn’t look pretty.
Greenback (2-4, 0-2 Dist. 3-A) currently sits near the bottom of District 3-A, just barely ahead of tonight’s opponent Midway (1-4, 0-2). It’s safe to say tonight’s game, and every game from here on out, is a must win. Teams make the playoffs via an automatic qualifier or wild card.
The ‘Kees have four games to go, including three in the district that are at home. To “automatically” qualify for the postseason, Greenback needs to jump over Grace Christian (4-1, 2-0) or Harriman (3-1, 2-0).
The good news is all of the Cherokees wins have come at home. The bad news is two of those games are against Grace, whose allowed seven points in district play, and Tellico Plains, a 5-1 (1-1 District 3-A) 2A school. In order to gain an automatic qualifier, Greenback needs to win all three remaining district games and hope either Harriman or Grace loses its last three. This makes that painful loss at the Blue Devils a little more excruciating. The TSSAA does a decent job of explaining automatic qualifying in each district here.
As the standings currently fall, there would be six wild cards in Class A. Greenback is in a tie for tenth based on total wins, the second tie breaker. Head-to-head is the first tie breaker, which will rarely come into play. For a full list of playoff procedures, look here. Two wins down the stretch would put the Cherokees right in the thick of things, especially considering Lookout Valley, Greenback’s opponent next week, is leading the wild card standings.
Chances for a return to the playoffs are slim, but not impossible.