Staff Photo by Tim Barber Rhea County quarterback Cameron Tallent will try to lead the Golden Eagles to a second-round playoff win.

EVENSVILLE, Tenn. — There are a lot of emotions swirling around Rhea County’s high school football game against Maryville on Friday night.

Fear isn’t one of them.

“We’re not intimidated by Maryville,” Rhea lineman Kevin Revis said. “It’s not about what they’ve done in the past and it’s not about the opponent; it’s about how we play. If we play our best, we feel we can win the ball game.”

Facing a Maryville team with a 72-game winning steak gives the hosting Golden Eagles a chance to play the role of the underdog, according to Rhea coach Jason Fitzgerald.

“There’s not any pressure on us,” he said. “It’s all on them to keep the win streak going. They’re expected to win. This is an exciting time for us to be able to host a quarterfinal game. Any time you get this deep in the playoffs, you’re having a good time and you’re playing well.”

Maryville feeds on the other team’s mistakes, and Fitzgerald said turnovers must be eliminated for his team to have a chance.

“It’s not just this game — it’s every game,” he said. “You can’t turn the ball over and you have to win the kicking game. There are going to be five, six plays in a big game; you have to be the team to make them.”

The element of surprise, which Fitzgerald is familiar with, could play a part, especially in the kicking game. Rhea kicker — and Mr. Football Kicker of the Year finalist — Josh Davis has been successful on 6 of 8 onside kicks this year.

“Josh is a weapon for us and has been for the past three years,” Fitzgerald said. “He’s real good and we’re glad to have him on our side; I don’t expect anything different than what he has done all year.”

Maryville coach George Quarles is familiar with Rhea. The Rebels have ended the Golden Eagles’ season six times this decade, most of any team in Region 4-4A. Red Bank and Cleveland have lost three times; Hixson twice and Brainerd, Central and White County have lost one time each to the Rebels.

“Obviously, they’re a good team,” Quarles said. “They were region champs, and we’ve faced them a few times and are fairly familiar with them. Fitzgerald does a good job coaching them, and (coach Walt) Cameron is good with that offense. We know they’re not afraid of Maryville, and going to their place will pose that much more of a challenge.”

Quarles said the streak is not a concern of the Rebels.

“I don’t think so,” he said. “We never mention it. The media bringing it up is the only time we talk about it. Our goal this season, as it is every season, is to win state. It sounds cliché, but we just want to coach every play, play our opponent, do our responsibilities and let the scoreboard take care of itself. We’ve been pretty successful with that mentality.”

Maryville was able to beat teams during the streak with a passing attack led by quarterback Brent Burnette (MTSU), receiver Tyler Maples (Tennessee) and tight end Aaron Douglas (Tennessee), but this year’s team has taken a different approach.

“Rhea is going to see a team that is different from previous Maryville teams,” Quarles said. “We’re doing more option and running a lot more than past teams have.

“The kids have done a good job of adapting to their strengths.”

Although trying to downplay the importance of a win against a team that is 40-1 with seven state championships since the turn of the century, both Fitzgerald and Revis recognized what a win would mean for the Golden Eagles program.

“It would be huge,” Fitzgerald said. “It would be the next step to where we want to go, which is a state championship.

“Even with a win, there would still be four teams in the Class 4A bracket that have a chance to win, but if we did win, we would be one step closer to that title.”

Said Revis: “Coach told us that our goal at the beginning of the season was not to beat Maryville, but to win a state championship. This is one of five games we have to win, so it would be the third win of our journey.

“Saying that, it would be a huge win.”

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