FOCUSED FOR THE FIRST ROUND-Bulldogs head coach Bruce Lamb (left) and defensive coordinator Mike Dickerson (right) sat down with the Dale Hollow Horizon to preview Clay County’s postseason opener with Sale Creek. Lamb said his team need not overlook the Panthers and Dickerson talked about the challenges they pose. (photo courtesy Kyndra Reagan/cchsmedia.zenfolio.com)

Lamb, Dickerson offer

insight on the Panthers

CELINA-For the second year in a row, Clay County (9-1) will host Sale Creek here at John Teeples Field tonight in the opening round of the TSSAA Class A State Playoffs.

The Dawgs earned home-field advantage throughout the postseason by claiming their first-ever Region 4-A Championship last week with a 27-20 victory over arch-nemesis Gordonsville (see related story).

Sale Creek is 4-6 and finished fourth in Region 3-A behind third-place Lookout Valley (5-5), runner-up Whitwell (8-2), and sister-conference champion South Pittsburg (8-2).

“They are not driving all the way up here to lay down and lose,” Bulldog head coach Bruce Lamb said of the Panthers, who will travel two hours from the southeastern corner of the state to try to knock off the AP Top-10-ranked Dawgs.  “So we better be ready.”

Sale Creek comes into the first-round matchup with wins over Harriman (3-7), Copper Basin (1-9), Pickett County (0-2), and Cosby (4-6).

Clay County blew out the Panthers 55-16 in last year’s opening round and beat them 28-2 in 2019’s first-round contest, but Bulldog head coach Bruce Lamb and his team are not overlooking Sale Creek.

“We can’t overlook anybody,” Lamb said.  “We’ve got to come out and play, be focused, and execute our game plan, because they are big and the things they do can cause a lot of problems on both sides of the ball.”

Bulldog defensive coordinator Mike Dickerson said Sale Creek posed different challenges offensively than they did a year ago, but he explained Clay County’s athleticism would be key.

“They really focus on an inside run game, and they’ve got a couple of really big running backs to go behind those linemen,” Dickerson said.  “I feel like we are a more athletic team, so we’ve got to try to make them run sideways, get a lot of people to the ball, and tackle the ball.”

He also believes his Dawg defense has the edge if and when the Panthers have to go to the air.

“I don’t think they are as good of a passing team as they were last year either,” Dickerson said.  “So, if we can get them in passing situations, then I feel like that plays into our hands and our strengths.

“If we can do that, then the offense can take over a score points.  Hopefully a lot of them.”

With a win Friday night, the Dawgs will host the winner between Jo Byrns (3-7) and Whitwell next week here at home, but Lamb said his team is taking it one game at a time, especially after such an emotional win last week.

PLAYOFF READY-Bulldog head coach Bruce Lamb, pictured addressing his team after the region-title win over Gordonsville, said his Clay County team “better be ready” for Sale Creek tonight in their playoff opener, because the Panthers are “big and the things they do can cause a lot of problems on both sides of the ball.” (photo courtesy Kyndra Reagan/cchsmedia.zenfolio.com)

“You’re always worried about a letdown, especially when you go in as a big time favorite, but as we discussed, there’s 192 teams in the playoffs right now, and theres only going to be 16 that are going to be smiling at the very end,” Lamb said.  “We want to be one of those, and to get to that point, we’ve got to take care of business and hopefully we will tonight.”

The other two postseason openers set to determine Clay County’s potential third-round opponent include a contest between South Pittsburg and Red Boiling Springs (4-6), along with a game matching Gordonsville (7-3) with Lookout Valley.

The winners of those match-ups will face off in the second round, where a victor would earn a quarterfinal trip to Clay County—if the Dawgs beat both Sale Creek this week and either Jo Byrns or Whitwell on Friday, November 11.

Coverage of the battle between the Dawgs and the Panthers begins at 6 p.m. with the Horizon Sports Network’s pregame show at www.dalehollowhorizon.com, where a full interview with Lamb and Dickerson will be aired.

Live audio and video combined can also be found on the Dale Hollow Horizon Facebook page at www.facebook.com/dalehollowhorizon Friday night, thanks to the sponsorship of Eco-Panels of Tennessee.