Lenoir City and Loudon will take the field Friday night with playoff futures in mind.

The Panthers, who have all but sealed a place in postseason play, will be fighting for the right to play at home.

Loudon, on the other hand, will be trying to stay alive as they sit precariously on the edge of a playoff berth.

With Sequoyah, 6-2, coming to two Friday, the Redskins will have to play some of their best football what has been a potent offensive attack.

"They use an awful lot of formations and they like to spread you out," Loudon coach Jeff Harig said. "They have a quarterback that reminds me a lot of the Lenoir City kid (Jordan Hall) and how they use him. To me, everything is centered around him."

Sequoyah is averaging 37.25 points through eight games.

"They have a lot of kids, receiver-wise, they like to get the ball to," Harig said. "They're going to spread you out and try to throw the ball. It's not a deep passing game, it quick. They're trying to get the ball out to their play makers in space."

Lenoir City will also have their hands full as they travel to Farragut, 3-5. Despite holding a losing record on the season, Farragut boasts a strong team.

Three of the Admirals' losses are by a combined 14 points, and Farragut enters Friday's game averaging 30.9 points per game, 37.2 in district play.

"We're definitely going to have to play our best game defensively," Lenoir City coach Mike Zeller said. "They've got a lot of offensive weapons and, of course, they're big up front. We're just going to have to try to control the ball and keep the ball away from them."

While Lenoir City's offense enters the game with a 34-point average, Zeller says the team will have to avoid turnovers at all cost, something that led to the Panthers only loss on the season at the hands of Bearden.

Where Lenoir City should be able to exploit Farragut is in the defense of the Admirals, a unit that has allowed 29.6 points per game this season, over 12 more than the Panthers.

Farragut gave up 331 passing yards to Maryville and more than 225 rushing yards to Bearden.

Zeller said he hopes the team is able to put points on the board, but that the focus needs to be on protecting the football.

Loudon faces a defense that has allowed 21 points per game on the season, but one that has played inconsistently.

Sequoyah gave up just two points to Meigs County and held Cumberland County scoreless. However, the team also allowed a combined 85 points in its two losses on the season, to Lenoir City and Polk County.

The Redskins are coming off one of their best offensive performances of the season, a 35-13 win over Scott High School, and Harig feels his players are starting to settle in.

"It seems like we're finally able to settle down with the injuries and we're able to start establishing an identity," he said. "I think Travis (Brewer) has settled into his role for this team as a quarterback.
 
"We've settled into a role with Tyler Ferguson and his play-making abilities. Some of the other kids that are pieces to that puzzle have started to step up."

One of the keys for Lenoir City over its current four-game win streak, has been the play of the offensive and defensive fronts.

In the Panthers 42-point, first half explosion against William Blount, quarterback Jordan Hall credited the play of his offensive line as a key factor in allowing for big plays.

"They've been together for a while and most of them are veterans," Zeller said. "It takes some time to gel as a front five. We feel pretty good about where they're at right now. We've still got to correct some things and hopefully they'll just continue to improve as we head into the playoffs."

Defensively, the front seven for Lenoir City looks to be settling in to a second-year system.

"We do a lot of things defensively," Zeller said. "We have a lot of different fronts and stunts, things like that. Guys are starting to get used to it now. Defensively we're starting to play better and better every week."

For Loudon, the play of sophomore quarterback Travis Brewer will play a big role in the outcome against Sequoyah.

Brewer started the team's first two games of the season, losses to Lenoir City and Alcoa.

He was then replaced with Trent Elliott for the next three, two wins and a loss.

However, Elliott suffered a broken collarbone in a one-point win to Sweetwater, handing the reins back to Brewer.

In his first start since Alcoa, Brewer led the Redskins to a road victory over Stone Memorial.  Since the win, Harig said Brewer has played as a much more confident signal caller.

"Where I think he gained his most confidence was at Stone when he started tucking the ball down and running it more," Harig said. "He took a few hits and realized he can play at this level. He led our team to a victory at Stone and showed some leadership. I think that's where he started building some confidence back to the point we are now."

The regular season will come to a close Oct. 26. Loudon travels to 6-3 Kingston. Lenoir City will also be on the road against the undefeated Maryville Rebels.

Greenback, which is on a bye this week, will wrap the season at home against Harriman, 1-7.