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Annual preseason scrimmages between the Maryville High School football team and Dobyns-Bennett, two of the area's traditional powerhouse programs, have forged a friendly working relationship on both sides.

This year's joint practice at Carson-Newman College ended with an exchange of pleasantries that amounted to wishful thinking.

"We said at the end of the scrimmage this year, 'Maybe we can see y'all in the playoffs,' not really thinking it would happen," Maryville coach George Quarles said.

"And danged if it has."

Finally competing in the same classification, the second-seeded Rebels (9-1) and the No. 7-seeded Indians (5-5) will enjoy a meeting more meaningful than their typical August practices when they square off in the first round of the Class 6A playoffs at 7 p.m. Friday at Shields Stadium.

Quarles believes his team has scrimmaged against Dobyns-Bennett leading up to each of his 11 seasons as Maryville's head coach, but the Rebels and the Kingsport-based Indians have played only twice.

The last meeting between the two teams was in 1945.

Maryville, which has won the most Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association state football championships, dominated Class 4A under the former five-class format for more than a decade, while Dobyns-Bennett, the self-proclaimed winningest program in the state, piled up 10-win seasons in Class 5A.

Placed together in Class 6A this year under the state's new six-class playoff system, the Rebels and Indians were unable to avoid each other any longer.

"It's kind of funny that we're actually playing them in a real game, just because we've scrimmaged them so much. (Dobyns-Bennett) coach (Graham) Clark and I have talked quite a bit," Quarles said.

"We've shared ideas and stuff, and now they may come back and get me."

The Indians enter the postseason with their worst record since a 4-6 season in 1985 and the fewest wins in Maryville's quadrant of the Class 6A playoff bracket.

Quarles called the Indians "probably the best 5-5 team around," and perhaps with good reason. The five teams that have defeated Dobyns-Bennett finished the regular season with a combined 45-4 record.

Maryville stumbled into the playoffs last week with a 27-14 win at Lenoir City, the last-place team in District 4-AAA.

"There weren't too many games last year where one side of the ball was lacking as much as we were this year," Juhlin said. "At the start of the year, our defense was not there. I think everybody would agree. The offense hasn't been there in a couple of games. Last week was one of them, so hopefully we can turn that around.

"But get the offense clicking and the defense clicking and we're going to be a good team."