SEYMOUR — After last week’s 24-23 double-OT disappointment at Sevier County, the Seymour Eagles are remaining positive and looking forward to hosting District 2-AAA rival Morristown East Hurricanes tonight.

“Our kids realize they should have won (against SCHS),” said first-year Seymour coach Jim Moore. “But our guys have responded well, and I expect them to respond well (tonight against East).”

Tonight’s game is big for the Eagles (2-4, 1-2) on several levels. A win against East (3-3, 2-0) would not only end a two-game Seymour losing streak, but it would also keep the Eagles undefeated against 5A opponents in the IMAC Conference and give Seymour an apparent leg up over East for a playoff spot.

But exactly how big of a leg up is a matter of conjecture under TSSAA’s new playoff guidelines, which are fuzzy if not a complete mystery.

“Truthfully, we don’t know how big it is,” said Moore. “Of course, a win would help ... but the way this thing is going to play out, nobody really understands a lot of it.”

Seymour expects a tough battle tonight, and the Eagles know East has a decided advantage in the team speed category. But the Eagles will not back down from anyone, and their stud FB/LB Keegan Newport will play tonight despite a second-degree shoulder separation suffered last week against Sevier County.