The dust has settled, the smoke has cleared, the regular season is over. It’s time for the dance, the second season, what every team has been working for through spring practice, months of workouts in the weight room, the two-a-days of summer. It’s time for the Tennessee state high school football playoffs to begin.

Three teams will represent Sevier County in the playoffs — the Sevier County Smoky Bears, the Gatlinburg-Pittman Highlanders and the Seymour Eagles. Congratulations to all three teams on making the playoffs, with their eyes now turning to the ultimate prize, a state championship.

Coach Steve Brewer’s Smoky Bears are the top-seeded team in District 2 AAA after completing the team’s first-ever undefeated regular season with a 10-0 overall and 7-0 district record. Only two teams came within a field goal of spoiling that record, SCHS winning 17-14 at Knox Halls in the second game of the year and then squeaking past Seymour 24-23 in the overtime thriller of Oct. 1.

Although the top seed, SCHS faces a tough first-round opponent in Bearden, which went 8-2 and 5-2. Brewer feels his team is in the toughest quadrant in the state. Quarterback Zach Flynn and wide receivers Bryant Gilson and Bryce Wilson have led an often-prolific offense, while linebacker Issac McMahan has led a consistent defense.

Benny Hammonds entered his 38th season at the helm of the Highlanders with a 288-115 career record and, after GP rolled to a 9-1 overall and 5-1 District 3-AA record, his team needs to advance to the fourth round for the coach to reach the seldom-seen 300-victory plateau.

Despite their record, Hammonds and the Highlanders saw themselves fall from a No. 1 seed when the playoffs pairings were originally announced Saturday, to a third seed later in the afternoon. GP will now play host to former rival Happy Valley (5-4 overall, 3-2 in its district). Among GP’s leaders after losing 13 seniors from last year’s 9-2 squad are running back Dillon Reagan, quarterback Tye Marshall and lineman Bill Huskey.

First-year coach Jim Moore lost 30 seniors from a Seymour team that went 8-3 a year ago, and the team also moved up a level in competition, but that didn’t keep it from keep a long playoff streak alive. With a 4-6 overall and 3-4 District 2-AAA record, the Eagles drew the unenviable task of playing the unbeaten and top-seeded Tennessee High Vikings in the first round.

Don’t let the Eagles’ record fool you ­— with a break here and there, they could have just as easily have been 7-3 or 8-2, with linemen Nick Smith, Wes White and linebacker Keegan Newport leading a defense that held seven teams to 12 or less points and six teams to 10 or less.

There’s a long way to go for any of our teams to win a state title but, win or lose, they will represent our county well.