By Stephen Hargis
Assistant Sports Editor
SOUTH PITTSBURG, Tenn. -- Arkeeme McKinney, who had not set foot on the field defensively all night, made a strong case for more playing time.
With six seconds remaining and South Pittsburg clinging to a four-point lead, the senior safety hit Tyner's Kelvin Johnson, who fumbled. McKinney pounced on the ball at the Pirates' 10-yard line, saving the 25-21 nonregion win.
"I just wanted to get him down, and then I saw the ball on the ground," said McKinney, a starting receiver who had come on the field as a backup safety following an injury. "I was like, 'Oh, snap!' and I dove on it as quick as I could."
The game lived up to its hype as the teams battled back-and-forth for control. Class 1A's second-ranked Pirates, who never trailed, appeared to take control in the third quarter, only to have Tyner's big-play offense respond.
After being held to 43 rushing yards in the first half, South Pittsburg (5-0) used a new shotgun set and gained 216 yards on the ground in the final two quarters. Tyner had not allowed more than 148 rushing yards previously this season. Senior fullback Robert Robinson had 15 carries for 170 yards and two touchdowns for the Pirates, and sophomore David Jones added 114 yards on 11 carries with a TD.
"They absolutely dominated us in the first half," Pirates coach Vic Grider said. "The only reason we were in the game at halftime was our defense.
"We've got that little gun package that we practice every week but haven't used yet. I told our kids to be patient, that it would win us a game at some point. We had to switch to that to get something going, and it worked."
On the second play of the game, South Pittsburg linebacker David Jones blasted Tyrell Grayson, causing a fumble. Bubba Ramsey scooped it up and returned it 34 yards for a touchdown. But the Rams answered on their third series when Azarius Edwards broke free for a 54-yard scoring run.
Staff Photo by Meghan Brown
Tyner running back Keith Mayes runs into a crowd of Pirates, including Tyrone Robinson (7) and David Jones, right, in South Pittsburg’s 25-21 victory.
From there, both defenses made life miserable for the other's offense until the second half. Tyner had the ball inside the Pirates' 10 twice in the first half, but Terrell Robinson's interception stopped one drive and Robert Robinson stripped the ball from Tyner's Michael Poarch on fourth-and-goal from the one.
"We had opportunities in the first half, but you have to take your hat off to them because they bowed their neck and made the plays to stop us," Rams coach Wayne Turner said. "Then they came out and took it to us in the third."
After South Pittsburg scored two quick TDs in the third, Tyner fought back with a 21-yard scoring run by quarterback Michael Poarch on fourth-and-1. The Rams answered another Pirates TD to pull within four on a 30-yard pass from Brandon Scott to Edwards.
With the Pirates trying to run out the clock, Robert Robinson's fumble near midfield was recovered by Tyner with 1:59 remaining. The Rams drove to the 16, then connected on a pass to the 10 before McKinney's game-saving play.
E-mail Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com
