HARTSVILLE, Tenn. — Following the same script that had led to six previous state championships, Trousdale County’s football team took a giant step toward another possible title Friday night.

The second-ranked Yellow Jackets used a physical ground game and played mistake-free in knocking off top-ranked, defending Class 1A state champion South Pittsburg 13-6 in a quarterfinal, snapping the Pirates’ 27-game winning streak.

“We just got us a state,” Trousdale’s first-year coach Kevin Creasy told Alex Bode as he bear-hugged the offensive lineman.

Although technically the Yellow Jackets (13-0) still have a semifinal game at Oneida, then potentially the state-title game, their win Friday certainly felt like a championship. The fact the winner of the previous five meetings between these two programs has gone on to claim the championship should only add to Trousdale’s confidence.

Multimedia: South Pittsburg Pirates football

“I told our kids to stay focused because South Pittsburg would make plays,” Creasy said. “I told them this game was about coming out here and taking something that was theirs. That’s what we did.”

Both defenses dominated the first half, with Trousdale taking a 2-0 lead on a punt snap that went through the end zone. The Yellow Jackets began the third quarter with a 13-play drive to the Pirates’ 7 but settled for a field goal.

After a first half in which its average starting position was its 17, South Pittsburg, in its first road playoff game since 2003, resorted to a trick play to grab the lead midway through the fourth quarter. A 36-yard reverse pass from Terrell Robinson to Malcolm Jones put the Pirates ahead 6-5 with 7:10 remaining, but Trousdale answered with a 13-play, 63-yard drive, converting four third downs, including Tacola Seay’s 2-yard scoring dive with 1:08 remaining.

“That just shows what kind of team they are to move it right back down the field like that,” Pirates coach Vic Grider said. “The fact is we didn’t put enough plays together in the first half when we had chances.

“It was frustrating and it felt like every time we would get a big play, penalties cost us. We’ve had a heck of a 27-game ride, and we’ll regroup and try to make another run next year.”

Trousdale’s disciplined offense pounded the Pirates’ defensive front in the second half, collecting 122 of their 180 rushing yards in the deciding final two quarters. Junior running back Tyler Edwards finished with 117 yards on 25 carries, gaining 99 of that total in the second half, mostly on speed sweeps around the left end. That included a 13-yard gain to convert a third-and-6 play on the winning drive.

The Yellow Jackets’ defense, which hasn’t allowed more than 15 points all season, limited a South Pittsburg offense that averaged 410 total yards and 47 points per game to 137 total yards, including 73 on 27 rushing attempts. Mr. Football Back of the Year finalist David Jones gained just 49 yards on 15 carries.

“We knew we would have to play a near-perfect game to come in here and win,” Grider said.