Chattanooga: Fast Pirates face big Bucs

Like any good collection of sprinters, South Pittsburg’s football team knows the importance of getting out of the blocks quickly. The first quarter could be the key to Friday’s Times Free Press Game of the Week when the Pirates, top-ranked in Class 1A, host Boyd-Buchanan, ranked fifth in 2A.

South Pittsburg (6-0) has outscored its opponents 151-0 in the first quarters of games this season, while Boyd-Buchanan (6-0) relies on a physical offensive line to wear down opponents. The Buccaneers line, which averages 275 pounds, led to important fourth-quarter drives in wins over Christian Academy of Knoxville, Marion County and Class 4A Red Bank.

“The Red Bank win made us believe that we can compete with the better programs, especially into the fourth quarter,” said Bucs coach Grant Reynolds, whose team has not allowed a sack. “That gave us an overall confidence boost — to win that one the way we did.

“We’ve made a big improvement in the offensive line, which gives us more flexibility on what we can do. They pass-protect well, which allows us to have the threat of a passing game when we want, and they have given our backs good lanes.

“This will be a great opportunity for us to see where we are. I don’t care what class you talk about, South Pittsburg is the measuring stick, because they are one of the best teams in the state.”

The Pirates’ 21 straight wins tie the school record, and they lead the state in points scored (57.3 per game) and win margin (51). Last Friday, on just 23 offensive snaps, the Pirates scored 12 touchdowns. They led Whitwell 40-0 after the first quarter.

“The things that concern you about them is their speed and how well-coached they are,” Reynolds said. “Their line gets off the ball in a hurry, their backs are lightning quick and you don’t catch them out of position anywhere.”

So far this year, despite having 62 fewer offensive plays, South Pittsburg has 1,808 more yards than its opponents, and seven runners are averaging more than 11 yards per carry.

Conversely, with a healthy Nic Hughes at quarterback, Boyd-Buchanan is off to its best start in eight years and averaging 340 yards per game. The Bucs defense has also recovered 16 fumbles and returned two of seven interceptions for touchdowns.

“They’re definitely a lot better than the last time we saw them,” Pirates coach Vic Grider said. “They’re so big and physical up front that they can just wear on you. They’ll have the best group of linemen we’ll see all year. Nobody has really tried to line up and come right at us all night, but that’s exactly what they can do.

“The thing that separates them is they know they’ve got a big, strong quarterback that can throw the ball all over the field if they want to. They’re just solid all the way around. Its a very balanced team coming in here for what has always been one of the better rivalries around.”