Boyd-Buchanan bucks No. 1 Pirates

Boyd-Buchanan snapped two streaks in one muddy, hard-fought game Friday night.

After waiting out a 2-hour, 10-minute delay because of severe weather, Class 2A's No. 2-ranked Buccaneers beat 1A's top-ranked South Pittsburg 20-12. The win ended a three-year losing streak to the Bucs' nondistrict rivals and halted the Pirates' 28-game regular-season win streak.

"Our kids fought through a lot to get this one," Bucs coach Grant Reynolds said. "You want to put your players in pressure situations like this to see how they'll react if needed in the playoffs. I like the way our kids responded."

South Pittsburg played without all-state quarterback Terrell Robinson, who was taken to the hospital an hour before the game with flulike symptoms. Without Robinson, who has committed to play for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, the Pirates were outgained 175-99 in total yards. They also lost three of nine fumbles.

"There are no excuses," Pirates coach Vic Grider said. "We don't make excuses when we win, and we won't when we lose. They just beat us.

"We put our defense in way too many bad situations. We had played with poison all night giving them the ball on a short field, and that eventually got us."

Despite the statistical advantage, Boyd-Buchanan trailed 12-10 going into the fourth quarter. Joey Glisson's 32-yard field goal with 8:45 remaining put the Bucs ahead by one, and Ross Keasler sealed the win with a 27-yard interception return with 1:51 remaining.

The Pirates had taken the lead after blocking two Bucs punts in the first half. Karrell Garrett blocked the first after the game's opening series, and he returned it 10 yards for a touchdown.

Boyd-Buchanan countered with a 32-yard Glisson field goal and a 14-yard TD toss on third-and-9 from Andrew Crowe to Clint Babb midway through the second quarter. That marked the first time this season South Pittsburg had trailed, and at that point Boyd-Buchanan had dominated time of possession and the number of offensive plays, 32-8.

Just before halftime, Shane Boles blocked a punt to set the Pirates up at the Bucs' 11. On the ensuing possession, facing third-and-12, backup quarterback Travis Millard passed to Antonio Chubb in the end zone with just 39 seconds remaining before halftime, regaining the lead.

Boyd-Buchanan has been responsible for holding the Pirates to their lowest point total in six of the last seven seasons.