Hale’s record year keys Pirates’ title

SOUTH PITTSBURG, Tenn. — Walk the halls of small South Pittsburg High School, and Raquis Hale likely will go unnoticed. An unassuming, almost bashful kid, he doesn’t carry himself with the swagger of the stereotypical star athlete. Instead, he blends into the crowd of teenage classmates, rarely opening his mouth except for a contagious smile.

“He’s so quiet, you’d never know he’s in the building most days,” South Pittsburg coach Vic Grider said.

But as he led South Pittsburg to its second Class 1A state championship in four years, Hale’s determination set himself apart from everyone else on the field.

“Coach said it was up to me if I wanted to be the MVP of the state game,” Hale said. “I had to help us get there first and then prove it. I took that pretty serious.”

After feeling snubbed when he was not named a finalist for the state’s Mr. Football Back of the Year award, Hale proved just how valuable he was to the Pirates by putting the team on his shoulders and rushing for 1,076 yards in their four playoff games, averaging 13 yards per carry and scoring 15 touchdowns.

His 228-yard, five-TD performance in South Pittsburg’s 41-6 whipping of Jo Byrns in the title game earned Hale Offensive MVP honors and left him with 2,454 yards for the season, a program record.

“Raquis just looked like a guy with something to prove,” said Grider, noting that Hale ran for at least 100 yards in every game this season. “His feelings were hurt when he wasn’t named a Mr. Football finalist. That put a pretty big chip on his shoulder, and he kept it there the whole way through the playoffs.

“I don’t know that we’ve had a kid more willing to do whatever it takes to win or be successful. We’ve had guys with different styles here, but when you look at how physical he is, plus his speed and ability to see the field and know where to make cuts, he’s about as complete a runner as we’ve had.”