WHITWELL, Tenn. - The streak continues. But just barely.
South Pittsburg extended its consecutive win streak over county rival Whitwell to 24 straight games Friday night, but only by the most narrow of margins. The Pirates needed all of senior Corbin Fitzgerald's all-purpose yards, a fourth-quarter fumble return for a touchdown and a late defensive stand to hold off the Tigers 29-28 in a District 6-A battle.
"Honestly, we're not even looking at the streak right now," Fitzgerald said. "We've been slouching lately and we needed to get back to Pirate football. A win like this can boost our self-esteem and let us know we can come through in the fourth quarter and win a tight game."
Fitzgerald finished the game with 94 yards on 10 carries, including a 22-yard touchdown, to go along with four catches for 44 yards and another score as well as a 62-yard punt return for a TD.
With South Pittsburg (2-3, 2-0) trailing by five early in the fourth quarter and Whitwell mounting another drive, Fitzgerald also forced a fumble that McKenna Blevins scooped up and returned 59 yards for what proved to be the winning TD. Fitzgerald was also in on deflecting a long pass near midfield, with just over a minute remaining, on a fourth down stop that gave the Pirates the ball back and allowed them to run out the clock.
"This was a big, big win for us," Pirates coach Tim Moore said. "We needed a win like this for the kids' confidence. We were worried coming in because we knew Whitwell was a good team. We found a way."
Despite an up-and-down season through the halfway point, South Pittsburg likely secured a Class 1A playoff berth with the win.
Whitwell (2-3, 0-2) totaled 311 rushing yards and outgained the Pirates 395-304 in total yards. The Tigers took their opening possession 70 yards in eight plays with Jake Sartin scoring on a 31-yard run, and Cody Ingrassia added the 2-point conversion.
Despite driving deep into Whitwell territory on their first three possessions, the Pirates failed to score until finally reaching the end zone early in the second quarter. On two possessions South Pittsburg turned the ball over on downs after reaching the Tigers' 20 and 5 and lost a fumble at the Whitwell 33 before finally putting together a five-play, 51-yard drive that was capped with points on Fitzgerald's 22-yard run. Kitt Grider's conversion run tied it.
The Pirates then took the lead on Fitzgerald's long punt return, but Whitwell countered just before halftime with an 11-play, 85-yard drive. Quarterback Tyler Tate fought his way into the end zone on a 9-yard run, but the two-point pass failed, leaving the Pirates ahead 15-14 going into halftime.
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293.