Honorable mention
Kolten Gibson, Walker Valley: His team came up short in their last game of 2015, but the sophomore quarterback passed for 309 yards and two touchdown and ran for another 113 yards in a 45-44, double-overtime loss to Region 4-5A champion Ooltewah.Wil Austin, Baylor: Recovering from a hand injury the preceding week, the senior quarterback gained 193 yards and scored a pair of touchdowns in the Red Raiders’ victory at Father Ryan.Devin Lancaster, Ringgold: Rebounding from a pair of interceptions, he supercharged the Tigers’ win over Murray County, completing 20 of 30 passes for 319 yards and four scores.
The Blevins name lives on in South Pittsburg, and the latest, Chase, has only added to the legacy of the family's longstanding contributions to Pirates football.
"I wouldn't begin to guess how many (Blevins family members) have come through here. At one time we had five or six on the same team," South Pittsburg coach Vic Grider said. "All of those kids are so much alike. It's how they're brought up. They're hard-nosed, hard-working, and they don't know any way to play but giving you all they've got.
"Chase is another example of that."
Now a senior, Blevins had only eight carries in Friday's 49-13 victory over Grace Academy. However, his four-touchdown, 230-yard performance was pivotal as the Pirates secured the Region 3-1A championship and a host's role when the TSSAA playoffs begin Friday. They'll take on Mount Pleasant (6-4) in the first round of the Class A bracket.
Blevins' showing also led to him being selected the Waffle House All-Star player of the week by the Times Free Press sports staff.
Blevins is closing in on 1,000 rushing yards for the season despite missing two games due to a concussion, but he has meant so much more than that number to Grider and the rest of the Pirates.
He played for Grider as a freshman, when the Pirates advanced to the state semifinals, and he was a starter when Tim Moore coached them to the state title game in 2013. Blevins endured a 5-5 finish last year, Moore's second and final season in South Pittsburg.
"I'm not saying my way is always the right way, but Chase is one of those guys - he and (two-way lineman) Ethan Moss knew what to expect with me as coach," Grider said. "He knew where the bar was going to be set and what was going to be demanded from me."
Grider told Blevins and Moss early what was going to be expected if South Pittsburg intended to regain its lengthy claim as one of the state's premier Class A programs.
"They showed them practice habits and how we present ourselves on game day, and that's been a luxury to me as a coach," Grider said. "They've been a big part of what we've done in getting back to where we're supposed to be."
The Pirates, who finished unbeaten in region play, are 7-3 overall. Their losses were to Boyd-Buchanan and Marion County - the state's top-ranked 2A teams - and Sequatchie County, which is in the 3A playoffs.
"Chase is not the biggest guy in the world - about 5-9 and probably weighs 155 pounds - but he plays a lot tougher and bigger than that," Grider said.
So, Grider said, Blevins knows that while he'll be going on to college, he won't be going to play football.
His leadership and desire will come even more to the fore in what many coaches call the second season.
"Everything changes," Grider said of the playoffs. "Your season is on the line every time out, and he knows it's over for him, whether it's a week from now or five weeks from now."
Contact Ward Gossett at wgossett@timesfreepress.com or 423-886-4765. Follow him at Twitter.com/wardgossett.