South Pittsburg quarterback Hogan Holland (15) practices before the game. Grace Baptist Academy visited South Pittsburg in aTSSAA football game on Friday, October 16, 2015.S. Pittsburg 56, Mount Pleasant 18
The star: South Pittsburg’s Chase Blevins ran 14 times for 130 yards and two TDs.Up next: South Pittsburg (8-3) will be home again to face Fayetteville (9-2) next Friday.
SOUTH PITTSBURG, Tenn. - Vic Grider barely recognizes his own team. And that's a good thing for South Pittsburg. The Pirates coach told his Pirates as much shortly after Thursday night's 56-18 whipping of Mount Pleasant in the first round of the Class 1A playoffs.
"That team we were in the preseason, that team we were just a few weeks ago, that's not us now," Grider said. "We've grown up a lot and we're getting a little bit of an attitude about us. We're right there on the verge of becoming something really special. I believe that because I've seen how you're playing right now and I believe in you."
There was plenty to believe in moving forward as far as the offense is concerned. The Pirates rolled up 475 total yards, with 405 of that coming on the ground as they averaged nearly 10 yards per carry against the Tigers.
South Pittsburg (8-3) will host Fayetteville (9-2) in next week's second round.
The running back tandem of senior Chase Blevins and Joseph Lilly now have been joined by a committee of complementary backs to make the offense even tougher to stop.
"Our line has improved with every game, and that's really helping all of us a lot," said Lilly, who finished with 127 yards on just nine carries, with two rushing touchdowns and a 65-yard TD reception. "We're playing as a team, and tonight we wanted everybody to know that we're ready to play."
Blevins led the way with 130 yards on 14 carries and also had a pair of scoring runs, and fullback Sawyer Kelley added 76 yards and a TD.
The Pirates scored on their first eight possessions, and the only time they didn't end a drive in the end zone was to run out the clock. It was the most points allowed by the Tigers this season.
The only frustrating aspect for the Pirates came on the defensive side as they struggled at times to corral the Tigers' athletic backfield tandem of Walter Crawford and Jy'Kedrin Warnsley, who combined for 199 rushing yards. Crawford also threw for 128.
"We knew they could make some plays because they're athletic enough to scare anybody," Grider said. "Sometimes you just have to swallow your pride and admit the other team has some special athletes.
"But I'm really proud of the way we came out and were sharp from the beginning. It wasn't fancy and that's what I liked about it: We just got after them and never even had to punt. We can build on this."
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.