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Scores and Photos of Friday Night High School Football - Sept. 11
JASPER, Tenn. - Points poured out like the heavy rains that delayed the game by more than an hour Friday night.
Marion County used a big-play offense, led by senior quarterback Logan Walters, to whip cross-county rival South Pittsburg 62-21 at Bill Baxter Stadium.
"When you've got a trigger man who can run and throw it, you've got a lot of options," Warriors coach Ricky Ross said. "I've had to defend those type guys, and it's not fun. Now I get to coach one."
Walters accounted for 264 total yards and four touchdowns (three rushing, one passing) for Class 2A's top-ranked Warriors. Walters averaged more than 19 yards per carry while gaining 195 yards on the ground, and Marion had 10 plays of 15 yards or more while piling up the most points it has scored in the 91-year history of the series.
"I got some great blocks, and I was just trying to make some plays for my team," Walters said. "This win means a lot to me and the seniors. We'll celebrate it tonight and get ready for the next one starting tomorrow."
Marion (4-0) scored on its first seven possessions and rolled up 521 total yards, gaining a balanced 261 in the first half and 260 in the final two quarters.
Neither offense was slowed much in the first half, with the difference a goal-line stand by the Warriors as the halftime buzzer sounded for a 28-14 lead. South Pittsburg quarterback Hogan Holland was stopped for no gain at the 1 on third-and-goal as time expired with the Warriors ahead by two scores, ending what was a 17-play drive.
The only other time an offense failed to score was on the game's opening possession, when the Pirates were forced to punt and a bad snap resulted in Marion needing to cover just 13 yards for its first score.
South Pittsburg (1-2) countered with an eight-play, 80-yard drive that was capped by Holland's 2-yard scoring dive, which was part of a six-possession stretch in which the two teams traded touchdowns.
Marion needed just eight plays to score its first three touchdowns of the second half and held the Pirates to just 93 total yards in the final two quarters to claim its second straight mercy-rule win over the Pirates.
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293