DUNLAP, Tenn. - The whole thought process here throughout the summer has been to force opponents to play Sequatchie County's style of game.
Indians coach Adam Caine wants to even the playing field by playing phone-booth football.
"That's what I'd call it," he said after his Indians outlasted South Pittsburg 27-20 Friday night in the season opener for both teams.
It's about ball control - with occasional big plays - and limiting opponents' offensive opportunities
"I think we had, what, three possessions in the second half?" South Pittsburg coach Vic Grider said. "We got in the red zone twice and failed to score."
While Sequatchie might have the description of a mashing, take-the-short yards offense, one of the Indians' four touchdown runs went for 66 yards (Hunter Davenport) and another (a 1-yarder by quarterback Ethan Barker) was set up by Austin Stephens' 73-yard run.
"I wouldn't trade this bunch for any team," Caine told his team. "When you guys get together and our coaches get together and then we all get together, we're a force to be reckoned with."
Sequatchie took the lead with 4:21 to play on Barker's score, and the defense came up with a pressure package - two sacks and a bad snap forced - to stymie the Pirates' comeback attempt.
"They were better athletically. I always get sick before we play them. They've got so much offense over there - the wing-T stuff, the spread stuff," Caine said. "My thought all summer has been that we have to get people into our kind of game - get them into phone-booth football - and luckily we did, somehow.
"I have to give a lot of credit to my kids. They didn't let go, and there were one or two points where they could've rolled over and didn't."
South Pittsburg marched down the field on the opening possession, with Cade Kennemore going wide on a field-goal attempt from 17 yards out. Sequatchie came right back when Davenport, known more for his linebacker skills, broke through the middle and went untouched
The Indians extended their lead on Adam Pickett's 9-yard run, but South Pittsburg came back to tie on Hogan Holland's 76-yard pass to speedy Kyree Pryor, a two-point conversion run by Garrett Raulston and then Raulston's 5-yard run with just 1:38 left in the first half.
However, the Pirates wouldn't score again while Sequatchie got touchdowns from Stephens (5 yards) and Barker.
Stephens finished with 142 yards on 16 carries, and Davenport added 104 on 10.
The Pirates' most effective weapon - he settled in after a couple of early misfires - was Holland, who passed for 189 yards on a 10-for-20 night. He was victimized by at least a couple of drops.
Contact Ward Gossett at wgossett@timesfreepress.com or 423-886-4765. Follow him on Twitter @wardgossett.