SOUTH PITTSBURG, Tenn. - The old graybeards - those former players who long for the good ol' days of power football - had to love every second of what they saw Friday night at Beene Stadium.
Sequatchie County, which reached the Class 3A semifinals last year, and South Pittsburg, which advanced to the same round in 1A, stood toe to toe trading body blows for four quarters before the host Pirates finally held on for a 28-21 win in the season opener for both teams.
"That was a really good football game, and a dang good team right there," Pirates coach Vic Grider said while pointing toward the Indians as they left the field. "We're green as a gourd, but I like the way some of our young kids got back up and answered the bell after getting knocked down.
"We've got some talented kids, so we're only going to get a lot better, but winning the way we did tonight says a lot about what we've got to work with."
In snapping a three-game losing streak to the Indians, South Pittsburg rallied twice from seven-point deficits and made two huge defensive stands in the fourth quarter before finally securing the win.
The teams mirrored one another in the first half, both scoring on long drives early, then taking advantage of good field position for their second touchdowns for a 14-14 halftime score.
Sequatchie County opened the second half with a physical 10-play, 75-yard drive - all runs - to regain the lead, 21-14, but again the Pirates countered with a gutsy drive of their own, capped by junior fullback Garrett Raulston's 3-yard touchdown run.
After forcing a short punt, South Pittsburg had to go just 50 yards to take the lead, with Jaylyn Hubbard sweeping around the left side of his line on a 13-yard run early in the fourth for the go-ahead touchdown.
From there, South Pittsburg twice held Sequatchie County a yard short of a first down on fourth-and-three plays, the second coming with just more than two minutes remaining. The Pirates then picked up a first down and were able to run out the clock and win their opener for the first time in four years.
Sequatchie senior quarterback Ethan Barker, one of just two starters back from last year, led the Indians with 94 yards on 15 carries and threw for 29 more.
"We're not where we need to be to win games like this right now," Indians coach Adam Caine said, "but with great leaders like Ethan to follow, I promise you we will get there soon."
Raulston finished with two scoring runs, and he led the Pirates on defense with 10 solo tackles and seven assists as well as a sack. Brayden Sanders, South Pittsburg's first freshman to start a season opener at quarterback in 27 years, was 5-of-6 passing and scored on a 1-yard run.
"The coaches challenged us at halftime that we had to be more physical," the 6-foot-2, 230-pound Raulston said. "We took that to heart and came out in the second half and got after them pretty good."
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.