SOUTH PITTSBURG, Tenn. - For all the first-half struggles on offense, South Pittsburg's defense was dominant throughout, and that was the difference Friday night.
The top-ranked Pirates shut down the Jo Byrns offense at every turn, limiting the visitors to fewer than 2 yards per play in a 49-0 Class 1A second-round playoff win.
"The last few weeks we've continued to give ourselves a chance to win by playing sound defense," Pirates coach Vic Grider said. "That's a credit to (defensive coordinator) Coach (Shawn) Peek. If we can keep playing like that defensively, we'll give ourselves a shot to beat anybody."
South Pittsburg's win sets up a rematch, at home, with cross-county rival Whitwell in next week's quarterfinals. The Tigers (11-1) beat Region 4 champion Gordonsville 49-7 on Friday.
South Pittsburg (12-0) took advantage of four Red Devils turnovers in the first half, cashing three in for touchdowns to build a 20-0 lead by the break. Beyond that, however, the Pirates offense struggled throughout the first half, managing just 80 total yards by halftime.
However, the defense limited Jo Byrns (9-3) to 63 yards of total offense and forced six turnovers.
Jaylyn Hubbard intercepted a pass on the first play of the game and the Pirates needed nine plays to cover 32 yards, with Sawyer Kelley scoring on a 7-yard run on fourth-and-goal. Jo Byrns, which had beaten its previous four opponents by a combined 128-7 and were allowing just seven points per game this season, fumbled a punt on the next series and the Pirates recovered at the Devils' 13, setting up a five-play drive, again having to convert on fourth down before Kelley scored on a 3-yard run.
But that would be Kelley's final carry of the night as the senior, and the team's leading rusher, left with a bruised hip.
The Pirates went three-and-out on their next three series but managed to pick up a gift TD just before halftime when Mason Fuqua returned a fumble 3 yards for a score.
"We took advantage of most of the opportunities they gave us, and we really needed to with the way our offense was playing in the first half," Grider said. "We're not a great offensive team. We have to earn everything we get, and the thing that concerns me is Sawyer's injury. That could be a big-time blow for us. We're already going without our top receiver and best lineman."
The Pirates opened the gap with a seven-play, 66-yard drive to begin the second half, capped by sophomore Jaylyn Hubbard's 29-yard touchdown run. Hubbard added a 1-yard TD, and classmate Ronto Tipton ended the night's scoring with a 22-yard run on the final play of the third quarter.
Tipton intercepted three passes and finished his night's work with 46 rushing yards.
"We knew which receivers they liked to throw to, so I was keying on those guys any time they were throwing it," Tipton said. "We were pretty frustrated on offense in the first half, but our defense really stepped up until we got going."
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.