SOUTH PITTSBURG, Tenn. - It was senior night, the final home game of the football regular season, but the underclassmen were the ones showing out for top-ranked South Pittsburg on Thursday.
Led by freshman quarterback Brayden Sanders - who was 8-of -12 passing for 177 yards and three touchdowns and also ran for a 30-yard score and tossed a 2-point-conversion pass - the Pirates easily handled Lookout Valley 56-0 in a Region 3-2A game.
"It finally feels like the game has slowed down for me mentally, or maybe I've just caught up to the speed of the game," said Sanders, who scored the game's first touchdown after breaking several tackles, cutting back across the field and outrunning the pursuit. "On my rollouts now I can visualize where everybody is supposed to be on the routes, and it gives me a lot of confidence going into the playoffs knowing that I can play like this at the varsity level."
The Pirates will host a first-round playoff game next week, likely against Monterey, while Lookout Valley (5-5, 1-3) will travel to Region 4 champion Gordonsville.
South Pittsburg sophomore running back Ronto Tipton finished with 87 yards on just two carries, scoring on runs of 73 and 14 yards, and sophomore Curtavian Whisnant had a 30-yard touchdown catch late in the third quarter for the Pirates' final score. Whisnant and freshman Jayshawn Hubbard had interceptions, and freshman Hunter Frame had a fumble recovery and also had a scoring run called back by penalty.
"All those young guys made a commitment all week that this night is for the seniors," Pirates coach Vic Grider said. "They know that group had a big part in getting us headed back in the right direction.
"We were forced to play those young guys because we have some others hurt right now, but being young shouldn't be an excuse anymore. Not at this point in the season. We'll need some of them as we get into the playoffs now."
Despite all the program's success, this was just the sixth time in the past 50 years that the Pirates finished a regular season a perfect 10-0. They've had other undefeated seasons, but those came in nine-game schedules.
By halftime the Pirates had outgained the Yellow Jackets 342-28 in total yards as they built a 42-0 lead, and the hosts eventually scored on their first eight possessions.
Senior running back Sawyer Kelley ran for 60 yards on just four carries with a 38-yard scoring run as well as a 16-yard TD catch. Classmate Mason Fuqua also had a TD catch and three tackles for loss.
"Our program had hit rock bottom three years ago, and those seniors are the first ones I went to when I came back," Grider said. "They trusted me to come back and help us rebuild, and they've been incredible leaders."
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.