SOUTH PITTSBURG, Tenn. – The final play call wasn’t even in South Pittsburg’s playbook. And there certainly wasn’t time to make up a name for it, so Pirates coach Vic Grider simply motioned for Hogan Holland, his senior quarterback, to pump fake and throw deep.
Having peppered the Marion County defense with several short passes near the sideline, junior receiver Cade Kennemore stutter-stepped to draw in two Warriors defenders, then raced past them with a double move before hauling in Holland’s 28-yard spiral at the goal line for the go-ahead touchdown with just 11 seconds remaining Friday night.
The nameless play, which lifted the Pirates to a 24-17 upset of top-ranked Marion County, punctuated one of the more hard-fought and memorable games in the state’s oldest and arguably most bitter rivalry.
“We had never even ran that play before,” said Holland who passed for 155 yards and two touchdowns. “Coach Grider called for Cade to make a double move, and we both looked at him because we don’t have a play like that. He said ‘I don’t care what you do, just stop and go and score,’ and we did.
“I knew they would bite on it and Cade would be open. All I had to do was lay it up there and let him get it. There’s nothing like this feeling.”