That triple-overtime loss to Crace Christian Christian Academy of Knoxville is probably still eating at South Pittsburg coach Vic Grider.
Oh, sure, the Pirates are in the playoffs and will be at Coalfield on Friday night, but if the coach has an issue, that’s probably it — that the Pirates will be at Coalfield.
By percentage points, South Pittsburg wound up as the No. 3 seed in its Class 1A quadrant behind Greenback, whom the Pirates dispatched Friday night, and Coalfield.
And why was South Pittsburg the No. 3 seed? Because at 8-2 they had one more loss than either of the other two? Never mind that those two losses were to Signal Mountain, which would be making its way toward a second straight TSSAA championship if not for the state’s decision that the Eagles had played an ineligible player, and Grace Christian, which finished 10-0 but also was sidelined by the TSSAA. Grace Christian? These guys put up six shutouts this year and they also scored 39 or more points six times.
The Pirates are being penalized because they couldn’t find enough teams in their own classification to play them. It’s the same situation that Tyner and even Polk County face. They’re having to play up during the regular season against 2A, 3A, 4A and even 6A competition because they’re in a four-team district and have to find seven games annually.