SP’s Hunter Frame (4) follows the block og teammate Garrett Raulston (9) on Greenback’s Bryce Hanley (3).GREENBACK, Tenn. – After fighting from behind much of the night, with just under 10 minutes remaining in the game and trailing by three points, South Pittsburg created the turnover it needed for a chance to take the lead.
But Greenback’s defense made a stand of its own, stopping the Pirates on fourth-and-3 at the Cherokees’ 24, and the hosts’ offense then set off on a game-sealing 15-play, 75-yard drive that chewed nearly eight minutes off the clock and capped a 31-21 victory in a Class 1A state semifinal Friday night at Cooper Field.
It’s the second straight season Greenback has ended South Pittsburg’s season one step shy of the state title game. The Cherokees (12-1) will play in the final for a third straight season and try to win their first championship in 30 years. They play Cornersville.
“This was not our best performance, by far, but they had a lot to do with that,” Pirates coach Vic Grider said. “They put a lot of pressure on you to defend the whole field, because they have a lot of weapons offensively.
“I thought the kick-return game was huge, and that really made us have to defend a short field too many times. We had too many mistakes to beat a team that good, but despite all that we still had a chance there late to take the lead.”