South Pittsburg was able to shrug off not only the drama of this week – when head coach Chris Jones abruptly resigned to return to coach in the CFL – but also a sluggish first half in a 49-3 Region 3-1A win over Whitwell on Friday night.
After not having played in three weeks due to COVID-19 protocol, the third-ranked Pirates (2-0, 1-0) scored on their first two possessions but followed that sharp start with nine first-half penalties that prevented any further damage. However, Jayden Mount returned the second-half kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown, and the Pirates added three more scores in the third quarter to put the game away.
Senior running back De’Andre Kelly sparked the offense with 170 total yards, including 146 rushing, and two touchdowns. Richard Hunter connected with twin brother Reginald on a 15-yard pass to cap South Pittsburg’s first drive and finished with 133 passing yards and two touchdowns to his brother. Kamden Wellington added 94 yards on the ground in the Pirates’ home opener as co-head coaches Wes Stone and Heath Grider helped the team to a mercy rule win for the 25th time in its past 26 region games, outgaining the Tigers 428-188 in total yards.
(READ MORE: Final scores and photos from Friday night’s Chattanooga-area high school football games)
“It was a pretty tough week, and we were pretty rusty after a month off from not playing or getting to practice much,” Stone said. “I know there are people out there who are waiting to see how we respond to what’s happened, but I was really proud of the effort by the kids, especially in the second half.”