Note: This story was updated on Dec. 3 to correct the spelling of Zeion Simpson-Smith’s name.
On a wet Saturday at Finley Stadium, a heavy rain fell during most of the TSSAA Class 4A BlueCross Bowl state championship game.
Pearl-Cohn senior Zeion Simpson-Smith brought the heat and made some steam.
The 6-foot-3, 240-pounder rumbled for 181 of the Firebirds’ 311 rushing yards on their way to a 36-27 comeback victory over Upperman in a battle of unbeaten teams. A huge second half provided the Metro Nashville program its third state title overall, but first since winning back-to-back championships in 1996-97.
“The terrible weather didn’t scare us one bit,” said Simpson-Smith, who was named MVP of the game after posting a pair of touchdown runs to go with nine total tackles. “We live for the grind and the rain, and not anyone was going to stop us. Being a Tennessee Titans fan, I am a big fan of Derrick Henry and love to watch how he plays so physical and carries his team to victory. I put that on my shoulder today, too.