SOUTH PITTSBURG, Tenn. — When adversity knocked earlier this football season, South Pittsburg could not answer.
Friday night, after a disastrous start to the second half had turned the game’s momentum, the 10th-ranked Pirates showed a maturity that had been lacking, responding by rallying for a 35-19 upset of fifth-ranked Chattanooga Prep at Beene Stadium in a key matchup for the TSSAA Region 3-1A title race.
“We grew up tonight,” Pirates coach Wes Stone said. “We knew we would be tested physically, and the kids answered the bell on that. We wanted to make it a smashmouth-type game, and our guys executed the game plan. We made some big plays, and we also had some physical drives.
“The defense played well enough to give us a chance. They made a few big plays on scrambles, but they have some really good athletes who are tough to defend. I’m just really proud of the physical mentality we had tonight. They kept coming and didn’t back down.”
(READ MORE: Final scores and photos from Friday night’s Chattanooga-area prep football games)