If you listen closely enough, regardless of where you’re reading this, you might be able to hear the echo of the tractor whistle reverberating across the Sequatchie Valley.
Right about the time the sun was setting behind Finley Stadium on Saturday evening, the final seconds ticked off the clock on Marion County’s 17-7 win over Milan in the TSSAA Class 2A BlueCross Bowl, setting off a purple-clad celebration for a football-crazed community where the team’s famous tractor whistle sends off an ear-splitting blast after each big play and win.
The celebration for the Warriors’ fifth state championship in program history, but first in 29 years, carried all the way back to Betsy Pack Drive — the main street in Jasper — and continued well into the night.
“When we left town, our fans had lined the streets for two or three miles just to send us off. I can’t wait to get back and celebrate with them now,” Warriors third-year head coach Tim Starkey said as he clutched his championship plaque. “We’ve been so close for a long time but just couldn’t get it done. To have a group that locked in and made it happen, this is really special for a lot of people.”
On the game’s second snap, Marion defensive back Luke Tipton intercepted a pass and returned it 54 yards to the Milan 19. The Warriors (13-2) needed just one play to capitalize as Sam Pickett showed his athleticism by taking a play designed to go left, cutting back when the hole was clogged and outrunning the pursuit for a 19-yard touchdown.
Marion added to its lead almost as quickly on its third possession when Pickett raced past single coverage and hauled in a pass from Tilton Pickett near midfield, then again pulled away from the defender for a 75-yard touchdown on the first play of the second quarter.
Sam Pickett was named BlueCross Bowl MVP after finishing the game with 146 total yards and the two touchdowns, plus four tackles.
“That interception really set us up to get going early,” said Pickett, who was also a Tennessee Titans Mr. Football semifinalist and came into the game averaging 12.6 yards per touch in his senior season. “I started to the left but saw a lot of grass back to the right, so I just saw an opportunity and took it.
“On the pass, I was thinking, ‘Just don’t drop it. Score!’ Once we got ahead, I trusted our defense, because that’s the main strength of our team.”
Milan (13-2) answered with a drive that was the exact opposite of Marion’s quick-strike attack as the Bulldogs covered 59 yards in 15 plays, taking 8:38 off the clock before Mr. Football finalist Jaydon Peete powered his way into the end zone on fourth-and-goal just before halftime.
But from there, for all the big-splash plays early, it was Marion’s suffocating defense that helped seal the win, particularly with a fourth-down stop with Milan needing just 1 yard to sustain a drive while trailing 14-7.
Marion’s defensive front, the epitome of stingy all season, stuffed Peete for no gain on the fourth-and-1 play from Milan’s 27 with just more than nine minutes remaining. On the Warriors’ first offensive play that followed, Pickett bounced off several defenders before setting out on a 26-yard gain to set up an eventual 21-yard field goal that provided the necessary breathing room.
“That play sums our defense up,” said Warriors linebacker Ashton Martin, who was in on five tackles, including the key fourth-down stop. “We’ve got some real dogs on that side of the ball, and we showed it on that play.
“Defensively, no matter how much we go up, we try to dominate and not give the other team anything.”
Despite running 17 more offensive plays and finishing with an 11-minute advantage in time of possession, Milan averaged just 2.5 yards per play in the second half, turning the ball over on downs three times, punting twice and throwing an interception in the end zone in the final minute.
Meanwhile, Marion’s offense ran the ball 28 times for 99 yards and senior quarterback Tilton Pickett was 7-of-11 passing for 135 yards and a touchdown. It helped the Warriors, who improved to 5-5 in state championship games, add another title to those won in 1990, ’92, ’94 and ’95.
“Our defense has been playing lights-out for the past two months,” Starkey said. “We lost to Tyner in a game that was humbling for us. They locked in after that and worked their tail off to not let it happen again.
“Sam Pickett is a player you can’t replace. If you’ve got the luxury of having a player like him on your team, as athletic as he is, you’ve always got a chance. He was dominant. I’m really glad he plays for us. Starting fast, that really helped win us the ballgame.”
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com.