For the second year in a row the neighboring prep football factory just to the west of Chattanooga could not pull off the county sweep for claiming state titles. Last year, while Marion County won the Class 2A BlueCross Bowl, it was South Pittsburg which failed to repeat as 1A state champions.
On Saturday, one day after the Pirates claimed their third crown in five years, Marion County could not repeat, falling to Huntingdon’s brutally simple style, 20-7, which meant it’s been since 1994 that those two county rivals have won titles in the same season.
But in a world of high school sports where few things are certain, one safe bet is that one or the both of those traditional powers will return to play in next year’s BlueCross Bowl at Finley Stadium.
There are specific communities in our area that have carved out a reputation for being perennial contenders in certain sports. Bradley Central and Cleveland have a long history of wrestling and girls’ basketball success, while if you make a stop at 1020 North Moore Road in Brainerd, or just off Ty High Street in the Tyner community during basketball season, you’ll have to squeeze in to find a spot inside packed gyms where the boys’ teams typically run opponents ragged.
Cross into the Central time zone and the brand of football is also a step back in time. The kids wearing Marion’s purple and white or the orange and black of South Pitt still play for the pride of their community because their older brothers, their uncles and their dads all likely did the same before them.