EDITOR’S NOTE: As spring football practice gets underway for high school teams across Tennessee, the Times Free Press is taking a look back at how last season ended while offering a sneak peek at what the expectations are for Chattanooga-area programs in 2026. Our weeklong series concludes with its eighth installment, this one focusing on TSSAA Class 1A.
It was as dominant a run to a BlueCross Bowl state championship as could be imagined. On their way to the program’s eighth TSSAA Class 1A title last fall, the South Pittsburg Pirates set a whole new standard.
After being shut out in the season opener by Division II-AA’s Silverdale Baptist Academy, the Pirates reeled off 14 straight wins, all by at least 24 points, while scoring an average of 53 points per game and allowing an average of just 4.4, including six shutouts.
South Pittsburg’s impressive regular-season performances included lopsided wins over Class 3A’s Sequatchie County, which was ranked in the Tennessee Sports Writers Association’s state poll, and Class 4A’s Red Bank, which won its region and went on to reach the state quarterfinals.