SOUTH PITTSBURG, Tenn. – The TSSAA mandates that mercy be shown in lopsided games. Otherwise, South Pittsburg wasn’t about to.
Class 1A’s top-ranked Pirates scored on their first five offensive series as well as a punt return in the first half, then continued piling on the points Friday night in a 64-0 District 6-A victory over Marion County.
That was the fifth straight victory over their cross-county rivals, and the largest margin since a 69-0 win in 1953. The Pirates went for two points on their last four TDs, including after a 28-yard scoring toss late in the third quarter with the starters still in the game.
“That scoreboard is something I will remember for the rest of my life,” said senior quarterback Travis Millard, who threw for 182 yards and three touchdowns and ran for a score. “To leave here and know I never lost to Jasper from little league on up and then win like this, that’s pretty big.
“It was real important to come out and put them down early.”
South Pittsburg led 42-0 at halftime, despite having two touchdowns called back by penalty. The Pirates (2-0, 1-0) outgained the Warriors 529-104 in total yards, averaging more than 11 yards per play.
Even with all-state running back Raquis Hale sidelined by cramps for all but the first five minutes of the game, the Pirates found plenty of other weapons. Hale gained 106 yards on his first four carries, including a TD before sitting out the rest of the first half. He returned in the second half, finishing with 139 yards and two TDs.
During his absence in the first half, senior quarterback Travis Millard threw for 154 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another. Sophomore Demetric “Little Man” Johnson also returned a punt for a TD for the second straight game.
South Pittsburg proved it can score lightning quick, with two TDs in three plays or less, as well as a sustained drive, going 94 yards in 14 plays for its final score of the first half.
“The plan early on was to put them on their heels, and I think us going no-huddle on our first drive did that,” Pirates coach Vic Grider said. “Scoring on our first couple of plays set the tone, and from there on we did pretty much what we wanted.”