GREENBACK, Tenn. — The frustration of not having the ball swapped sides in the second half, and with it the momentum and eventually the second-round Class 1A playoff win.
After Greenback dominated the first half, leading by 11 at one point, third-ranked South Pittsburg rallied to take command in the second half and claim a 28-17 victory. It was the Pirates’ ninth straight win over the Cherokees.
“We got outplayed for the most part tonight, but this time of year is about survival and our guys found a way,” Pirates coach Vic Grider said. “We’ve been in about every environment and every situation possible and our kids have played in a lot of big games and playoff atmosphere, so that experience paid off tonight.”
At one point in the first half, sixth-ranked Greenback held possession for 20 of 21 plays. It had 26 more offensive snaps by halftime, outgaining the Pirates by 150 total yards.
But the Pirates doubled the Cherokees in second-half offensive plays and outgained them 201-74 in total yards. All but 7 of those yards by the Pirates came on the ground, but none of the second-half runs by a typically big-play offense went for more than 13 yards.
Junior running back Demetric “Little Man” Johnson finished with 22 carries for 139 yards and three touchdowns, his second straight 100-plus yard game.
The Pirates (10-2) struck like lightning to begin the game when Antonio Chubb returned the opening kickoff 82 yards for a touchdown.
But from that point Greenback took control, scoring 17 consecutive points before Johnson broke free for a 40-yard touchdown run to cut the deficit to three at halftime.
After the Pirates recovered a Greenback fumble on the opening series of the third quarter, they drove 55 yards in 11 plays, converting two fourth downs, including a fourth-and-6, before Johnson scored to put the visitors up for good.
Greenback reached South Pittsburg’s 13 on its next possession before being held on downs.
The Pirates kept possession for the next 19 snaps, taking more than eight minutes off the fourth-quarter clock before throwing an interception in the end zone.
But with a chance for late-game dramatics, Greenback was held on four downs and the Pirates put the game away on Johnson’s 11-yard scoring run with 1:44 remaining.
“This actually humbles me to be able to be a part of a win like this,” said Pirates third-year starting center Cody Branham, who has played much of the season with meniscus tears in both knees and was helped off the field once in the fourth quarter before returning. “We’ve had a lot of one-sided wins, but one like this is pretty special to be a part of.”