GORDONSVILLE, Tenn. – After driving 99 1/2 yards to get to the brink of the upset, South Pittsburg came up about a foot shy of completing it, falling 14-13 to top-ranked Gordonsville in a Class 1A second-round football playoff Friday.
The Pirates drove the length of the field after Demetric Johnson intercepted a pass at the goal line with eight minutes remaining. Johnson carried the ball eight times in the 15-play scoring drive, including a 4-yard gain on fourth-and-2 and a 3-yard touchdown run with 1:25 remaining to pull South Pittsburg within one point.
The Pirates opted to go for two points and again tossed the ball to Johnson, who was stopped inside the 1. His forward progress was ruled to be stopped, although he never went down and spun off the tackle to step into the end zone. Johnson flipped the ball to the referee, thinking he had scored.
“He never stopped; he wasn’t down,” South PIttsburg quarterback Jake Stone protested.
South Pittsburg was fortunate to still have a chance in the end, after two first-half fumbles inside its own territory set up the Tigers for short scoring drives and a 14-7 halftime lead. Johnson also accounted for the Pirates’ first score, a 28-yard run on third-and-8, and the senior Mr. Football finalist finished the night with 117 yards on 17 carries.