SOUTH PITTSBURG, Tenn. – It wasn’t the quantity but the quality of plays for South Pittsburg on Friday night.
As the Pirates stepped back into 1A competition, the big plays returned. They needed two plays or less to score all seven touchdowns, including on six of their eight first-half possessions, in a 49-13 win over Grace Academy.
That gave South Pittsburg the Region 3-1A championship and the right to host in the playoffs until the semifinals, as long as it keeps winning.
The Pirates’ other four possessions ended with lost fumbles, including three deep in Golden Eagles territory, leaving coach Vic Grider fuming over the lack of focus by his team one week before the playoffs begin.
“I hope we got that out of our system tonight, because that’s the kind of thing that can get us beat in a hurry,” Grider said. “When we don’t lay the ball on the ground or hurt ourselves with penalties, we can be tough to handle.