SOUTH PITTSBURG, Tenn. – In this town, where folks expect to discuss the high school football team’s next playoff opponent as they pass the potatoes every Thanksgiving, the ability to run the ball against any opponent is essential.
And while the basis of the wing-T offense is to prevent any single player from becoming the focal point, the way South Pittsburg’s starting backfield has played this season, fullback Garrett Raulston and wings Sawyer Kelley and Ronto Tipton have combined to become the equivalent of a featured back, each capable of carrying the load on a given night.
Raulston, a 6-foot-2, 225-pound junior, hammers the middle of opposing defenses, while Tipton, a 5-10, 165-pound sophomore, is a breakaway threat any time he touches the ball. Kelley, a 5-10, 175-pound senior, is as versatile as household cleaner, with the strength to be a power runner in short-yardage situations, the speed to turn the corner and pick up big chunks of yards and the agility to be a dangerous receiver out of the backfield.
South Pittsburg’s Ronto Tipton (7) breaks into the open in the Sept. 8 game against Marion County. One of three running stars for the Pirates, Tipton also shines at safety.
South Pittsburg’s Sawyer Kelley (22) finds a opening in the Tiger defense. The Whitwell Tigers visited the South Pittsburg Pirates in the quarterfinals of the TSSAA football playoffs on November 17, 2017. “The whole key to our offense is you have to have guys that complement each other and are willing to block. We’ve got that in all three of those guys,” Pirates coach Vic Grider said. “They all bring a different skill set, and we just try to put them in position to do what they do best for the team.
“Ronto is much further along than you’d expect a sophomore to be and can do some special things for us. Sawyer makes us go on both sides of the ball with his energy. He’s just real competitive and the whole team feeds off him. His speed has improved to the point that he can do a lot more than just get the tough yards. He can get to the edge and run by people now.