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WHITWELL, Tenn. – The streak, the Region 3-1A championship and home-field advantage in the playoffs all now belong to Whitwell.
FINAL SCORES
Friday, Oct. 12 TENNESSEE Knoxville Catholic 49, Walker Valley 7 Upperman 49, Grundy County 20 Silverdale Baptist 42, Boyd-Buchanan 0 Sequatchie County 30, York 27 Zion Christian 21, Sale Creek 15 Bledsoe County 3, Polk County 0, OT William Blount 38, McMinn County 31 East Ridge 49, Sequoyah 34 Anderson County 48, Central 7 Bradley Central 54, Maryville Heritage 7 Knoxville Webb 35, Chattanooga Christian 7 Notre Dame 35, Grace Christian (Knoxville) 7 Howard 36, Hixson 14 Lookout Valley 45, Copper Basin 12 Grace Academy 35, Donelson Christian 8 Maryville 42, Ooltewah 0 Whitwell 34, South Pittsburg 12 Tyner 54, Tellico Plains 7 Meigs County 35, Oneida 0 Red Bank 35, Brainerd 12 McCallie 21, Baylor 6 Soddy-Daisy 17, Rhea County 14 GEORGIA Ridgeland 69, LaFayette 7 Haralson County 24, North Murray 22 Gordon Central 36, Armuchee 7 Heritage 51, Gilmer 13 Christian Heritage 21, Bowdon 0 Sonoraville 14, Adairsville 10 Coahulla Creek 41, Lakeview-F.O. 18 Calhoun 56, Murray County 0 Dalton 21, Sprayberry 13 Darlington 17, Trion 14 Pickens 55, Northwest Whitfield 13
The fifth-ranked Tigers took advantage of two early turnovers to build a wave of momentum in the first half, then dominated the second half in whipping second-ranked South Pittsburg 34-12 Friday night at Vernon Holtcamp Field.
“Both teams battled, but our kids were ready to play and they executed the plan perfectly,” Whitwell coach Randall Boldin said. “We had guys who stepped up to make big plays on both sides of the ball, and I couldn’t be more proud.”
The win snapped the Tigers’ 28-game losing streak to their cross-county rivals and also ended South Pittsburg’s run of 16 straight region wins and 26 consecutive regular-season wins. It also sets Whitwell (8-0, 3-0) up to host not only the first two rounds of the playoffs but a likely quarterfinal rematch against the Pirates (7-1, 2-1).
On South Pittsburg’s second possession of the game, Ronto Tipton broke free for a 55-yard run but fumbled through the end zone just before scoring. Whitwell countered with an 11-play, 80-yard drive capped by Hudson Petty’s 1-yard TD run and led the rest of the way.
The Pirates answered with a TD drive of their own, scoring when Brayden Sanders passed to Jaylyn Hubbard in the back of the end zone for 16 yards on third-and-15, but a second lost fumble on their next possession was quickly turned into more points by the Tigers, who drove 43 yards to extend the lead.
“I’m not taking anything away from them because they’ve got a really good team, but in big games like this you cannot turn the ball over, and we really shot ourselves in the foot early on,” said South Pittsburg coach Vic Grider, whose team lost all three of its fumbles. “We’ll learn from this and get better.”
Whitwell began to pull away in the second half, opening with a lightning-quick score when quarterback Warner Ashworth bolted 73 yards for a TD, followed by a 47-yard scoring sprint by Petty that put the game away as the Tigers scored on three of their first four second-half possessions.
Petty stepped up after Josh Wingo – the Tigers’ leading rusher this season with nearly 900 yards – suffered a foot injury early in the second quarter and did not return. Petty and Ashworth each carried the ball 16 times for 113 yards, with Petty scoring three times and Ashworth also adding 66 passing yards, including a 43-yard scoring strike to Tanner Stewart.
“It was just next man up,” explained Petty, who helped the Tigers gain nearly 100 more yards of offense than the Pirates in the second half. “Our coaches have confidence that any of us can make big plays happen. We work and play together as a team, and that’s what got it done.
“This is great for our community. We’ll see them again in a few weeks.”
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293.
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