WHITWELL, Tenn. — With early momentum beginning to shift toward the home sideline Friday night, visiting South Pittsburg needed just one play — a bolt of lightning in a No. 2 jersey — to regain the lead and, ultimately, control of the Region 3-1A standings.
After Whitwell evened the score at 7 on the first play of the second quarter, South Pittsburg quarterback Kamden Wellington connected on a short pass to Racash Kelly, who raced past the pursuit along the home sideline for a 55-yard touchdown.
The Pirates went on to score on three of their next five possessions and also added a defensive touchdown in pulling away for a 40-15 win.
"When they scored, we knew we had to keep pushing and make a play," said Wellington, who was 8-of-14 passing for 208 yards and three touchdowns and also rushed for a score. "We were pretty happy about that play. It really got us going, and we felt like we could tire them out."
After Wellington opened the game with a 28-yard touchdown toss to Nas Starkey, South Pittsburg elected to go for it on fourth-and-4 from its own 31-yard line, and the Whitwell defense stuffed the play for no gain.
(READ MORE: Final scores and photos from Friday night's Chattanooga-area high school football games)
Four plays later, Tigers quarterback Brandon Easterly scored the tying touchdown on a 4-yard run, but the Pirates struck quickly to retake the lead, then used a 10-play, 85-yard drive just before halftime, capped by Wellington's 4-yard run, for a two-score lead.
"We know Racash is electric with the ball in his hands, and that's why we want to find as many ways as possible to get him the ball," Pirates coach Wes Stone said of Kelly's quick-strike score. "That was big to flip things real quick and get momentum back in a hurry. Their stands were packed, so it was key to make a play and not let them gain any more confidence.
"I put us in a bad spot by going for it on that fourth down, but that's just what type confidence I have in our offense. They came back and made a play when we needed it."
South Pittsburg (3-2, 2-0) which has won 13 straight region games, added to its lead on a 49-yard pass from Wellington to Jayden Mount midway through the third quarter, then ended any lingering doubt when Jamarion Farrior stripped the ball and returned the fumble 38 yards for a score.
Before Whitwell (3-1, 1-1) put together a 70-yard scoring drive in the closing minutes, the Pirates had held the hosts to just 128 total yards. After that final drive, South Pittsburg ended with a 386-198 advantage in total yards.
"Our defensive guys did a tremendous job," Stone said. "Whitwell has a very athletic quarterback, but we were able to contain them and really for the most part shut the door on them until that last drive.
"This was a huge game for our confidence. Kam made several great decisions tonight and took care of the ball to put us in some great situations. I just thought overall, on both sides of the ball, we really showed good progression and maturity tonight."
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.