If the adage is true that football coaches learn the most about their team from the first game to the second, then Silverdale Baptist Academy’s Mike Connor is secure in the knowledge that his team has plenty of grit.
The Seahawks also have several clutch offensive playmakers and are stout defensively. All of those points of emphasis were showcased Friday night in a hard-fought 10-0 win at South Pittsburg.
One week after the disappointment of having a 14-point fourth-quarter lead evaporate in a brutal one-point loss to TSSAA Class 3A’s Tyner, Silverdale Baptist picked itself up off the mat and delivered a gritty effort on both sides of the ball to hand Class 1A’s top-ranked Pirates their first shutout loss at home since 2004.
“All we preached all week was to finish,” Connor said. “Not just in a game, but in a play, a drive, a technique. Finish. To have been 0-2 going into region play would’ve been tough, because our league is so good. So to come to a perennial powerhouse, and they’re loaded, especially after the loss last week and play the way our guys did is really big.
“It says a lot about them, and I couldn’t be more proud.”