SP's Hunter Frame (4) follows the block og teammate Garrett Raulston (9) on Greenback's Bryce Hanley (3).GREENBACK, Tenn. - After fighting from behind much of the night, with just under 10 minutes remaining in the game and trailing by three points, South Pittsburg created the turnover it needed for a chance to take the lead.
But Greenback's defense made a stand of its own, stopping the Pirates on fourth-and-3 at the Cherokees' 24, and the hosts' offense then set off on a game-sealing 15-play, 75-yard drive that chewed nearly eight minutes off the clock and capped a 31-21 victory in a Class 1A state semifinal Friday night at Cooper Field.
It's the second straight season Greenback has ended South Pittsburg's season one step shy of the state title game. The Cherokees (12-1) will play in the final for a third straight season and try to win their first championship in 30 years. They play Cornersville.
"This was not our best performance, by far, but they had a lot to do with that," Pirates coach Vic Grider said. "They put a lot of pressure on you to defend the whole field, because they have a lot of weapons offensively.
"I thought the kick-return game was huge, and that really made us have to defend a short field too many times. We had too many mistakes to beat a team that good, but despite all that we still had a chance there late to take the lead."
After Greenback grabbed the early lead with a seven-play, 92-yard drive, capped by Breeden Gilbert's 1-yard scoring run, the Pirates (13-1) answered with a 14-play, 68-yard drive that ended with Garrett Raulston's 1-yard TD run on fourth-and-goal.
But Josh Edwards returned the ensuing kickoff 90 yards to put Greenback back in front. The teams traded turnovers on the next three possessions before the Pirates cashed in on the last with a 37-yard drive, with Raulston scoring on a 5-yard run to tie the game late in the second quarter.
But again Greenback countered by returning the kickoff to South Pittsburg's 40, and on third-and-11 Gilbert avoided a near tackle in the backfield and passed to Seth Riddle for a 41-yard touchdown and a 21-14 halftime lead.
The Cherokees returned the second-half kickoff to the Pirates' 35, setting up a 32-yard field goal for a 10-point lead, but from that point South Pittsburg began to take momentum.
Highlighted by a 51-yard connection from Jaylyn Hubbard to Cade Kennemore, South Pittsburg needed just five plays to cover 94 yards. Raulston's third TD of the night, from 13 yards out, brought the visitors within three.
The following series, on third-and-2, South Pittsburg's scrappy defense - which had held eight opponents to seven points or less coming in - created the turnover needed for a potential go-ahead score. But Greenback matched it with a stop of its own and salted away the win.
"We were just trying to play our hardest the whole game and make something good happen," said linebacker Mason Fuqua, one of nine seniors who helped the Pirates reach at least the quarterfinals each of the past three seasons. "I'm proud of how hard we worked to get the program back where it should be. We just came up a little short tonight."
South Pittsburg outgained Greenback 250-96 on the ground, led by Raulston's 110 yards on 22 carries, but it was the Cherokees' passing game, along with the Pirates' special-teams breakdowns, that was the difference. Junior Bryce Hanley completed eight of 16 throws for 154 yards, and Gilbert, who was held to 46 rushing yards on 17 carries, completed two of three for 71.
"I know where we were four years ago and where we are now, and that's a testament to these seniors," Grider said. "The toughest part of this is knowing what to say when you've got a group of guys you wouldn't trade for anybody else's and you don't finish the way we wanted to.
"I don't know that I've ever had a group of seniors I feel more indebted to for what they've done for the program and our community."
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.