JASPER, Tenn. - Statement made.
In a battle of number ones, only one showed up as Class 1A's top-ranked South Pittsburg physically dominated cross-county rival and 2A's top-ranked Marion County 56-18 Friday night at Bill Baxter Stadium.
In claiming their second straight win over Marion, the Pirates (4-0) ran the ball 55 times for 486 yards while limiting the Warriors (2-2) to 115 rushing yards.
"We thought we could make it a nasty game and pound it at them, but I was surprised they were never able to get our offense off the field," Pirates coach Vic Grider said. "I've said all along our offensive line could be pretty good, and they showed up in a big way tonight. We wore on them."
South Pittsburg never punted and, aside from losing two fumbles, scored touchdowns on its other eight possessions. Of the Pirates' 28 first downs, 27 came on the ground.
Senior running back Sawyer Kelley led the way with 143 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries, and junior fullback Garrett Raulston added 116 and five TDs on 19 tough carries as four runners finished with 80-plus yards for the Pirates.
"They just whipped us," Warriors coach Joey Mathis said."They are who we thought they are. Momentum is a huge part of this rivalry, and they got it going early."
On the game's opening possession the Pirates drove inside Marion's 5-yard line before losing a fumble at the 1. But the Pirates defensive front set the tone on the next three plays, stuffing Marion for no gain on the first two before senior end Franklin Russell dropped Warriors quarterback Isaiah Sampson for a safety.
On the ensuing possession, South Pittsburg converted a third-and-15 with a 22-yard run by Cade Kennemore on a reverse, and two plays later Sawyer Kelley scored on a 36-yard run.
The Pirates found plenty of ways to get the ball into Kennemore's hands and the all-state receiver responded, rushing three times for 49 yards, catching a 35-yard touchdown pass, intercepting a Warriors pass and returning two punts for nearly 60 yards.
"I think Cade wanted to prove he was the best player on the field and he left no doubt," Grider said, referring to the showdown of all-state athletes between Kennemore and Marion senior Jacob Saylors, who was held to 15 yards on seven carries and caught four passes for 35 yards.
Kennemore provided the dagger just before halftime when he snagged the TD pass out of the air just before a Marion defender could get his hands on it with 12 seconds remaining. That gave the Pirates a commanding 29-6 lead, and they would not attempt another pass in the second half.
"Every time I got the ball I was trying to score," Kennemore said. "I wanted to do whatever I could to help my team get the win. To come in here and beat them on their field like this as a senior, this means everything."
Marion opened the second half with an impressive seven play, 79-yard drive, capped by Sampson's 10-yard TD toss to Brett Nelson to cut the deficit to 29-12. But the Pirates answered going 58 yards in nine plays, with Raulston scoring on bruising 5-yard run. The Pirates needed five plays or fewer to score their next two TDs as the Marion defense fatigued.
"We haven't come close to reaching our potential as a football team, but I've got nine seniors who are very hungry," Grider said. "We showed what we're capable of becoming tonight."
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.