Despite putting up eye-catching numbers, the past four seasons have ended in frustration for South Pittsburg's football team. The Pirates, who have compiled a 48-6 overall record the past four years, have lost in the semifinals in three of those seasons, and the other finish was a double-overtime quarterfinal loss to the eventual state champion.
Last year, the Pirates earned 10 of their 12 wins by the state's 35-point mercy rule, and they also beat eventual 2A runner-up Meigs County before falling by one point at Greenback, which scored the winning touchdown with 45 seconds remaining.
"It's time we finish the deal," Pirates coach Vic Grider said. "We've won a lot of games over the last few years and been really close but haven't finished it, and the frustrating part is I really feel like we were good enough to be the team to win it all.
"The only way to do that is to keep giving yourself an opportunity, and that's what we've got again this season."
It's been seven years since the program's most recent appearance in a state title game, and this may be the Pirates' best chance to return, based on the amount of skill-position talent available.
Brayden Sanders, who missed the semifinal loss with an injury, returns for his third season as the starting quarterback and is joined in a loaded backfield by fellow senior Hunter Frame, the team's fastest player who averaged nearly 10 yards per carry before an injury cost him much of the second half of last season.
DeAndre Kelly, a 6-foot, 185-pound junior who ran for 19 touchdowns and more than 800 yards in a supporting role last year, is expected to be a Football Bowl Subdivision-level college prospect, while receivers Reggie Hunter (6-4, 200) and Kobe Cooper (6-2, 180) bring physicality as well as speed to the perimeter.
The defense, stellar last year as South Pittsburg held nine opponents to seven or fewer points, should also be stout with the return of a pair of all-state performers in linebackers J.J. Beene and Jared Stone - who earned all-state recognition on the offensive line but was also one of the team's leading tacklers. Former Trousdale County head coach Brad Waggoner, who guided that program to the 2A state title game in 2018, took over as defensive coordinator after Shawn Peek left to take over as head coach at Georgia's Chattooga.
Copper Basin won six of its first seven games last season led by quarterback Bryson Grabowski, who rewrote the school's passing records with more than 2,000 yards. He returns for his senior season, along with 16 other starters overall, and a combination of size up front and playmakers have the Cougars looking like the biggest threat to South Pittsburg's region reign.
Sale Creek also brings back 17 total starters from a team that earned the first playoff appearance in program history, highlighted by shutting out the previous season's state champion. Three offensive linemen who are at least 6-foot-4, 250 pounds form a good foundation to build off last year's success, and Brayden Penny could play any offensive skill position as well as being an all-state-caliber defensive back.
Similarly, Lookout Valley brings back the majority of starters from a very young team, which should help build consistency after struggling through last year's transition to a new system while facing a difficult schedule.
A trio of sophomore starters - Blake Fergusen, Jaxon Quails and Jacob Winchester - all have the talent to develop into solid contributors, and there is better size up front as well.
Three of the Yellow Jackets' first four games are on the road and the home opener is against South Pittsburg, but finding a way to notch an early win would do wonders to lift the young team's confidence for the latter half of the season, when they have three region foes among their final four games.
Whitwell made a head coaching change for the third time in four seasons, bringing back former assistant Jake Cabell. The Tigers have 11 total starters back, including speedster Cole Burns, but also must replace nearly the entire offensive and defensive fronts.
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.
Staff photo by Robin Rudd / South Pittsburg football coach Vic Grider gives the play to quarterback Brayden Sanders during a TSSAA Class A quarterfinal against visiting Gordonsville on Nov. 22, 2019.REGION 3-1A
Team to beat: South Pittsburg outscored its four region opponents an average of 61-9 last season, and the talent gap appears to remain wide between the Pirates and the rest of the league.Watch out for: With 17 total starters back from a team that won six of its first seven games, including all-state quarterback Bryson Grabowski, Copper Basin can be a threat to anybody on its schedule — particularly on offense.Best game: When Copper Basin plays Sale Creek on Sept. 4, the second spot in the region and a first-round home playoff game could be on the line.Dream schedule: Five of Sale Creek’s six nonregion opponents had losing records last season, and the Panthers get to host three of their four region foes.Nightmare schedule: With four consecutive road games, plus an off week, Whitwell doesn’t get to play at home in the month of September. After their Aug. 28 contest, the Tigers won’t host another game until Oct. 16.Players to watch: South Pittsburg has one of the most experienced and talented backfields among all 1A teams with senior quarterback Brayden Sanders, a three-year starter, along with classmate Hunter Frame — the team’s fastest player — and junior DeAndre Kelly, who is already an FBS-level prospect. Pirates offensive lineman Jared Stone and linebacker J.J. Beene were all-state performers last season and should help anchor those spots. Copper Basin’s Grabowski set the school's single-season passing yardage record last year, and Sale Creek’s Brayden Penny is an all-star athlete (quarterback and defensive back) on both sides of the ball.