A strong second half, including a 14-point fourth quarter, helped Rhea County defeat Red Bank 35-21 in a nonregion game Friday. The Eagles won for the fourth straight game and scored 35 points for a third consecutive week to improve to 4-1.
Ethan Davis ran for 108 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries, and Latron Alloway rushed for 106 for Rhea, which also got 158 total yards and two scores from quarterback Kaleb Martin. Red Bank was led by quarterback Joseph Blackmon's 190 yards of offense, including 11-of-16 passing for 99 yards. Reco Trimble caught five passes for 62 yards and a score, and A.D. Crutcher ran for 64 for the Lions (1-3), who were outgained 298-177.
South Pittsburg 21, North Jackson 20: Class 1A's third-ranked Pirates rallied from a 14-point halftime deficit and scored three touchdowns that covered 42-plus yards, including two late in the fourth quarter for the dramatic win over the 4A Chiefs, who are located just nine miles from South Pittsburg across the Alabama state line.
South Pittsburg scored the winner on a 62-yard reverse pass from Jayden Mount to Reginald Hunter with 44 seconds remaining, and the defense sacked Dalton Morris after the hosts had driven to the Pirates' 25 in the closing seconds.
After Richard Hunter connected with Racash Tipton on a 65-yard third-quarter touchdown to put the Pirates on the scoreboard, Mount hit Jacob Bivens on a 42-yard pass that brought South Pittsburg within six points.
Baylor 51, Ooltewah 0: A 24-point second quarter helped the Red Raiders put the game away as they outgained the Owls 427-148 in total offense, including 312-54 on the ground. Carson Yates scored three touchdowns, two on receptions covering 67 and 30 yards to go with an 85-yard run. Jermiah Skipworth ran for 117 yards and a touchdown, and Cooper Wick threw for 101 yards on three completions. John Emendorfer led the Baylor defense with six tackles.
(READ MORE: Final scores and photos from Friday night's Chattanooga-area high school football games)
Staff file photo by Robin Rudd / Meigs County quarterback Logan Carroll, center, accounted for six touchdowns to help the Tigers roll past McMinn Central on Friday night.Meigs County 61, McMinn Central 0: The top-ranked Tigers were dominant, racing out to a 41-point lead by halftime as senior quarterback Logan Carroll threw for three touchdowns and ran for three. Carroll finished with 231 total yards, and his younger brother Dylan, a freshman, also ran for a pair of scores for the Tigers, who outgained the Chargers 410-94 in total offense.
Marion County 42, Forrest 15: In a nonregion matchup of state-ranked teams in Class 2A, the sixth-ranked Warriors (4-0) were dominant on both sides of the ball, outgaining the No. 8 Rockets 421-196 in total offense. Taye Hutchins ran for 156 yards and two touchdowns, including one that went 60 yards, and threw for 100 yards and two scores. Rylee Rogers ran for one touchdown and added a scoring reception for Marion. Forrest scored its two touchdowns in the final 2:34 of the game.
Sequatchie County 31, Bledsoe County 29: The Warriors attempted a 44-yard field goal with 25 seconds remaining that fell short, giving the rival Indians (3-2) their third straight win of the season. It was also Sequatchie County's eighth win in the past nine meetings in the series. Cadillac Siever ran for 209 yards and four scores on 35 carries to lead Bledsoe.
Grace Academy 44, Zion Christian 0: Senior Cooper Knecht threw for 127 yards and three scores and ran for 43 and another touchdown as the Golden Eagles remained unbeaten in their first season in eight-man football. Grace built a 28-0 halftime lead and outgained Zion Christian 304-112 in total offense.
Central 20, Clinton 15: The Purple Pounders earned their fourth straight win with another outstanding defensive performance on the road. Christian Odom's 76-yard interception return set up a 5-yard scoring run by Mike Watson, and Donovan Smith converted a fourth-and-10 situation into an 85-yard scoring play on a fake punt in the nonregion victory.
Signal Mountain 21, East Ridge 7: Logan Farr ran for two scores and Duncan Cannon connected with Zach Pitcaithly for the Eagles' other touchdown in the nonregion win. Signal Mountain's defense was stout throughout, led by three sacks by Aiden Adkins, helping the Eagles improve to 4-2 overall.
Other area scores:
McMinn County 30, East Hamilton 29
Boyd Buchanan 53, Columbia Academy 20
Brainerd 36, Austin-East 0
Christian Academy of Knoxville 31, Chattanooga Christian 0
Cumberland County 24, Polk County 10
Franklin County 34, Grundy County 0
Hixson 12, Howard 0
Tellico Plains 46, Copper Basin 8
Huntland 42, Lookout Valley 0
Notre Dame 7, Knoxville Grace 6
Sale Creek 49, Pickett County 13
Whitwell 58, Red Boiling Springs 14
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.