SHANE SHOEMAKER
Writer
South Pittsburg closed out its regular season in championship fashion Friday night, blanking Whitwell 49-0 at Beene Stadium to claim its seventh straight TSSAA Region 3-1A title.
While the Pirates have made a habit of scoring at will — averaging nearly 60 first-half points over their last four games — they found themselves in a slower start against the Tigers, managing just six points in the opening quarter. But any suspense was short-lived. South Pittsburg poured in 22 points in the second quarter, 14 in the third, and seven more in the fourth to cap off yet another dominant region campaign.
The Pirates (9-1) racked up 360 total yards of offense, balanced nearly evenly between the run and pass. Quarterback Caden Jones was nearly perfect through the air, completing 14 of 15 passes for 182 yards and a touchdown. Dayon Cooper was his favorite target, hauling in six receptions for 123 yards, while Brandon Goldsmith added four catches for 33.
On the ground, JaMychal Buckner once again led the rushing attack, carrying 13 times for 101 yards. Zech Green followed with 71 yards on five attempts, including several chunk runs that helped South Pittsburg pull away midway through the game.
Defensively, the Pirates were as suffocating as ever, holding Whitwell to just 16 total yards of offense — and negative rushing yards at that. The Tigers (3-7) finished with only four true first downs, the rest coming from penalties, and completed just four passes for 29 yards.
Even with 12 penalties for 135 yards, South Pittsburg’s relentless pressure and efficiency on both sides of the ball kept the outcome well in hand.
With the win, the Pirates secured home-field advantage for the opening round of the Class 1A playoffs. They’ll host Red Boiling Springs (0-10) next Friday, while Whitwell will travel to face Jo Byrns (5-5).
Photos by Cindy Desroiser