SHANE SHOEMAKER – Sports Writer
Coming into Friday’s matchup against the North Jackson Chiefs, the South Pittsburg Pirates had only allowed 21 points to be scored against them all season. The Pirates’ 60-0 victory over the Chiefs keeps that statistic intact.
The Pirates made a short, 13-minute trek across the Alabama state line to achieve their sixth victory of the season, remaining undefeated.
This was the third team the Pirates have faced this season from a higher class, and they’ve outscored them by a total of 119-21.
“We played really hard. The defense performed exceptionally well. The offense finally figured some things out in the second half,” Pirates’ head coach Wes Stone said. “Kamden [Wellington] and [RaCash Kelly] made some big throws and catches at the beginning of the third quarter to put the game out of reach.”
Wellington and Kelly connected twice on the night. They began the second half with a quick score barely into the start of the third quarter when Wellington found Kelly for a 75-yard touchdown pass and catch.
Wellington found Kelly again less than three minutes later for another 44-yard touchdown reception.
Wellington had one more touchdown pass for 15 yards in the third quarter to Logan Harris, giving the Pirates a 34-0 lead.
Wellington has thrown or run for a touchdown in all but one game this season. His 18 scores account for 108 of the Pirates’ 313 points scored this season.
The remaining 62 points scored on the evening against the Chiefs came from the Pirates’ ground game, with five different players running for a touchdown.
Despite the lopsided statistics, the Pirates ended the first half up only 14-0 after a JaMychal Buckner 8-yard run in the first quarter and a Ky’Saun Powell 60-yard run in the second.
“Ky’Saun Powell stepped up and had a good game running the football for us,” Stone said.
Powell’s 60-yard run in the second quarter was one of two 60-yard runs on the night, with his second coming at the top of the fourth quarter. He finished the night with nine carries for 117 yards (averaging 13 yards per carry) and two touchdowns, bringing his total to five on the year.
AJ Wallace, Jamarion Farrior, and Zech Green concluded the rest of the fourth quarter and the night with runs of 39, 17, and 43 yards for touchdowns.
The Pirates’ defense, which has been an integral part of their dominating success so far, caused another five turnovers. They’ve caused 10 turnovers in the last two weeks and 14 in total for the year.
The win on Friday now makes South Pittsburg 3-0 against North Jackson. It’s also the fourth shutout for the Pirates this season and their second in a row.
They now face a tough Division II-A Middle Tennessee Christian Cougars team at home, who are also undefeated.
~photos provided by Tracy Cagle
