South Pittsburg rallies to edge McKenzie in Class 1A TSSAA football championship

Tom Kreager, Jackson Sun
·1 min read

CHATTANOOGA – South Pittsburg overcame an in-season coaching change to win the program's first high school football state title since 2010 and sixth overall.

The Pirates defeated McKenzie 24-21 Friday in the TSSAA Class 1A BlueCross Bowl at Finley Stadium.

McKenzie led 14-0 before South Pittsburg scored 24 unanswered points before Jackson Cassidy threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Zach Aird with 1:14 left to trim the lead to 24-21.

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McKenzie (14-1) tried an onside kick and the Pirates (11-2) recovered it at the South Pittsburg 49. The Pirates then ran out the clock to secure the title.

South PIttsburg's state title comes a year after finishing runner-up and under the leadership of co-coaches Heath Grider and Wes Stone, who replaced Chris Jones. Jones resigned in September after he accepted the defensive coordinator position for the Toronto Argonauts in the CFL.

Cassidy was 13-of-21 passing for 202 yards with two touchdowns. Marquez Taylor, a Mr. Football finalist, added 85 rushing yards and a touchdown off 21 carries.

Mr.Football finalist Deandre Kelly led South Pittsburg with 177 yards and two touchdowns off 19 carries. Kelly had touchdown runs of 19 and 28 yards in the game.

Reach Tom Kreager at tkreager@tennessean.com and on Twitter @Kreager.

This article originally appeared on Jackson Sun: TSSAA football: McKenzie falls to South Pittsburg in BlueCross Bowl