WRCBtv.com | Chattanooga News, Weather & SportsOne More Stop: Pirates heading back to state title game

GORDONSVILLE, Tenn. (WRCB) -- The road less traveled has just one more stop for South Pittsburg.

And they won't mind making the trip.

The Pirates will make their third straight trip to Cookeville next week to play for their sixth state championship after dispatching host Gordonsville 32-14 in the Class 1A state semifinals on Friday night.

South Pittsburg, who won their last three playoff games on the road against state-ranked teams, will face Wayne County in Friday afternoon's title game at Tennessee Tech's Tucker Stadium. The Wildcats routed West Carroll 33-0 in the other semifinal.

"To come into this environment and play with the composure they did, I'm really proud of my football team,"said head coach Vic Grider. "It was 14-14 at the half, but we kept coming and kept doing what we do."

What they did Friday night was give the ball to Demetric Johnson.

Johnson's 235 yards of total offense were more than Gordonsville had as a team. The Pirates' defense held the Tigers to just 225 total yards for the game, and just 57 yards rushing and four first downs in a scoreless second half.

"It's always great to come out here on their field and do something like this," Johnson said. "But tonight we couldn't have done it without the line and the defense. They helped get this done."

Nicknamed "Little Man," the junior tailback turned in a big night with 176 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. He only catch of the night also went for a 59-yard score.

"We knew he was a football player, he just needed another opportunity," Grider said. "We've got two great ones back there. He and (JaJuan) Lankford are special players, but tonight was his night.

"He did what junior and seniors are supposed to do, and he made the most of it."

Lankford added 100 yards rushing and a score as South Pittsburg racked up 422 yards of total offense. That production helped overcome 103 penalty yards and an early turnover that set up Gordonsville's first score.

"We made some silly mistakes here and there. We had some penalties and some turnovers in there that could have cost us, but our defense bowed their necks when we needed them to," Grider said.

The Tigers' matched Johnson's two first-half touchdowns to knot the game at 14-all at the break, but Jake Stone hit John Wells on a 15-yard scoring strike in the third quarter and the Pirates never trailed again.

Johnson broke loose on an 84-yard touchdown run with just under nine minutes left to play to push the lead to 12, and Lankford's lone touchdown capped the scoring with 2:33 left on the clock.

"How much prouder could I be of our football team. To go on the road three straight weeks in the playoffs to some far away places in all kinds of different environments," Grider said. "It's down to a one week season, state championship on the line.

"It's exactly what we wanted."

It's exactly what they've gotten in four of the last five years. South Pittsburg won state championships in 2007 and 2010, and finished runner-up in 2009.