South Pittsburg gets the Cookeville stage Friday afternoon against Fayetteville for the 1A state title. The Pirates defense has been tough all year, including the playoffs. South Pitt has allowed only 21 points in four playoff games.

Said head coach Vic Grider:”The bottom line is we’re pretty good on the defensive front. If we can continue to control the line of scrimmage the way we’ve done in the four playoff games, we’re going to continue to give ourselves a chance. Our skill guys offensively get a lot of credit, but the place we’ve kind of hung our hat on all season has been our defense. If they can continue to play the way that they’ve been playing, we are going to have a good chance Friday.”