Pearl Cohn Earns Way to 4A Title in 42-28 Win

<!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">After a slow start, the Firebirds found their way to eventually knock off South Gibson by 14 points and place themselves in the 4A title game for the third time in the past four years. Pearl Cohn needed a strong second half to win but got it done by using their deep crop of ball carriers along with solid play from their defense. </h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Early on, it looked like the road team might pull off the upset and knock out the Firebirds but after halftime, Pearl Cohn found their mojo and completely owned the second half in their 42-28 victory over South Gibson.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Hornets came ready to play as they opened the game with a 12 play, 59 yard drive that was capped off by a short yard run from <strong>Tyshaun Jeter </strong>to put South Gibson ahead 7-0. After the Firebirds fumbled on their opening drive, the road team continued to perform well on offense as they found paydirt again after a 37 yard run to the end zone from <strong>Jaydon Reed</strong>.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2069791,"width":"259px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/11/tyjeter.jpg?w=700" alt="" class="wp-image-2069791" style="width:259px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Holding a 14-0 lead, the Hornets appeared to be the team in control and it would pretty much stay that way throughout the first half. Pearl Cohn struggled to find themselves early on as they turned the ball over twice, including a second quarter interception from <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1286233' first='L.J.' last='Funk'] </strong>that put the Hornets in prime scoring position.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>South Gibson immediately answered the Firebirds turnover with Jeter's second rushing score of the first half to put the Hornets ahead 21-0. Tons of time remained in this game but at this point, it looked like South Gibson was the better team or at least the team performing the best that would prevail in the end but little did we know the Hornets were done scoring for the night.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Something on the sidelines was adjusted or said to turn things around because the Firebirds finally woke up and started to play with urgency. What helped the cause was <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1587357' first='Omarion' last='Starnes'] </strong>taking the opposing kickoff 96 yards to the house to bring the score to 21-7. That play alone provided some juice for the Firebirds and a spark that propelled them the rest of the way.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Hornets produced their own turnover on the next drive. After taking the ball deep into Pearl Cohn territory, safety <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1571417' first='Anthony' last='Carnahan'] </strong>picked up a South Gibson fumble to stall their drive and take over on downs. The Firebirds capitalized on the Hornets mistake on the first play as Funk found junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1608413' first='Stephen' last='Saulter'] </strong>for a 69 yard touchdown pass to bring the score back to within seven.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2069792,"width":"251px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/11/ssaulter.jpg?w=700" alt="" class="wp-image-2069792" style="width:251px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We headed into the break with South Gibson on top 21-14 but you could feel and see the momentum shifting into the Firebirds favor. The Hornets played good football in the first half but you wondered if they had thrown their best shot and the Firebirds were about to take over and that's exactly what happened.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Firebirds got the ball to start the second half where they took the Hornets defense on a long drive that ended in six with <strong>Landan Left </strong>scoring from nine yards out to tie the game at 21-21. We had a new ball game at this point with the outcome in the air but leaning in favor of the Firebirds.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pearl Cohn got a stop on defense and immediately scored on their next drive as Left produced his second rushing touchdown of the second half to push the Firebirds ahead 28-21. You could see everything moving in favor towards the Firebirds but South Gibson was still only down by seven points with an opportunity to comeback.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Holding a 28-21 lead going into the 4th quarter, Pearl Cohn would continue to pour it on. After another strong drive, the Firebirds extended their lead to 35-21 after a short yard run from Starnes, his second overall score of the night. Things were looking bleak for the Hornets at this point as they needed something to happen to get back within striking distance but that didn't take place.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After another defensive stop by the Firebirds defense, their offense took the ball down into the South Gibson red zone where they produced another rushing score with this one coming from <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1674227' first='Lance' last='Donaldson']</strong>. The home team now held a 42-21 lead with the clock being the only thing in the way towards Pearl Cohn stamping their placement within the 4A title game.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2069797,"width":"317px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/11/ldonaldson-crop-1283x843-1764422721.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-2069797" style="width:317px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Hornets did get back on the scoreboard with a 66 yard run from senior and Wisconsin commit <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='889227' first='Yahya' last='Gaad'] </strong>but it ended up being too late. The Firebirds would run out the clock and take victory over a solid South Gibson team that performed well in the postseason but fell short of reaching their ultimate goal.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pearl Cohn outscored the Hornets 28-7 in the second half and did so mainly through their ground game, which is somewhat surprising against a strong South Gibson defensive front. To me, that's a good sign moving forward as you need to run the ball during the cold weather months to produce victories, which makes me feel good about the Firebirds chances in Chattanooga.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's been a great run for Pearl as they began the season at 0-4 but have reeled off ten wins in a row to place themselves inside the 4A title game. The Firebirds had a tough schedule to start the year but has since found a recipe that works for them and is now a formidable squad that could bring home another state title.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After missing out on Chattanooga last year, Pearl Cohn makes it back to the championship for the third time in the past four years. The Firebirds won the title two years ago and will be looking to bring another “Gold Ball” home, however it will be a tough challenge as they are set to face Alcoa, the school that has the most football championships within the Volunteer State.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pearl Cohn and Alcoa kick off the third day of action, December 5th at 11 am central for the 4A championship. This is a very intriguing matchup that us here at Prep Redzone Tennessee will be previewing in the next few days, so stay tuned for continued coverage on both the Firebirds and the Tornadoes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2069795,"width":"205px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/11/pcohn.jpg?w=700" alt="" class="wp-image-2069795" style="width:205px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image -->