BLEDSOE COUNTY-With a state playoff birth in sight, the Sweetwater Wildcats used opportunistic defense and the crunching running of senior running back Eli Arwood to grind up the Bledsoe County Warriors 28-0 in Pikeville Friday night.

Arwood, behind solid blocking, rushed for 159 yards on 29 carries and scored three touchdowns for the Wildcats. The win put the Wildcats at 6-3 on the year, their first winning season since 2006, and set up a battle for second place in the district with cross-county rival Sequoyah Friday night.

The Wildcats lost at home to Bledsoe County last year, but showed they were not about to fall victim to the Warriors again. Sweetwater forced four turnovers to help seal the win.

Sweetwater head coach Craig Moser had vowed to get Arwood the ball 30 times in the game and that strategy paid off when the hard-nosed running back scored on a 28-yard touchdown run halfway through second quarter to put the Wildcats up, 7-0.

At times, Bledsoe County moved the ball, but each time a turnover cost the Warriors their chance to get back in the game.

After a Bledsoe County fumble, Sweetwater marched 65 yards in eight plays, scoring on a 5-yard Arwood run to go up 14-0 at halftime.

The third quarter was scoreless, however, Sweetwater was on the march early in the fourth quarter and capped off another 65-yard drive when Arwood scored on a 4-yard run to put the Wildcats up by three touchdowns.

Arwood got most of the carries, but Hunter Humphreys added an 11-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter to give the Wildcats their final 28-point margin after another successful extra point attempt.

Coach Moser praised his team's tenacious effort and nothing signified that more than a play late in the game. With the Wildcats up 28-0, the Warriors were ready to avoid a shutout with just over a minute left in the game.

The Warriors seemed destined to turn a short toss into a 76-yard touchdown pass, but Elijah Blomstrom tackled a Bledsoe County runner from behind near the goal line, stripping the ball, which was recovered by defensive back Nick Wicker.

Plenty of Wildcats defenders played well on the night, including Zach Neil, who picked off a pass and had a sack. Though Sweetwater did most of is offensive damage on the ground against the Warriors, Moser said Andrew Barr managed the game well from his quarterback position.

The stage is now set for the regular season finale when Sweetwater will travel across the ridge to play the 6-3 Sequoyah Chiefs, who are coming off a road loss at Loudon. The winner of the grudge match will not only get bragging rights to being the best high school football team in the county, but will also secure an automatic playoff birth. The loser would likely need some help to get in the playoffs under the complicated TSSAA playoff system.

Editor Tommy Millsaps contributed to this report.