Football season is approaching kickoff, and the Pilot Point Bearcats have returned to the practice field in preparation for the upcoming season.
In their first season under the direction of Chad Worrell, Pilot Point athletic director and head football coach, the Bearcats lost their first four games before finding their footing, winning three of their last six games to finish fourth in their district and pulled off an upset over the top seeded Mexia Blackcats in the opening round of the playoffs.
“We got better as the season progressed,” Worrell said. “Going back to Week 1, we had some kids that were out of position. It took us some time to learn where to put the kids; it took them a little bit of time to learn what we expected and learn the system, but they stayed the course and got better at it.”
Worrell said the Bearcats’ football program demonstrated sig- nificant signs of growth during the offseason.
“Our numbers are up,” he said. “We’re over 80 kids right now in high school football. That’ll change on Monday, and we’ll get a few younger kids out, so we’ll probably be pushing 90 kids. Last year, we had less than 60, so the number of players is up, and that’s a huge boost for the program.”
Pilot Point’s depth combined with a lot of experience with 19 returning starters from last season should make the Bearcats a dangerous team.
“We had a small senior class last year, so most of our lettermen are back on varsity, and then our JV went 9-1 last year, and you can see that the kids had a great off-season, got stronger and faster, and just more confident and a year more mature, so we’re way ahead of where we were last year.”
Dave Campbell’s Texas Football has the Bearcats predicted to finish as the fourth-place team in what is shaping up to be a very competitive 3A-1 Region II District 6.
“We’re going to be better, there’s no doubt about that, but the other teams in our district are bringing back a lot of players, and they’re going to be better, too,” Worrell said. “Our district from top to bottom is going to be a lot tougher than it was last year.”
With a big challenge ahead of them, Worrell said the experience the team gained last year will be integral to the team’s success this fall.
“They played 12 football games last year; two of them were playoff games, and we were in some big district games, so they’ve been through it,” he said. “The main thing is the maturity and having battle-tested kids versus having them go through it for the first time. They know the system, know our expectations, and know what their job is coming in, so that should help us feel a little bit more sound at the beginning of the year.”
The Bearcats should be in capable hands with an offense headlined by the backfield duo of fullback Caden David and Josh Chumley, who combined for 2,250 yards and 23 touchdowns, and a defense spearheaded by linebacker Elijah Jackson and free safety Ashton Williamson, who both tallied over 100 tackles last season.
Worrell added that he hopes the Pilot Point community continues to show their support for what he believes will be a special season for the Bearcats.
“They’re going to like the product we put on the field,” he said. “These kids play hard, and they’re fun to watch. … It’s been one of the best first weeks I’ve had in a long, long time, and I’m super proud of our coaching staff and super proud of our kids.”
