The Pilot Point Bearcats traveled to Lindsay on Sept. 12 to take on the Lindsay Knights, with the Knights taking the victory 42-22.
Lindsay found gaps in Pilot Points’ defense and exploited them well enough to pile up over 400 yards of total offense and hand the Bearcats their first loss of the season.
“They’re a very good football team, very physical, and we had some breakdowns defensively where we didn’t take care of our responsibilities, and when we did, they made plays,” said Chad Worrell, Pilot Point athletic director and head football coach. “We knew we were going to have a challenge with their size and the style of offense they ran. They were able to get themselves in third and short all night long, and that was a key to the game. It took us a couple of series to adjust their speed and physicality on offense, and once we did, we moved the ball a lot better. I thought our office played a lot better as the game went on, and I thought our defense played better in the second half.”
The Bearcats received the opening kickoff but punted the ball to the Knights after a quick three and out.
Two plays later the Knights put the ball in the end zone after quarterback Lane Foster ran the ball in for a 9-yard touchdown, putting Lindsay up 7-0 early in the first quarter.
After another three-andout from the Bearcats’ offense, the Knights scored on a five-play drive that ended when Foster found receiver Joe Manhart for a 37-yard touchdown pass, making the score 14-0 in favor of Lindsay.
The Knights would score one more time in the first quarter on an 8-yard touchdown run by running back Casen Williford, giving Lindsay a 21-0 lead as the game went into the second quarter.
The Bearcats’ first possession of the second quarter ended with a turnover on downs after a failed fourth down attempt, but they got the ball right back when defensive back Hunter Newman intercepted a Foster pass and returned it to the Bearcats’ 42-yard line.
Five plays later the Bearcats would finally get on the scoreboard when fullback Caden David carried the ball 39 yards, making the score 21-7.
Lindsay’s offense gave the ball back to the Bearcats on their next possession when Pilot Point defensive end Jason Rangel recovered a fumble on the Knights’ 32yard line.
The Bearcats failed to capitalize on the extra possession and gave the ball back over to the Knights on a turnover on downs, and Lindsay responded with a touchdown, sending the teams into halftime leading 28-7.
Lindsay received the second-half kickoff and moved down the field with 15 straight running plays and scored its fifth touchdown of the night, extending the Knights’ lead to 35-7.
On their next possession, the Bearcats would drive 71 yards, capped by a 12-yard touchdown run from David, cutting the Knights’ lead to 35-14 with few minutes left in the third quarter.
The Knights’ next drive would go into the fourth quarter as they put together an 18-play drive that ended with a goal-line plunge from Foster, giving Lindsay a 4214 lead.
The Bearcats added one more touchdown at the end of the game from running back Josh Chumley, who finished the night with 116 yards on 15 carries.
Worrell said he hopes the loss serves as a lesson for the Bearcats as the team prepares to enter the district portion of their schedule.
“When you have success, you have to let that drive you to have more of it,” he said. “You can’t become complacent and sit back and not have good practices and expect the same result. You have to go out and prepare each week, and I think our team understands that. They’re a good group of kids that want to do well, so I expect us to have a good week of practice this week and get ready for Howe.”
Assistant editor Martin Edwards contributed to this report.
