The Pilot Point Bearcats hosted the Dallas Madison Trojans at Massey Stadium on Sept. 26 and outraced their opponent to a 55-7 victory.
The Bearcats cruised to a win in their district opener with over 400 yards of total offense and 8 touchdowns.
“We came out and executed on all cylinders from the get-go,” said Chad Worrell, Pilot Point athletic director and head football coach. “We felt like we were going to be able to move the ball against them, and we did. We did a great job up front of blocking them, our backs did a good job, and we were able to throw the ball a little bit.”
The Bearcats set the tone for the night in the first quarter, putting the first points on the board with a 3-yard touchdown run by running back Josh Chumley, taking a 7-0 lead after kicker Anthony Torres made the extra point kick.
Full back Caden David ran for a 20-yard touchdown for Pilot Point’s second score, putting the Bearcats up 13-0. Pilot Point hit another big play when quarterback Garrett Evans connected with tight end Kade Stuckly on a 44-yard pass to the Trojan 5-yard line.
Running back Drevion James capped off the Bearcats' drive with a 5-yard touchdown run, followed by a successful 2-point conversion run in by utility player Carter Lock, extending the Bearcats' lead to 21-0.
The Bearcats defense stepped up again on the next drive as defensive back Hunter Newman intercepted a Trojan pass attempt and returned it to the Trojan 43-yard line.
The Bearcats fumbled the ball on the first play of the next drive, giving the ball back to the Trojans, who would drive the ball 61 yards for their only score of the game on a 24yard touchdown reception, making the score 217.
The Bearcats would pull away even more in the second quarter, where Evans had 2 rushing touchdowns and 2 passing touchdowns, both to Stuckly on 9- and 57-yard strikes, padding Pilot Point’s lead to 48-7 at the half.
The Bearcats would have a final touchdown in the fourth quarter when Wade Eft carried the ball into the end zone from 11 yards out, punctuating the 55-7 win.
Evans would finish the night completing four out of five passes for 114 yards passing, 26 yards rushing and 4 touchdowns, followed by Chumley, who ran for 115 yards and 1 touchdown, while Stuckly led the team in receiving with 2 catches for 66 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Worrell has also made sure to highlight his team’s offensive line in every win, and right guard Julio Almaguer said it means a lot to the front that their coaches are taking notice of their blocking.
“It feels incredible, because in practice, we can see not just the first team, but also the second team, putting in the work,” he said. “… I believe it's all the hard work we put in over the summer running 300s, all the team drills and all the weightlifting. All of it helped us grow as individuals and closer together as a group.”
The Bearcats defense held the Trojans to 134 yards of offense while collecting 3 turnovers, and linebacker Michael Marsh credited the performance to the team’s preparation.
“It comes down to film and paying attention to what our coaches are teaching us,” Marsh said. “Our coaches are putting us in the spots to make the right plays, and it just comes down to executing it on Friday nights, and so far, in all of our wins, we've executed pretty well, and it’s showing up on the scoreboard.”
Despite Pilot Point’s strong start to the season, Worrell emphasized that the Bearcats already have their sights set on their next opponent.
“We're 1-0 in district and that's where everybody wants to be after their first district game,” he said. “We’re 4-1 in the first half of the season, and we were 1-4 at the start of last year, so we've flipped that, and it feels a lot better. Our kids are playing with confidence, but we can't focus too much on the stuff that's happened in the past few weeks. We have to get over that on Monday and focus on our next opponent, and our team has done a good job of that this season.”
Assistant editor Martin Edwards contributed to this report.
