The Pilot Point Bearcats traveled to Dallas for their final regular season game and steamrolled the Life Oak Lions for a 62-21 victory Nov. 7.
The matchup had no playoff implications, but the Bearcat faithful made the trip and watched their squad pile up over 450 yards of offense and 9 touchdowns.
“I was proud of our efforts,” said Chad Worrell, Pilot Point athletic director and head football coach. “I sound like a broken record, but these kids give great effort every week. We had some officiating calls go against us, but that’s something you have to overcome, and that’s something we talk to our kids about, and we stayed calm, stayed focused and we overcame it, and I was really proud of our entire unit, offensively and defensively.”
The Bearcats received the opening kickoff and started their first drive from their own 19-yard line.
It would only take 4 running plays for them to score on an 81-yard drive capped off by a 24-yard touchdown run by running back Josh Chumley.
After a successful extra point kick by Anthony Torres, the Bearcats led 7-0 early in the first quarter.
Life Oak Cliff would fumble the ensuing kickoff, and the ball was recovered by Bearcat Drevion James, giving Pilot Point the ball on the Lions’ 16-yard line.
Chumley got the ball three times in a row, scoring his second touchdown on a 5-yard touchdown run, putting Pilot Point on top 14-0.
The two teams traded possessions for the remainder of the first quarter until Lions quarterback Sukora “Sip” Cooper Jr. slipped through the Bearcats defense for a 95-yard touchdown run, cutting Pi- lot Point’s lead to 14-7 in the second quarter.
The Bearcats would respond with a 28-yard rushing touchdown of their own, regaining their two-possession lead.
Pilot Point got the ball right back after Torres laid down an onside kick that was recovered by fullback David Pickrel on the Lion’s 30-yard line.
Chumley would need just two plays to find the end zone for a third time, this time from 30 yards out, extending the Bearcats’ lead to 28-7 near the end of the half.
The Lions would answer with a 75-yard, 11-play drive that ended in a touchdown, closing the gap to 28-14 in favor of the Bearcats.
The Bearcats would start their next drive on their own 47yard line after a 37-yard kickoff return by Hunter Newman, and 6 plays later, Chumley scored his fourth touchdown of the game, sending the teams into the half with Pilot Point leading 34-14.
The Bearcats scored the only points of the third quarter when linebacker Jason Rangel recovered a fumble and ran 55 yards for a touchdown, padding the Bearcats’ lead to 41-14 going into the fourth quarter.
Early in the fourth quarter, Fernando Marmolejo capped off a five-play drive with a 24-yard touchdown run.
The Lions would answer on their next drive when Ke’derek Wilson threw for a 78-yard touchdown to Joshua Washington, making the score 48-21.
The Bearcats would add two insurance scores in the fourth quarter with a 34-yard run by Marmolejo and a 15-yard pick-6 by linebacker Carter Lock, sealing the 62-21 victory.
Chumley led the Bearcats’ rushing attack with 121 yards on 14 carries and 4 touchdowns and credited the offense’s performance to the team’s preparation process.
“It was the game plan leading up to it,” he said. “We knew what we had to do and what blocks we needed to make, and our game plan definitely worked out.”
Pilot Point’s defense also played well in the matchup, and defensive lineman Josh Martinez echoed his running back’s sentiments.
“We struggled early on, but we started building on our process, watching film more closely, and improving our stunts, our slants and everything else, and that game was a result of that,” he said.
The win marks the Bearcats’ eighth of the season, which is one of the best records in recent years for Pilot Point football, and safety Ashton Williamson credited the team’s success to the Bearcats playing with a different mentality.
“It’s our confidence level,” he said. “In the past we thought we weren’t big enough for the moment when we needed to get into the end zone, and now our expectations are higher, and when we need to score, we know we can, so it’s a big improvement for us because our confidence determines whether we win games or not.”
Assistant editor Martin Edwards contributed to this report.
