Bearcats look to build on momentum
The Pilot Point Bearcats football team reached the playoffs in back-to-back seasons and hopes to build off that momentum for an even better 2026 season.
Dave Campbell’s Texas Football released their predictions for the 2026 season, and the Bearcats are predicted to finish in the middle of the pack in a challenging district, featuring returning district champs Pottsboro and 3A Division II powerhouse Gunter.
“Some of the schools in the district have a lot of kids coming back—Whitesboro and Gunter have a lot, and Pottsboro is always solid,” said Chad Worrell, Pilot Point athletic director and head football coach. “We lost a good group of seniors, and it's going to be hard to replace them, but I think we’ve had a really good spring and summer, and we’re going to have some new kids that are ready to step up.”
The Bearcats finished last season as district runners-up in 3A Division I Region II District 6 and reached the second round of the playoffs, finishing with a 9-3 record.
This year’s road to the playoffs only grows more challenging with the Gunter Tigers making the move to Division I, but Worrell said his team will be ready.
“We have a lot tougher nondistrict schedule than we had last year, and I think that will prepare us a little bit better for our district, and we have one of the toughest districts in the state, in my opinion,” Worrell said. “The Top 5 teams in our district are super talented and are all storied programs with great traditions and good coaching, so it’s going to be a week-to-week battle.”
Last season the Bearcats leaned on their ground game and their defense to put up 47 points per game and hold their opponents under 18 points per game during the regular season.
Worrell said the rushing attack will continue to be a cornerstone of the Bearcats’ offense with the majority of the offensive line and senior running back Josh Chumley, who racked up over 1,100 yards and 18 TDs, returning.
'That's one thing that sticks out is having four of those five linemen back, who got better as the year went on, and they really became a force up front,” he said. “… [Josh] shared t he duties a little bit more last year because we counted on him so much on defense, but he’s going to be more of a focus going into this season.”
Worrell also highlighted the talent from the Bearcats' freshmen and junior varsity teams that moved up to the varsity team and are expected to contribute as soon as possible this season.
“Those guys got some really good experience down there, so we’re expecting them to make the transition from playing Thursday nights to being starters on Friday nights, and some of them are going to grow up in a hurry and do it,” he said. “… We just want to get those guys confident so they can play at a high level and hopefully be ready by the time district rolls around.”
Despite the changes to the district, Worrell said the Bearcats still plan to bring their familiar brand of hard-nosed football.
“We’re always going to try to be the more physical team,” he said. “We design our practices that way, and the kids have done a good job. They play hard, and we have the same goal this year, to get out there and wear people down.”
