PILOT POINT BEARCATS
The Pilot Point Bearcats football team is set to open the 2026 season at home, facing off against the Peaster Greyhounds on Friday.
After a winless season three years ago, the Bearcats have turned their fortunes around with back-to-back playoff appearances and look to build on their momentum going into Year 3 under athletic director and head football coach, Chad Worrell.
“We have the same four goals: make the playoffs, win the district championship, play on Thanksgiving and win our last game,” Worrell said. 'We had 19 seniors that graduated, a lot of starters on, especially on the defensive side of the ball, so we have a lot of holes to fill, but our goals are no different for this bunch.”
Peaster finished last season with a 13-2 record and rolls into Massey Stadium led by quarterback Luke Gray, who threw for 2,195 yards and 24 TDs, protected by four returning starters on the Greyhounds' offensive line.
Defensively, the Greyhounds also feature linebacker duo Slayte Robertson and Walker Lacy, who combined for 226 tackles and 7 sacks last season.
Two-way standout, running back and linebacker, Josh Chumley returns to headline the Bearcats' offense and defense after rushing for 1,351 yards and 18 TDs and tallying 81 tackles and 14 TFLs.
Chumley and the Bearcats' other offensive pieces will also benefit from an experienced offensive line that returns four of five starters.
“We had a good 7-on-7 season, which translated into throwing the ball a little bit more in the scrimmages than what we’ve been used to, but we’re still going to be a physical team that establishes the run and builds everything off that,” Worrell said. “We’ve had a lot of success, and it's been good to us the first two years, but we want to be more balanced, and if we can do that, it would be a huge advantage for us.”
Worrell also highlighted the Bearcats’ quarterback room, which will be a major key for the team finding offensive balance.
“Three of our quarterbacks have gotten varsity snaps, and all of them played well in the scrimmages, but you only have room for one,' he said. “Luke [Daniel] has gotten the majority of the snaps with the 1s, and he’s throwing the ball well, so he’s going to be our starter going into the season. He’s executed the offense well through the first two weeks, so it's only a matter of getting game experience under his belt.”
Despite the excitement as Pilot Point prepares to kick off Year 3, Worrell emphasized that the Bearcats are taking the season one week at a time.
“Thirty-two years and every team I’ve coached has been different; there’s always going to be something unexpected,” he said. “Whether it’s an injury or a backup that takes over a starting position or a JV kid that really puts on a show and we decide to give them varsity snaps, that's happened every year here. The team as it looks today may be different than what it looks like when we open district in a month and a half, so right now we're just going to focus on Peaster.”
Pilot Point and Peaster will kick off the season at 7 p.m. Friday at G.A. Moore Field at Massey Stadium.
