PILOT POINT BEARCATS
The Pilot Point Bearcats got back in the win column in Week 3 and now prepare for a battle with the Boyd Yellowjackets on Friday.
The Yellowjackets won their season opener over Tolar, 33-26, but will look to get their season back on track in the matchup at Massey Stadium after falling to Jacksboro, 48-24, and Henrietta, 41-26, in back-to-back weeks.
“They’re really explosive offensively,” said Chad Worrell, Pilot Point athletic director and head football coach. “They have the best set of receivers we’ve seen, with good running backs and big linemen. Defensively they bring a lot of pressure and play a lot of man [coverage], similar to what we do, but they load the box more. They like to shoot gaps and stunt linebackers, so they are very aggressive.”
Boyd’s offense is led by signal caller Carson Lambert and his top receivers, Tye Withers, Major Jennings and Layton Wheeler, who have accounted for over half of the Yellowjackets' offensive production.
Worrell said the Bearcats’ defense will need to play a cleaner game if they want to slow down the Yellowjackets' aerial assault, which piled up 425 yards in Week 3.
“They’ve thrown the ball 120 times over the first three games and 53 times in their last game, so we’re probably going to see a high number of passes, and we have to play good assignment football,” he said. “We also need to get a good pass rush and contain their quarterback and make sure we’re communicating well so the whole defense is on the same page.”
Worrell added that Bearcats will also need to be prepared for a high number of plays from Boyd’s high-tempo offense.
“They’re going to try and wear us down by running all those plays, and their offensive linemen don’t play defense, so they’re fresh,” he said. “I expect them to run 60-70 plays, which we’re not used to seeing, so we have to be ready for that scenario as well.”
On the other side of the ball, the Bearcats’ offense will look to keep rolling against a Yellowjacket defense that has given up over 40 points in back-to-back weeks.
Boyd has been especially giving to their opponents' rushing attacks, allowing 250 yards rushing to both Jacksboro and Henrietta.
“They run a gap scheme defensively, so we have to make sure every gap is covered and taken care of,' Worrell said. “We turned some guys loose before, and if we do, it's going to be negative plays against these guys. They have athletes that can make plays so we can’t have any letdowns.”
Worrell added that the Bearcats and Yellowjackets have a long history of tough games against each other on the gridiron and said he expects this year’s contest to be more of the same.
'I told our guys about the big games between Pilot Point and Boyd in the 80s and 90s, but I’m also familiar with them because they were in our district when I was at Brock, so I know their kids are going to play hard,” he said. “Boyd’s teams are full of hard-nosed kids that can run, and this year is no exception. … It's going to be a battle.”
Pilot Point and Boyd are set to get things underway at 7 p.m. Friday at G.A. Moore Field at Massey Stadium in Pilot Point.
