PILOT POINT BEARCATS
After a week off to rest and prepare, the 4-1 Pilot Point Bearcats return to Massey Stadium to test their three-game winning streak against the 4-1 Pottsboro Cardinals on Friday in a matchup that may have major implications for the district seeding.
The Cardinals roll into the district opening contest with a four-game win streak of their own, including wins over Farmersville, Leonard, Callisburg and Bonham.
“They have all of their linemen and some of their skill [position] players back from last year’s district championship and regional final team, so they’re a really good football team,” said Chad Worrell, Pilot Point athletic director and head football coach. “Coach Poe and his team staff have been over there a long time, and they do a great job. … They’ve made strides this season, and they’re back where they were last year.”
The Bearcats’ defense will face a tall task on Friday trying to contain a Cardinals offense that has averaged 48 points per game during their current winning streak, including a 72 showing against Bonham in Week 5.
Quarterback Brayden Sheffield is the straw that stirs the drink for the Cardinals’ offense, tallying 974 yards passing, 241 yards rushing and 17 total touchdowns.
The unit also features running back Brody Burdette, who leads the team with 345 yards rushing and 7 TDs, and top wideout Corbin Robison, who has 23 catches for 367 yards and 6 TDs, through five games.
“We’ve struggled to slow down anyone the last couple of weeks, so that’s what we focused on during our bye week, trying to get our defense back to the level they were playing at earlier in the year,” Worrell said. “We have people in the right places, but we’ve had breakdowns here and there. … We know their kids play extremely hard and have good fundamentals, and they can throw the ball around with the best of them, so we’re going to have focus on getting some stops.”
On the other side of the ball, the Bearcats’ offensive unit has been on a hot streak of its own, averaging 59 points a game in Pilot Point’s last three contests.
The Bearcats will look to do so against a Cardinals defense that has held their opponents to 15 points per game.
Linebacker Michael Ermon and safety Cole Barker spearhead the unit, with the duo combining for 102 total tackles on the season.
Worrell said that the offense will need to keep finding the end zone consistently if the Bearcats hope to avenge last season’s 35-14 road loss to the Cardinals.
“Offensively, we’re going to have to put some points,” he said. “I don’t see this being a 14-7 game. It’s going to be high scoring, so we’re going to have to answer what they do and keep the pressure on them and also get pressure on their quarterback and force stops on defense. … Our offense has been playing really well. We just have to continue to take care of the football and make sure we get our assignments.”
The Bearcats and Cardinals will lock claws at 7 p.m. Friday on G.A. Moore Field at Massey Stadium.
