PILOT POINT BEARCATS
After a big home win over Pottsboro, the 5-1 Pilot Point Bearcats head back on the road in Week 8 to meet 4-2 Whitesboro in the 2026 edition of the Battle of the Bearcats on Friday.
Whitesboro rolls into the matchup looking for their first district win of the season after falling to Dallas Life Oak Cliff Lions, 55-48, in their district opener.
“Whitesboro is a quality and well-coached team,” said Chad Worrell, Pilot Point athletic director and head football coach. “Coach [Cody] Fagan has put together a great staff there, and they’ve built a good program. Those kids play hard, and they have a lot of them back from last year, including his son, [Colt Fagan], who is a three-year starter at quarterback. … It’s a huge challenge, but a fun one going over there to Whitesboro on Friday.”
Despite their loss in Week 7, Whitesboro fields a formidable offense that averages over 400 yards of total offense and 44 points per game through their first six games.
Colt is the straw that stirs the drink in his third season as Whitesboro’s signal caller, accounting for over 1,500 yards of total offense and 21 touchdowns, with only 2 total turnovers in six games.
Wideout Camron Howard, who has 38 catches for 625 yards and 6 touchdowns, operates as Colt’s top target, while running back Justin Knight leads Whitesboro’s ground attack with 540 yards rushing and 6 touchdowns.
“They have a good balance offensively,” Worrell said. “They’re a physical, upfront, running team, and they have running backs that are really capable, but they do a lot of run-pass option plays, and [Colt] does a good job of reading that. This is the second week in a row we’re playing someone with over 1,000 yards passing and 1 interception, which says a lot about how he takes care of the football, and it starts there.”
On the other side of the ball, Whitesboro’s defense has been equally as opportunistic as Pilot Points, racking up 16 sacks and forcing 16 total turnovers this season.
The unit is led by linebacker duo Korbin Ross and Elias Degraffenreed, who have combined for over 100 total tackles, and defensive end Scout Regelean, who leads the team with 5 sacks.
“Defensively, they get after you, and it’s going to be a big challenge for our offense to move the ball consistently," Worrell said.
Energy in Bearcat Stadium may be high when the rivals meet on Friday, but Worrell emphasized that his team is focused on staying grounded and locked in on their season-long goals.
“Whitesboro is a good bunch, and it’s fun when you play games like this, where the kids know each other and the communities have a lot of pride, but at the end of the day, it's just another district game for us,” he said. “We want to 2-0 after Friday night, and we still have a lot of work between now and then to get there.”
The Battle of the Bearcats is set to begin at 7 p.m. Friday at Bearcat Stadium in Whitesboro.
