The Pilot Point Bearcats varsity football team secured their first district win of the 2026 season, defeating the Pottsboro Cardinals 34-6 on Oct. 9.
The Cardinals won last year’s matchup 35-14, but the Bearcats returned the favor this year in convincing fashion, holding Pottsboro to 6 points to earn their fifth win of the season.
“It was a complete team effort,” said Chad Worrell, Pilot Point athletic director and head football coach. "Obviously, our defense stepped up. They played like we knew they were capable of playing all year … and our offense played well. The one negative was the penalties. We had 15 penalties, and I told our kids, ‘A lot of the time you don’t win games with that many penalties,’ but the fact we still won 34-6 says a lot about this team.”
Pottsboro received the opening kickoff but didn’t have the ball long, turning over possession with a fumble five plays later, which was recovered by Pilot Point linebacker Malik Lars, setting the Bearcats’ offense up on the Cardinals' 41-yard line.
The Cardinals’ case of fumbleitis must’ve been contagious because the Bearcats fumbled the ball on the very next snap, giving the back to the Cardinals offense at the Bearcats’ 40-yard line.
On the ensuing drive, Pottsboro drove to Pilot Point’s 13-yard line, but the Bearcats got the ball back when defensive back Collin Grigsby intercepted the ball at the Cardinal's 6-yard line.
This time the Bearcats were able to punch the ball into the end zone in explosive fashion, with a 70-yard rushing touchdown run by running back Josh Chumley, taking a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter after a successful extra point kick by Jarrell Rangel.
The Cardinals answered back on their next drive when quarterback Brayden Sheffield threw a 44-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Levi Hackler, cutting the score to 7-6 after the extra point attempt was blocked.
Those would be Pottsboro’s only points for the night because Pilot Point’s defense kept them out of the end zone for the remainder of the contest.
Meanwhile, Pilot Point’s offense continued to pile on the points, with them capping off their next drive, which lasted 11 plays and ran into the second quarter, with a 1-yard touchdown run by quarterback Luke Daniel.
Daniel then connected with running back Wade Eft for a 2-point conversion, giving the Bearcats a 15-6 lead.
Pilot Point’s opportunistic defense continued to make plays, with Grigsby forcing a fumble from Pottsboro’s punt returner a few plays later.
The Bearcats capitalized right away, with Daniel finding running back Hastings Fischer for a 33-yard touchdown pass, which put the Bearcats up 22-6 at the half.
The two teams traded possessions in the third quarter, with neither finding the end zone, but the Bearcats would add two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, a 44yard touchdown pass to Fischer and a goal line plunge by Chumley, to seal the 34-6 win.
Daniel led Pilot Point’s passing attack, completing 5 passes for 102 yards and 3 total touchdowns, while Chumley led the ground attack with 26 carries for 192 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns.
“We’re not at the spot we want to be, but we’re working well as a team right now,” Daniel said. “We’ve put up a few good performances in back-toback weeks, but we still have a bunch of things we need to work on fundamentally and sharpen up the edges.”
Worrell said the Bearcats are well aware that they hold the keys to the district standings after knocking off last year’s district champion.
“This district is a battle each week,” he said. “The first three weeks especially are a gauntlet for us, and being able to get that first win out of the way and be 1-0 is huge because starting off 0-1 feels like your back is against the wall. It was good to beat a quality program like Pottsboro.”
Assistant Editor Martin Edwards contributed to this report.
