The Pilot Point Bearcats put their four-game winning streak on the line in a road matchup with the rival Whitesboro Bearcats, with Whitesboro taking this year’s Battle of the Bearcats 34-14 on Oct. 16.
Whitesboro’s defense held Pilot Point to their lowest rushing total of the season of 77 yards, while its offense piled up over 300 yards of total offense and five touchdowns, avenging last season’s 45-20 loss to Pilot Point.
“We made too many mistakes,” said Chad Worrell, Pilot Point athletic director and head football coach. “Whitesboro is a good football team, and they came out like they had lost the week before, and their backs were against the wall. … We thought we had a chance when it was 17-14, but we couldn’t get stops when we needed to in the second half.”
Pilot Point received the opening kickoff and started their first drive from their own 17-yard line but were forced to punt a few plays later.
On the ensuing drive, Whitesboro moved the ball to Pilot Point's 13yard line, where kicker Victor Chavez made a 30yard field goal for the first points of the game, putting Whitesboro up 3-0 midway through the first quarter.
Pilot Point's next possession started on its own 26-yard line and lasted 14 plays but stalled at Whitesboro's 22-yard line with a turnover on downs. Whitesboro took advantage of the turnover on downs and drove down the field and scored the contest’s first touchdown on a 1-yard run by running back Scout Regelean, giving Whitesboro a 10-0 lead in the second quarter.
The teams traded punts for the remainder of the second quarter, with Whitesboro holding its 10-0 at the half.
Whitesboro received the second-half kickoff but was forced to punt after a sack and pass deflection by Pilot Point linebacker Braylon Brake and a first-down-saving tackle by defensive back Hastings Fischer.
Pilot Point would start their possession from their own 49-yard line, and the 51-yard drive was capped off by a 1-yard touchdown run by Fischer to cut the Whitesboro lead 10-7 near the end in the third quarter.
Whitesboro needed just 45 seconds to score on their next possession when quarterback Colt Fagan connected with running back Camron Howard on a 74-yard touchdown pass to extend its lead back to 10 points.
Pilot Point answered right back three plays later when Luke Daniel connected with Fischer on a 60-yard pass play that moved the ball to the Whitesboro 5-yard line, and fullback Blayne Dixon punched it in from there, making it a onescore game at 17-14.
Whitesboro's next possession carried the contest into the fourth_ quarter and was capped off by a 15-yard touchdown run by running back Justin Knight, putting Whitesboro up 24-14.
Whitesboro’s defense would stiffen for the remainder of the contest, forcing Pilot Point to punt twice and collecting an interception, while the offense added 10 more points to seal the win 3414.
Daniel led Pilot Point’s passing attack, completing 10 of 24 attempts for 183 yards, while Pilot Point’s leading rusher Josh Chumley was held to 35 yards on 12 carries on the night.
“We have to get better, clean up those mistakes and come out focused,” Worrell said. “I think it has a lot to with the way you prepare during the week, and now we’re in the same boat [Whitesboro] was in last week. They had lost the first district game, and their backs were against the wall and now we have a must-win coming up in terms of getting into the plays in a good spot, so we need to refocus and take care of business.”
Assistant editor Martin Edwards contributed to this report.
