Pine Tree Audio/Video
The Pirates in their home game against the Kilgore Bulldogs on September 27th.
The Pirates’ loss to the Bulldogs, occurring on September 27th, was a double-edged sword for the team, who was previously undefeated. The score, 17-6, disheartened many and demonstrated a temporary destruction of Pine Tree’s dominance in the 4A football scene. Despite this, a minority of the student body welcomed the loss.
The Cutlass is on the minority side. While the loss was devastating to the short term confidence of the athletes, it took a significant amount of pressure off of the stressed team members. This pressure was persistent, unrelenting, and even detrimental to the student-athletes who, at the end of the day, are still young adults conscious of the societal pressure of success in their respective sport.
However, even though the loss was seen as detrimental, in the Cutlass’ opinion, it provided the Pirate football team with the reality check that they needed, helping lead them to their 10-2 record. It provided the team with a learning experience. Coaches reviewed the film from the loss and determined where the players could improve, as seen in their victory at the District level.
To the disappointment of the students, the Pirates sadly lost their Bidistrict game, preventing them from continuing further into the playoffs. The Pirates season was a drastic improvement over the previous years, and it is likely they would not have done so well without the motivation of their loss to Kilgore.
Loss will always occur. While it is not easy to determine how to lose with grace, it is a necessity. Whether it be in UIL Academics, football, or any number of other extracurricular activities, students, who are still developing young adults, must learn to use loss as a point to grow and learn from their mistakes.