The Pine Tree Pirates returned home last Friday night for their Homecoming matchup against Dallas Carter, determined to grab their first win of the year. Backed by a packed stadium and an energized student section, contributing largely to the home-field advantage, the Pirates delivered, outlasting the Cowboys in a hard-fought and back-and-forth offensive battle and pulling away late with a powerful fourth quarter push to come out with a 46-29 victory.
The first half was a back-and-forth contest, with both teams trading scores. Pine Tree stayed within striking distance even as Carter pieced together strong, run-heavy drives of their own. The defensive front was much improved, not allowing the Cowboys’ star backfield to get too much momentum. However, the offense was slow at times, particularly the rushing attack, but stuck with Carter regardless. The Cowboys closed the half strong, hitting a field goal as time expired to take a narrow 22-21 heading into the locker room. In the past two weeks, the Pirates had not been in anywhere as close as a game and the defense had shown much improvement, even against a similarly methodical offense that had spelled the Pirates doom in both of the Pirates past Friday night matchups.
But coming out of halftime, the Pirates showed that under Coach Bachman they had the ability to flip that script. Rather than slowing down as in weeks prior, the defense tightened up, forcing crucial fourth-down stops, despite their smaller stature, to swing momentum in Pine Tree’s favor and get their consistent and quick-striking offense the ball back effectively. The Pirate secondary came alive behind Rashaad Wofford, who would go on to grab three interceptions in the game, including returning one for six in the fourth quarter to effectively ice the game.
Offensively, the Pirates capitalized on the defensive effort, with the offensive showing record explosiveness and, rather than showing simply flashes of their potential and the passing attack of last year’s 10-2 squad, they poured it on for all four quarters. Quarterback Colton Croft and Bosston Johnson linked up for 3 touchdowns together through the air, with Johnsonn alone having 135 receiving yards and Croft having a career game, with 242 passing yards all told.
Still, Carter continued to battle, pulling within two points midway through the fourth. But the Pirates once again showed their commitment to consistency, closing the game out with yet another quick touchdown on offense and from there on defense, after a series of Carter penalties, Wofford, the junior defensive back, sealed the win with that pick-six that sent the thousands packed into the home side of Pirate Stadium into an absolute frenzy, a welcome feeling to a fanbase that has been somber and reserved the past two weeks.
The 46-29 win marked Pine Tree’s first victory of the season and gave fans plenty to celebrate on Homecoming night. Now sitting at 1-2, the Pirates will look to build on the momentum of their first win as they hit the road this week to face Hallsville to play the annual ‘Gold Bowl’. Hallsville is notoriously a trap opponent and close game for Pine Tree, but if they continue their offensive explosiveness and the defense remains as strong and constant against Carter, the Pirates should handle business. With confidence building and key playmakers stepping up, Pine Tree hopes this victory will be the turning point as the season continues and the Pirates prepare for district play the week after.
