The Pine Tree Pirates returned home to Pirate Stadium Friday night and put together a dominant performance, using a relentless defense and an efficient offense to cruise to a 64-8 victory over the Mabank Panthers in District 9-4A Division I action.
Coming off a tough loss last week at Kilgore, the Pirates were determined not to let a losing streak develop. Pine Tree answered by scoring on seven of their first eight drives, building a commanding lead early and controlling the game from start to finish. The win improves Pine Tree’s overall record to 3-3 and evened their district mark at 1-1. Mabank falls to 2-2 overall and 0-1 in district play.
Quarterback Colton Croft led the offense with a solid performance, completing 13 of 20 passes for 179 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Roger Attaway carried the ball seven times for 68 yards and three touchdowns, while Ja’Karius Timmons added two rushing scores and Calvin Casey contributed one.
The Pirate defense was opportunistic, forcing multiple turnovers. Fumble recoveries came from Aiden Smith, David Lively, and Brayson Woods, while Bosston Johnson and Casey recovered fumbles on kickoffs.
Rashaad Wofford had a standout game in the secondary, intercepting two passes and returning one for an electrifying 81-yard touchdown.
Pine Tree wasted no time, capitalizing early when Smith recovered a Mabank fumble on the Panthers’ second play. The Pirates scored three plays later on a 23-yard run by Attaway, setting the tone for the night. By the end of the first quarter, Pine Tree held a 20-0 lead behind a 40-yard touchdown pass from Croft to Ashton Valentine and a 6-yard touchdown run by Timmons.
The Pirates continued to dominate in the second quarter, with Julian Ibarra adding a 30-yard field goal and Pine Tree scoring on several quick drives. Mabank managed to get on the board with a 7-yard touchdown run and a successful two-point conversion, but a late 4-yard touchdown run by Timmons pushed Pine Tree’s halftime lead to 44-8.
With the running clock in effect for most of the second half, the Pirates added to their lead with a 3-yard touchdown run by Attaway, Wofford’s interception return for a score, and a long 48-yard touchdown run.
Pine Tree now looks ahead to a bye week before traveling to face Henderson on October 17.
With their strong showing against Mabank, the Pirates hope to carry momentum into the rest of the season and build on their successes as district play intensifies.
