Brock avenges Week 5 loss to Pilot Point as Eagles secure trip to state semifinals

The Brock football team felt that it took Pilot Point too lightly the first time the teams met this season.

The Bearcats won the district opener back in Week 5 against the Eagles by six points, but Brock got its revenge, posting a 31-21 win over Pilot Point in a Class 3A Division I quarterfinal on Friday night at Pennington Field.

Brock (12-2) will advance to the semifinals and play No. 7 Pottsboro (14-0). It took the Cardinals two overtimes, but they held off Gladewater 35-34 and will meet the Eagles at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday at the Ford Center in Frisco.

Pilot Point, which had reached the quarterfinals for the first time in 10 years, ends its season at 12-2.

“The tempo and mentality going into the game was different than the first time we played,” said Brock middle linebacker Carson Carter. “We kind of slacked off in pregame and we weren’t really focused. We didn’t take them seriously. This game we were dialed in and we were going to get what’s ours.”

Carter, defensive tackle Max Stava and the rest of the Eagles’ defensive unit was masterful in stymieing the explosive Pilot Point offense led by quarterback Jacob Pitts and running back Javon Bruce.

The Bearcats’ dynamic duo had accounted for over 4,000 yards and 52 touchdowns this season, but the Brock defense held Pilot Point to 63 yards of total offense in the first half. Pitts picked it up after halftime and threw for 205 yards.

The Bearcats rushed 20 times for 30 yards.

“Our whole defense played lights out,” said Brock coach Chad Worrell, who graduated from Pilot Point in 1990 and has strong ties there. “Our secondary covering those guys. I never felt comfortable. They’re super explosive and a super talented bunch.”

The Eagles allowed a first down on Pilot Point’s first play from scrimmage, but didn’t allow another until Brock had built a 17-0 lead.

Brock running back Cash Jones was instrumental in each score, opening with a 32-yard touchdown run to cap the Eagles’ opening drive. The junior carried nine more times setting up a 4-yard Jaxon Gleaton to Nathan Jones TD pass and a 28-yard Tatum Saathoff field goal.

The latter came with 4:33 left in the second quarter.

“I’m just thankful for my coaches and linemen,” said Jones, Brock’s workhorse running back who carried 37 times for 221 yards. “We just wanted revenge. Revenge is nice.”

Trialing 17-0, the Pilot Point offense needed a spark and the Bearcats got it.

Jay Cox returned the ensuing kickoff 79 yards to get the Bearcats on the board. After a Brock punt, two big pass plays set Pilot Point up for another score.

Great catches by Javin Bruce, for 25 yards, and Aydon Cox, for 30 yards down to the Eagles’ 2, set up a 1-yard run by Pitts and Pilot Point closed the gap to 17-14 with 20 seconds left before intermission.

Brock countered in the second half, building a 31-14 lead.

A Pilot Point fumble was recovered by Carter at the Bearcats’ 28. Four plays later, on fourth down, the Eagles ran a perfectly executed flea-flicker that resulted in a 20-yard Gleaton to Jesse Hallmark TD with 6:48 left in the third quarter.

Jones, lined up at quarterback, darted 60 yards on a zone read to set up a 3-yard scoring run by Myles Semas with 5:29 left in the game.

In between, Brock took 7:13 off the second-half clock running 16 plays before losing the ball on downs at the Pilot Point 14, limiting time for a comeback.

Pilot Point made the game interesting with a 14-yard scoring pass from Pitts to Javin Bruce with 4:02 left.

Brock then fumbled the ball back to the Bearcats on its next series, but two costly penalties on Pilot Point led to a game-ending interception by none other than Jones.

“I knew they kept throwing over to that side with eight (Jabari Anderson) and five (Javin Bruce),” said Jones, who is used in spot duty on defense. “They kept throwing the ball up to them and they were catching it a lot. I just cheated over and went and got it.”

Brock has been to the state quarterfinals in all six years since adding UIL football in 2014.

This story was originally published December 7, 2019 at 1:06 AM.