LONGVIEW — The Pine Tree Pirates claimed a Class 4A Division I bi-district championship with a hard-fought, down-to-the-wire 35-28 victory Friday over the Bridge City Cardinals at Pirate Stadium.
After Bridge City (8-3) battled back to tie the game at 28-28 late in the third quarter, the Pirates (10-1) engineered a 13-play, 64-yard drive that ate up nearly 8 minutes off the clock to take the lead on a 13-yard pass from sophomore Colton Croft to senior Kalil Deckard on third-and-goal for what proved to be the difference.
The Pine Tree defense made the 35-28 lead stand over the final 7:34 as the Pirates clinched a trip to the area round of the playoffs against Stafford next week. The Spartans defeated Houston Wheatley, 41-0.
Friday’s win also was the Pirates’ 10th of the season, tying a school record for wins in a single season. It is Pine Tree’s first 10-win season since 1976 and the Pirates’ fifth playoff victory in program history.
After Deckard’s go-ahead touchdown, Pine Tree’s defense forced Bridge City into a quick three-and-out and a punt on the ensuing possession. But the Pirate offense went three-and-out in return. Following a short punt and good return, the Cardinals had the ball at the Pirates’ 44-yard line with 4:40 to play, set up in excellent position for the game-tying score.
But on the first play of the drive, Bridge City quarterback Hutch Bearden couldn’t handle the off-target shotgun snap and had to dive on the loose ball for a loss of 12 yards. On the next play, Pine Tree’s Tydaryn Peters came up with a huge sack for a loss of 14 yards. The Cardinals picked up 14 yards on their next play to set up fourth and 22 with the game on the line, and Pine Tree’s defense clinched it as Peters and Ty’leque Bonner combined for a sack to force a turnover on downs.
A 13-yard run by L’Marion Hunter on third-and-6 allowed the Pirates to end the game in victory formation.
Pine Tree’s defense held Bridge City to 43 rushing yards on the night and only 244 yards from scrimmage while the Pirates racked up 438 total yards, led by Hunter’s 128 rushing yards and a score on 21 carries.
The Pirates received stellar outings from standout receivers Jordan Taylor (five receptions for 130 yards and a touchdown) and Deckard (three receptions for 71 yards and two touchdowns).
Pine Tree also had standout performances from a couple of sophomores and recent junior varsity move-ups. Croft, filling in for injured starter Matt Cates, completed 15 of 18 passes for 261 yards with three touchdowns and one interception while sophomore running back Ja’Karius Timmons added 76 rushing yards and a touchdown on seven carries.
The Pirates struck first on a 67-yard touchdown run by Hunter for a 7-0 lead late in the opening quarter.
A few possessions later, the Cardinals missed a 33-yard field goal and, on the next play, Croft lofted a deep pass for Taylor, who made a highlight-reel catch and raced down the sidelines for an 80-yard touchdown and a 14-0 Pirate advantage midway through the second quarter.
Bridge City found itself offensively on the next drive, however, as the Cardinals needed only four plays to cover 57 yards with Ashton Sumrall scoring on a 15-yard run to cut the deficit in half at 14-7 with 5:23 left until halftime.
The Pirates wasted little time to land their next blow when Croft threw a swing pass to Deckard on third and 9, and Deckard took it the distance for a 54-yard score to reinstall a two-score lead at 21-7 with 2:58 remaining in the half.
However, Bridge City’s offense picked up where it left off from its previous drive as the Cardinals moved 65 yards in six plays, culminating with a three-yard Sumrall run to make it a 21-14 game at halftime.
Pine Tree pushed its lead back to 14 on a 36-yard run by Timmons midway through the third quarter. But the Cardinals stormed back on a three-yard touchdown run by Bearden to make it a one-score game at 28-20 after the failed PAT.
The Bridge City defense made its biggest play of the night when Ethan Hernandez came down with an interception off a deflection and returned it 60 yards to give the Cardinals a first and goal at the 10. Three plays later, Bearden scored on a one-yard run and a Bearden pass to Connor Smith on the two-point conversion tied it, setting the stage for the Pirates’ game-winning theatrics down the stretch.
