Pilot Point Bearcat Football     |     home
2006

2006 Bearcats
NO
BEARCAT
POSITION
HT
WT
CLASS
1
Stuart Tilley
RB/DB
5'5"
155
Jr.
3
Brandon Paige
WB/DB
6'1"
157
Jr.
5
Marcos Tavera
K
5'4"
125
Jr.
7
Arthur Buckingham
QB/DB
6'1"
171
Sr.
10
Adam McBride
WR/DB
5'9"
149
Sr.
11
Ricky Loftis
WR/OSLB
6'0'
166
Sr.
14
Ethan Stuckly
QB/WR/DB
5'10"
165
Jr.
18
Michael Hobbs
WR/DB
5'10"
172
Jr.
19
Karl Anderson
RB/LB
5'7"
163
Soph.
20
Johnny Galan
RB/OSLB
5'9"
160
Jr.
21
Jocsan Landeverde
WR/OSLB
5'8"
167
Jr.
22
Cooper Guthrie
RB/OSLB
5"10"
169
Soph.
24
Michael Yarnall
RB/OSLB
5'8"
173
Sr.
30
Wes Ford
RB/LB
5'7"
160
Jr.
40
Justin Miller
TE/OSLB
5'9"
155
Sr.
46
Ryan Riley
RB/OSLB
5'8"
160
Sr.
47
George Palamo
WR/OSLB
5'7"
156
Sr.
50
Shawn Randall
OL/DL
5'11"
203
Sr.
51
Monty Chambers
OL/DL
5'9"
201
Sr.
52
Blake Welch
OL/DL
6'0"
204
Sr.
53
Wes Southard
OL/DL
5'11'
193
SR.
54
Jesse Montelongo
OL/DL
5'6"
180
Jr.
57
Colt Walker
OL/DL
5'10"
206
Jr.
66
Luis Juarez
OL/DL
5'7"
202
Jr.
68
Sam Duesman
OL/DL
6'0"
183
Soph.
69
Melvin Harris
OL/DL
5'9"
216
Jr.
75
Seth Mize
Ol/DL
5'8'
250
Soph.
79
Joe Vine
OL/DL
5'8"
320
Sr.
80
Jacob Petrea
TE/LB
5'9"
185
Soph.
86
Justin Brown
TE/DL
6'2"
250
Jr.
88
Dusty Summerville
TE/DL
5'10"
188
Jr.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
2006
VARSITY
Click on opponent for stats, pictures and game summary

DATE
OPPONENT
LOCATION
TIME
RESULTS
OUR SCORE
THEIR SCORE
9-1
HOME
7:30 PM
WIN
12
0
9-8
HOME
HOMECOMING
7:30 PM
Lose
20
21
9-15
OPEN
9-22
AWAY
7:30 PM
Lose
6
14
9-29
AWAY
DISTRICT
7:30 PM
Win
25
21
10-6
HOME
DISTRICT
7:30 PM
Win
7
0
10-13
AWAY
DISTRICT
7:30 PM
Lose
6
51
10-20
HOME
DISTRICT
7:30 PM
Lose
20
21
10-27
AWAY
DISTRICT
7:30 PM
Win
27
7
11-3
HOME
DISTRICT
7:30 PM
Win
39
26
11-9
AWAY
DISTRICT
7:30 PM
Win
34
0
11-17
GREENVILLE
BI-DISTRICT
7:30 PM
Win
14
13
11-25
DENTON
AREA
1:00 PM
Win
35
3
12-1
MESQUITE
REGIONAL
7:30 PM
Lose
7
28

2006
Coaching Staff
2006
Cheerleaders

Front Row (L to R): Tori Kuhn & Kelsey Ready
Middle Row: Chanie Guhr, Niki Woods & Katelyn DeJernett
Back Row: Jordan Sanders, Misty Hardin, Taryn Stinson, Sessica Hammons & Cheyenne Brooks


Cats finish their best Class 3A season

By Richard Greene
Assistant Editor
The Pilot Point Bearcats’ playoff run and season came to an end Friday night with the 28-7 loss to the Brownsboro Bears.
The loss did not dampen the Bearcats’ break-through season. Pilot Point (8-5) reached the third round of the playoffs for the first time since 2000 and the first time as a Class 3A school.
“What the kids did this season, getting to the third round of the playoffs for the first time as a 3A school is unbelieveable,” said Pilot Point coach Blake Feldt, who finished his second season on the Bearcats’ sideline. “I’m so proud of them for how much better we’ve gotten over the year.”
The Bearcats overcame a 1-2 start to the season and a 2-2 start in District 9-3A play, winning their final three league games to make the playoffs. Pilot Point beat favored Emory Rains in bi-district play, then blew out Lake Worth, which had beaten the Bearcats at homecoming in September.
Feldt credits the turnaround and late-season surge to the work of his 10 seniors.
“It’s a unbelieveable group of guys,” Feldt said. “I can’t tell you what a joy it is to coach and work with them. Their dedication and work ethic has been excellent.”
The seniors also earned the respect of their underclassmen teammates, who thanked them for their work after Friday’s loss.
“I’m going to miss this group of seniors,” said junior wide receiver and safety Ethan Stuckly. “They are a great group of guys.”
With the graduating seniors, the Pilot Point offense loses experienced three-year starting quarterback Arthur Buckingham, the school record-setting wide receiver Adam McBride, linemen Blake Welch, Monty Chambers, Wes Southard and Shawn Randall. The defense will lose linebackers Michael Yarnall and Ricky Loftis and defensive tackle Joe Vine. The secondary will lose Buckingham and McBride.
Feldt said the seniors will be tough to replace. The Bearcats will be looking to several freshmen that will be sophomores next year to fill holes.
“Next year we will be very young,” Feldt said. “We could have 12 to 13 sophomores on varsity.
Pilot Point will return several key starters, including 1,000-yard rusher tailback Cooper Guthrie and tight end Justin Brown on offense.
The defense returns linebacker Karl Anderson, who led the team in tackles, and defensive backs Michael Hobbs and Ethan Stuckly.
“We have a lot of talent coming back,” said Stuckly.
He played significant time at quarterback this season.


Cats, Chaps prepare for region semifinals

By Richard Greene
Assistant Editor
Following Saturday’s 35-3 dismantling of the Lake Worth Bullfrogs, Pilot Point coach Blake Feldt could only point to two missed opportunities to blow the game open in the first quarter as the game’s only miscues.
“We had the opportunity to get out in the first quarter 28-0,” Feldt said after the game.
Putting the lopsided area-round win behind them, the Bearcats (8-4) now look to keep the momentum rolling against the District 14-3A champions, the Brownsboro Bears. The Bearcats will take on the Bears (9-3) Friday night at 7:30 p.m. at Mesquite’s Hanby Stadium in the Class 3A Division II Region II Semifinals.
The Bearcats may need another nearly flawless performance to stay with Brownsboro, who rolls in after a 44-7 win over Kaufman and a 41-29 victory against Atlanta. The Bears have won four straight games and topped 40 points in each of the wins.
“They are by far the second best team that we’ve played,” Feldt said. “They have great speed and size.”
The Brownsboro offense is explosive, led by the speedy Ricco Richards. Richards had 290 all-purpose yards last week in the win over Atlanta. He had touchdown runs of 31, 46 and 79 yards. He also had touchdown receptions of 36 and 84 yards.
“Richards is the fastest tailback we’ve seen,” Feldt said. “He had two scores of more than 80 yards against Atlanta. To do that against a team like Atlanta says everything.”
Richards runs behind 6'5", 315-pound guard Lonnie Edwards, who has committed to Baylor.
“He’s a true Division I player,” Feldt said about Edwards. “He anchors a big strong offensive line.”
The Bears have been lethal also in the passing game with quarterback Jordan Magee and receiver Logan Bryan. Magee passed for 264 yards against Atlanta. Bryan had 134 yards on seven receptions.
“Bryan is the best receiver we’ve seen,” Feldt said. “[Magee] is a good operater with good speed. He runs and throws well.”
The Aubrey Chaparrals will venture into uncharted territory for the program Friday night, playing their first game in December.
The Chaparrals, who won their first area title last week with a 48-26 victory over Honey Grove, will play District 10-2A champion Cisco on Friday in the Class 2A Division II Region II Semifinal at Pennington Field in Bedford.
While the Chaparrals are in their longest playoff run in school history, Aubrey coach Daryl Hellman still believes his team can play at a higher level.
“I feel we’re playing well, but I’m not sure if we’ve played our best,” Hellman said. “I think we can still get better.”
The Chaparrals will likely need a strong game out of backs Austin Griffin and GarrettSchoenky to keep the explosive Cisco offense off the field. Cisco beat Olney 48-0 to open the playoffs and is coming off a 31-29 victory over Lone Oak last week. Cisco also put up 39 points in district play against a tough Paradise defense.
“We have to run the ball, get first downs and chew up clock because their offense is so explosive,” Hellman said.
Cisco is led by quarterback Jacob West, who transferred from Gainesville. West led the Leopards to the Class 3A Division I state title game last year. At Cisco, he’s made plays with his legs and arm. Last week in the win over Lone Oak, West ran for 165 yards and two scores. West was also 12-for-17 through the air for 138 yards and two touchdowns.





McBride plays bigger than his size

By Richard Greene
Assistant Editor
In the Pilot Point Bearcats program, Adam McBride is listed at 5-6, 149
pounds.
He wishes the makers of the program would have helped him out a little.
I may be a little taller than 5-6, McBride said. I wanted them to make
look a little taller.
The senior receiver may be short in stature, but his ability to plays has
been huge for the Bearcats this season. McBride heads into the Bearcats
Class 3A Division II Region II playoff game with Lake Worth as the holder of
the school record for receptions in a season. He has 39 receptions for 519
yards and three touchdowns this year. He broke David Carroll's record of 36
receptions set in 1978.
McBride's production at receiver is nothing new for the Bearcats. He's been
a fixture in the passing for Pilot Point since transferring from Lee's
Summit, Mo. before his sophomore season. Over the past three seasons, he's
caught 74 passes for 875 yards.
Pilot Point coach Blake Feldt said he's not surprised by McBride's success
and his reliable contributions to the Bearcats passing game.
Adam's one of those truly special guys that you want to have on your team,
Feldt said. He works so hard and wants to be good. He's not real fast, but
he's lightning quick. He also understands defenses, coverages and how to run
routes.
McBride never lets his lack of size ever stop him on the field. It motivates
him more to make plays, just as it does on the basketball court where he is
an all-district point guard.
I look to it as a challenge, McBride said. I've been short all my life
and I've always been told I was too little. I use that to motivate me and to
try to prove everyone wrong.
Knowing he does not have the size jump over defenders or beat them with
strength, McBride said he tries to outwork and outsmart them. He's spent
what has accumulated into hours playing catch with quarterback Arthur
Buckingham to get on the same page.
Arthur and I have worked a lot together, McBride said. This is our third
year together. We know what the other person is going to do.
At times, McBride says his smallish stature helps him on the field, making
him more elusive and harder to cover.
Sometimes being smaller works to my advantage, McBride said. I'm able to
get into the flats and that¹s the hardest spot on the field to cover. The
coaches do a good job of taking advantage of my strengths. We¹re running a
lot stop routes that are tough to cover.
Along with his contributions at wide receiver, McBride has been a key
contributor on defense and special teams. Over the past three seasons, he's
been one of the Bearcats leaders in interceptions. As a punt returner, he's
been invaluable fielding punts and helping in the battle for field position.
He's made good decisions on punts all year, Feldt said.
No matter where it is on the field, McBride relishes the opportunity make
big plays for the Bearcats.
I like being in the position of when we need a play, the team can look to
me, McBride said.

Cats hope to stop Rains

By Richard Greene
Assistant Editor
After battling through the 10-game regular season, the Pilot Point Bearcats enter the playoffs Friday night playing their most consistent football of the season.
The Bearcats (6-4), who have won three straight games, open the playoffs Friday night in Greenville against District 10-3A runnersup, the Emory Rains Wildcats. The two will meet in the Class 3A Division II Region II bi-district championship at 7:30 p.m.
In guiding the Bearcats back to the playoffs for the second time in his two seasons in Pilot Point, coach Blake Feldt said the team enters the postseason playing its best football.
“There’s no doubt we are playing better,” Feldt said. “We looked at film from the first of the year and it’s easy to see. We’re playing our best football. It’s not even close.”
A Pilot Point offense that muddled through the first seven games has come to life. The Bearcats’ offense has scored 13 touchdowns in the past three games with special teams and the defense each chipping in one. Last week in a 34-0 victory over Frisco Wakeland, Pilot Point rolled up 398 yards.
The defense held Wakeland to just 132 yards, posting its third shutout of the year.
The Bearcats expect a much more difficult task Friday against Rains, the runner-up in District 10-3A. Led by quarterback Aaron Potts, Rains averages 26 points per game with its option attack. Rains lost its district-title tilt to Royse City last week 38-28. Royse City scored a pair of touchdowns late to get the win. Potts had 182 yards rushing in the loss.
Feldt said Rains, which was an area finalist last year, is a tough and dangerous team.
“They are a tough, physical team that will get after you,” Feldt said. “It’s just a tough, hard-nosed football team. They are going to run the dive option and we have to be ready to stop it.
“[Potts] is tall and lanky with very good speed. He does a good job of running their offense. He’s the key guy. We have to stop him.”
Senior defensive end Monty Chambers said the defensive line will have to play strong against Rains.
“This is one of the biggest challenges we’ve had,” Chambers said. “We’ve got to play strong.”
Feldt said he is worried about Rains being able to drain the clock.
draining offense.
“Anytime you get a team like them it’s a concern in close games because of their ability to melt the clock,” Feldt said. “You start feeling the pressure when you get the ball that you have to do something. You worry about the number of opportunities you have to score.”
Game heads to TV

By Richard Greene
Assistant Editor
The annual Pilot Point-Celina football game provides the ideal plot for a small screen production.
This year, that’s exactly where it will be. Friday’s showdown in Celina between the two District 9-3A rivals will be shown Saturday at 3 p.m. on KTXA 21 in tape delay.
The game is one of 16 games that Jeff Watts Productions is televising this fall. It is the first between Class 3A schools.
“I always wanted to put a small school matchup on television,” said Jeff Watts, the executive producer of the telecast. “It’s one of those historical matchups.”
University Interscholastic League rules allow games played on Friday nights to be broadcast by tape delay. Live broadcasts of Friday night games are prohibited.
“With it being on 3 p.m. Saturday, it gives the kids a chance to see themselves on TV,” Watts said.
The game will be available throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth television market. Doug Anderson and LaDarrin McLane, a former University of North Texas quarterback and wide receiver, will call the game.
Jeff Watts Production also will do a live broadcast of its traveling scoreboard show, The High School Edge, from Celina’s Bobcat Stadium at midnight Friday. The High School Edge Road Tour will be at the game, providing giveaways for fans.
Celina head coach Butch Ford was the first to be approached about the Celina-Pilot Point game being televised.
“They called us back before two-a-days and said they wanted to do a game-of-the-week and wanted to do the Pilot Point game,” Ford said. “I told them we needed to check with Pilot Point, and coach [Blake] Feldt okayed it.”
Feldt, who played college football at Texas Tech and coached in colleges for several years, said the broadcast will be a great opportunity for the players to get noticed.
“It’ll be fun,” Feldt said. “Obviously I’ve done that before, but the kids haven’t. It adds some excitement to the game. They are excited.
“It shouldn’t be a distraction. Once you start playing, you just play. Whether it’s in front of 1,000 or 80,000, once you get in the flow of the game, you just play.”
Pilot Point linebacker Michael Yarnall said he and his teammates are ready for their television debut.
“It’s something different, especially for Pilot Point,” Yarnall said. “There’s already a lot of hype playing Celina. This is going to be crazy.”
Yarnall, a senior, said he doesn’t have anything special planned for the cameras.
“I may have to do a Ray Lewis dance or something,” Yarnall said.

Pilot Point running back Stuart Tilley and the Bearcats will be trying to snap a seven-game losing streak against Celina Friday.

Cats try to stay on right path

By Richard Greene
Assistant Editor
A few days after the Pilot Point Bearcats took a major first step forward in the District 9-3A race with their come-from-behind 25-21 win over Bonham, coach Blake Feldt delivered a warning to his team.
“We took a huge step forward,” Feldt said. “But in district play, if you stub your toe after taking a big step forward you take two big steps back.”
The Bearcats (2-2, 1-0) will try to avoid a slip-up Friday against the winless Van Alstyne Panthers at Massey Stadium at 7:30 p.m.
Pilot Point is coming off an emotional win on the road against the team picked to be in contention for one of the three playoff spots out of District 9-3A. The Bearcats rallied from a pair of deficits in the win, including putting together the game-winning drive in the final five minutes.
Feldt said it was a great emotional lift for the team after the tight losses to Lake Worth and Paradise in non-district play.
“That was huge for our football team,” Feldt said. “We beat a quality team on the road at their place. That was a huge step forward for our football team.”
Feldt and his coaching staff have been trying all week to guard against a letdown after the big win. He said it hasn’t been a problem during practice, but he is more worried about the team’s energy level for Friday.
“We have to come out and play with energy, excitement and be ready to play a tough game,” Feldt said. “If we come out flat, anyone can beat us. We’re not good enough to beat anyone just by our arrival.”
Van Alstyne dropped its district opener last week to Frisco Wakeland 13-6. The game was Wakeland’s first district game in school history. The loss was Van Alstyne’s fourth of the season. The Panthers also lost to Paradise, Gunter and Sanger.
While winless, the Panthers have proved to potent offensive team at times. Van Alstyne piled up 35 points in a 49-35 loss to Sanger.
“Van Alstyne is a dangerous football team,” Feldt said. “Offensively they do a great job. They spread you out and throw the ball well.”
Quarterback Taylor Penn runs the Van Alstyne spread attack. Penn threw for more than 300 yards against Sanger. He struggled last week against Wakeland, completing only three of his 18 attempts with a pair of interceptions.
Chuck Hardwick is Van Alstyne’s top receiver.
“He’s a good player,” Feldt said. “He’s athletic with a lot of speed.”
The Bearcats’ passing game showed improvement last week in the win against Bonham. After completing two of 15 attempts against Paradise the week before, the Bearcats connected with 12 of their 13 pass attempts. Arthur Buckingham was 10-for-11 for 123 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Ethan Stuckly was 2-for-2 with 48 yards.
Feldt said he plans to play both quarterbacks the rest of the season.
“We’ll use both quarterbacks,” Feldt said. “Arthur’s going to start. He’s done a great job for us and will continue. Ethan is going to get some snaps. How many is undetermined.”
In the game-winning drive, Stuckly played quarterback and Buckingham moved out to wide receiver. Buckingham made a critical catch to set up the Bearcats’ go-ahead touchdown.
“That gives us an extra edge with Arthur at wide receiver,” Feldt said. “There’s not anyone that understands our offense better than Arthur.”

Cats get time off after loss


By Richard Greene
Assistant Editor
The Pilot Point Bearcats had a full week to let their frustrations seeth over the last-minute loss to Lake Worth last Friday night.
The Bearcats practiced throughout the week of their only open date of the season. The Bearcats will get back in action Sept. 22, travelling to Paradise to square off against the Panthers. Pilot Point coach Blake Feldt said it’s a long wait to get the sour taste of the 21-20 loss to Lake Worth out of their mouths.
“That’s the bad thing about the bye week this week,” Feldt said. “You’d love to play Friday, get a win and get over it. But that’s not the case. I told the boys that we played a good football team Friday. We felt like we played good enough to win. We just have to move on and get over it.”
The open date will allow the Bearcats a chance to try to iron out the mistakes that plagued them in the first two games – mainly the untimely penalties and turnovers.
In the one-point loss to Lake Worth, the Bearcats suffered two turnovers — a fumble and an interception — that gave the Bullfrogs possession inside the Pilot Point 10-yard line. Both times Lake Worth scored touchdowns.
The Bearcats also had three untimely penalties that kept the team from picking up first downs and melting the clock.
On a third-and-four with less than 90 seconds left in the first half, Pilot Point was whistled for a false start. After being backed up five yards, the Bearcats were stopped and forced to punt. Lake Worth then marched 49 yards in 58 seconds to score with 12 seconds left in the half.
With two minutes left in the game, Pilot Point had a chance to run out the clock, but was called for two penalties. As Pilot Point tried to convert a third-and-16, Lake Worth intercepted a pass from Pilot Point quarterback Arthur Buckingham with 1:05 left. The interception set up Lake Worth’s game-winning touchdown.
“The No. 1 thing we have to do is cut out the big mistakes that we’re making,” Feldt said. “When we’re making mistakes they are huge mistakes. There’s never a good time for a mistake, but it seems we’re always picking the worst.”
Feldt is not anticipating any personnel changes during the off week.
“I think we’re fine in that regard,” Feldt said.
The Bearcats did start planning for the Paradise game on Sept. 22. The game will be the Bearcats’ final non-district game before beginning District 9-3A play Sept. 29 at Bonham.
The Bearcats also used the open date to get a few players healthy after suffering minor injuries over the first two weeks. Wide receiver Adam McBride and linebacker/fullback Michael Yarnall both were nicked up in the game against Lake Worth. They are both expected back for the Paradise game.
“We’ve got guys with a few bumps and bruises,” Feldt said. “We need to get those guys well.”

Cats eye better start

By Richard Greene
Assistant Editor
The opening moments of the Pilot Point Bearcats’ 2005 season are a time Pilot Point coach Blake Feldt would like to forget.
Feldt watched on the sidelines as St. Mark’s Lions rolled out to a 30-0 first half lead en route to a 43-20 win over the Bearcats at Massey Stadium.
“It was about as bad as you possibly could dream of,” Feldt said. “In my 21 years of coaching, that was the worst opening game I’ve been a part of. It was a bad way to start.”
The Bearcats will be hoping for a far different opening night Friday when St. Mark’s will again begin the season with a contest at Massey Stadium. The Bearcats and Lions are set to kick off at 7:30 p.m.
After nearly a month of practice and two scrimmages, Feldt said the team is ready for the opener, which he fully anticipates being better this year.
“We’re excited about seeing the kids play,” Feldt said. “We think we have a good game plan. I assure you, it will be a better start than last year.”
Pilot Point will once again face a talent-laden lineup from St. Mark’s, which played in the SPC Division I title game last year. Highlighting St. Mark’s talented lineup is tight end/defensive end Sam Acho. The 6-2, 240-pound Acho committed to the University of Texas this week to play defensive end.
“He’s a big, strong kid with tremendous athletic ability,” Feldt said. “He just got offered a scholarship to the University of Texas, which are the national champions. The national champions don’t recruit bad football players.”
Getting the assignment of blocking Acho for some of the night will be tight end Justin Brown. Brown will be making his debut at tight end. He will get some help from tackles Colt Walker and Blake Welch.
“Hopefully we’ve got a handle on where he is going to be,” Feldt said. “We’re going to run at him and away from him. We feel like we have some stuff to run at him that will be successful. He’s obviously, though, going to be a major factor.”
Acho is expected to be a factor on the offensive side of the football at tight end.
St. Mark’s will be debuting a new quarterback. The Lions do return a running threat in Nigel White. White ran for 723 yards and nine touchdowns last season.
The Bearcats defense played solidly last week in its scrimmage against Liberty Christian. Feldt said he was encouraged by the unit’s progress after a shaky first scrimmage against Gunter.
“We did better, but we still have a long ways to go,” Feldt said.
Friday’s game will be the varsity debut for several Bearcats.



Cats’ offense shines in scrimmage

By Richard Greene
Assistant Editor
Pilot Point’s offense continued its impressive preseason showing Saturday in the opening scrimmage against Gunter.
Led by the running of Cooper Guthrie and the passing of quarterbacks Arthur Buckingham and Ethan Stuckly, the Bearcats outscored Gunter 5-2 in the scrimmage.
“Offensively, we looked good,” said Pilot Point coach Blake Feldt. “We’ve still got a long ways to go and a few things to tweak.”
Guthrie scored two touchdowns on runs of 12 and 1 yards. He finished with 83 yards on 10 carries, including a 40-yard run to set up a touchdown on Pilot Point’s opening series.
Tailback Ryan Riley added 55 yards on seven carries behind the Bearcats’ offensive line, which controlled the line of scrimmage throughout.
“The offensive line, I’m proud of them,” Feldt said. “Those guys have gotten a lot better. We still need to get better, but for the first scrimmage, they did a good job.”
The Bearcats’ passing game looked in midseason form behind Buckingham and Stuckly. Buckingham completed eight of his 14 attempts for 128 yards, a touchdown and one interception. Stuckly went 6-for-8 for 114 yards and two touchdowns.
“We’ve been working so hard, and they’ve done a good job,” Feldt said of the passing game.
Senior wide receiver Adam McBride caught five passes for 75 yards, including a 32-yard catch after Buckingham scrambled out of trouble. The play set up a 12-yard scamper to the end zone by Guthrie.
“[The scrimmage] was real good offensively,” McBride said. “Arthur and I work real hard on the passing game so it will be automatic.
“This was real good. We’re tired of hitting our own players, and it was good to get into some game situations against someone else. It should help us and tell us what we need to do to get better.”
In running the second-team offense, Stuckly hit Ricky Loftis with a 9-yard touchdown pass. Loftis caught three passes for 27 yards, following last week’s intersquad game with another impressive preseason effort.
“Loftis is doing a great job,” Feldt said. “He has really come on offensively.
“At wide receiver, we still don’t have a lot of depth, but we have some good players that are making plays.”
In his final series under center, Stuckly connected with Michael Hobbs for a 70-yard touchdown.
The Bearcats’ defense remained under scrutiny during the scrimmage. The unit forced four turnovers, including one that was recovered in the end zone on Gunter’s first offensive possession. But the defense allowed Gunter’s first unit to move the ball freely into scoring position. Gunter scored on its final two offensive series.
“I’m concerned with how we’re playing defensively,” Feldt said. “We’ve got a long ways to go defensively.”
Cats get offensive in scrimmage

By Richard Greene
Assistant Editor
The Pilot Point Bearcats’ new-look offense put its explosiveness on display Wednesday night, but left the team with questions on defense during an intersquad scrimmage at Massey Stadium.
The Bearcats’ offense owned the scrimmage, putting the ball in the end zone four times in the 81 plays.
“I thought we did a lot of good things offensively,” said Pilot Point coach Blake Feldt. “Arthur [Buckingham] had a great scrimmage. Ethan Stuckly looked good. Cooper Guthrie did a great job running the football.”
Two of the scores came in the final 13-play session on passes by the senior quarterback Buckingham, while the Bearcats were in a four-wide, spread formation. Buckingham finished 19-of-28 for 254 yards with the two touchdowns and three interceptions.
His backup, Stuckly, was 7-of-8 for 104 yards and a touchdown. Stuckly also caught seven passes for 84 yards.
Senior Adam McBride hauled six passes for 69 yards and two scores. Ricky Loftis was the Bearcats’ leading receiver, bringing in five passes for 120 yards and a score. He also made a nice one-handed catch in traffic.
“Ricky Loftis is a good football player,” Feldt said. “Last year, he did a great job on defense for us. We’re expecting big things from him.”
For most of the scrimmage, the Bearcats featured the power-I formation with sophomore tailback Cooper Guthrie carrying the load. Guthrie ran for 129 yards on 20 carries.
“It went all right for the first scrimmage,” said Guthrie. “I thought we did very well offensively. I needed the work big time.”
Feldt was impressed by what he saw from Guthrie.
“Cooper is going to be a great tailback,” Feldt said. “There were a number of reasons why we made the move offensively. He obviously was one of the individuals we thought about.”
Guthrie’s backup Stuart Tilley also made some nice runs. Tilley ran for 39 yards on 12 carries.
“Tilley is very good when he gets out there,” Guthrie said. “He runs the ball hard.”
While Feldt and his coaching staff were impressed with the offensive work, they were concerned with the defensive effort. The defense forced four turnovers, but overall let the offense dictate the scrimmage.
“I’m not happy with the defense,” Feldt said. “Right now, we’re way too passive. We have a long ways to go defensively, but it’s August.”
Tilley provided two of the defensive highlights picking off a pair of passes, including one near the goal line. Monty Chambers, Jesse Montelongo, Karl Anderson and McBride provided some big hits.
Feldt said he will be looking for much more intensity Saturday against Gunter, which may be addressed by some position changes.
“We may have to look at moving people,” Feldt said. “We have to find people that will get after it.”
The Bearcats’ scrimmage with Gunter Saturday will begin with the freshmen at 9 a.m. The varsity will be on the field at approximately 11 a.m.
The Bearcats’ final tuneup before the regular season opener Sept. 1 against St. Mark’s will be Thursday against Argyle Liberty Christian at Massey Stadium.
Bearcats make offensive switch

By Richard Greene
Assistant Editor
Upon returning to the field Monday, the Pilot Point Bearcats quickly put
last year's spread offense on the shelf to get to work on their new offense.
The Bearcats are switching from the spread to the power I.
The Bearcats delved immediately into working on the new scheme in
preparation for its first scrimmage Aug. 19 at Massey Stadium against
Gunter. Pilot Point will open the season at home against St. Mark's Sept. 1.
Pilot Point coach Blake Feldt said the change in the offensive formation is
based on the team's different personnel from last year.
"The I suits our personnel better especially with the numbers of receiver
we have," Feldt said. "We have a couple good receivers. Adam McBride is as
good as anyone. But we have a number of guys that are back type guys. The I
also better suits all of our quarterbacks, including Arthur [Buckingham]."
Along with fitting the personnel, the new scheme will allow the Bearcats to
take advantage of its overall team speed, according to Feldt.
"Our overall team speed is good," Feldt said. "We don't have anyone with
great speed, but our overall when you consider all 11 players on the field
we have decent team speed."
The change will allow the team's leading returning rusher and passer,
Buckingham to make more play on the ground. He ran for 315 yards last year,
while throwing for 1,539 yards, which is the second best total in school
history.
"[Arthur] is going to run the ball a lot more," Feldt said.
Buckingham is excited about the change that will have him rolling out more
and design more runs for him.
"I've always been more of a runner than a passer," Buckingham said. "This
is better for me. If nothing is there, I can take off running.
"This fits our personnel. We've got some good running backs this year.
It'll also help me out by keeping the defense in tight."
Along with the Buckingham, senior caption and center Monty Chambers also
welcomes the change to the I.
"Every since I was little, we've been a running team," Chambers said. "The
gets us back to our roots. With the ball is on the ground, we can run the
ball down people's throats."
Feldt, who brought in the spread last year in his first season, said he is
no stranger to the I.
"This is my 21st year to coach and I've been running the I most of those
years," Feldt said. "I've only been in the spread for three years at SMU,
three years at Breckenridge and one year here."
While the Bearcats' base offense will be the I, the Bearcats will not
abandon all of their four-wide sets.
"We're going to be predominantly an I team, but we're still going to get in
four-wide some," Feldt said. "You can say we're a multiple football team."
One the first day, the Bearcats had 96 players our for practice. Feldt was
impressed how things went overall on the first day.
"We had a great first day," Feldt said. "I was pleased with their retention
from last year. We did a real good job in the offensive section."

Countdown to season starts for Cats

By Richard Greene
Assistant Editor
The countdown is on to the Pilot Point Bearcats' season opener.
The Bearcats will be on the field at 7:40 a.m. Monday for their first
workout of the season on the Pilot Point High School practice field.
Monday's a day, Blake Feldt, who is starting his second season on the
Bearcats' sidelines is anxiously anticipating. Pilot Point went 6-5 under
Feldt last season, making a trip to the playoffs.
"We're ready and excited about getting the year started," Feldt said. "The
kids have done a great job in the summer program and I'm real pleased with
the progress we've made since the end of last season."
The start of practice for the Bearcats will be quite different this year.
Last year, the Bearcats with Feldt and his staff just arriving on the job
had to run through a crash course of learning a new offense and defense.
The Bearcats are also not coming off a turbulent spring filled with
coaching changes and the program eventually landing on probation.
"It's like night and day," Feldt said. "Last year, I was just getting in
here in the midst of a tremendous amount of controversy. There were so many
fires to put out. This year, that's all water under the bridge. This year
the total focus can be the football team.
"We're also not putting in a whole new offense and defense. The kids are
now comfortable with us and the program."
Not everything will be the same as last year for the Bearcats, who will be
breaking in new personnel on both sides of the ball and also making scheme
changes.
"We have some question marks," Feldt said. "But we also have some area that
we are strong at."
On offense, the Bearcats return senior quarterback Arthur Buckingham, who
threw for 1,539 yards and 14 touchdowns last year in the spread offense.
Around him, the Bearcats lost their top two rushers and top receiver from
last year.
To capitalize on Buckingham's strengths and the other new personnel, the
Bearcats will be changing the offense some this year. They will get away
from the spread, running out the I.
"We're going to be changing the emphasis of the offense," Feldt said.
"We'll be more of an I oriented football team. It'll benefit our personnel,
receivers Arthur. Arthur does a better job out of play action and rolling
out."
Buckingham will also be free to run more. He is the Bearcats' leader
returning rusher. He ran for 315 yards last year.
Senior center Monty Chambers returns to anchor the offensive line that will
be looking to fill some holes.
Defensively, the Bearcats will be under Aaron Keesee, who takes over as the
defensive coordinator. The former Collinsville head coach takes over for
Casey Pearce, who left to take over as the defensive coordinator in
Longview.
The defense will stay in the 4-4 with a few changes.
"I'm excited to see how we play defensively," Feldt said. "We'll have the
same philosophy and basically the same defense. We may do some different
things with coverages."
The defense returns one of its top tacklers and playmakers linebacker
Michael Yarnall along with big defensive tackle Joe Vine.
The Bearcats will be in shorts and helmets until Friday when they can go to
practicing in full pads. The team will hold an intersquad game at Massey
Stadium for the varsity and junior varsity Aug. 16 at 5:30 p.m. The
freshman will have a simulated game at the fieldhouse at 7:30 p.m.
The Bearcats' first scrimmage will be Aug. 19 against Gunter at Massey
Stadium, 14 days before the season opener against St. Mark's.