WITH A BANG | Pine Tree hits big plays, Gilmer falls short as Pirates take season opener
EDITOR’S NOTE: Gilmer writer Phillip Williams is working on his story. We’ll have it posted ASAP!
LONGVIEW – Somebody say something about football, and fireworks?
The Texas high school football season opened in style with a high-scoring game between a pair of Class 4A’s state-ranked teams, both a part of the ETBlitz.com coverage area.
Pine Tree quarterback Colton Croft threw for three touchdowns and ran for another as the Pirates opened the 2026 football season with a 52-40 win over ninth-ranked Gilmer on Thursday evening at Pirate Stadium.
This marked the 11th meeting between the schools since 2000, but only the Pirates’ third win, giving the Bucs a 19-18-1 edge in the all-time series. Pine Tree’s previous wins came in 2002 and 2024.
Croft threw for 230-yards with scoring passes of 64-, 22- and 12-yards to Rashaad Wofford, Bosston Johnson and Jakaiden Johnson. The senior quarterback completed eight of his first nine passes and finished 10-of-13, besides adding a three-yard scoring run.
Ja’Karius Timmons added scoring runs of three- and two-yards for the Pirates, who finished 8-5 last season, reaching the third round of the schoolboy football playoffs.
A lot of offense for sure, but the Pirates’ defense also came to play, coming away with four interceptions, getting one apiece from Darron Pair, D’Ayden Ingram, Bosston Johnson and Wofford. Pair returned his 54-yards for a touchdown.
Placekicker Danny Barron was seven-for-seven on extra points and booted a 29-yard field goal in the second half for Pine Tree now 1-0 for the season.
The Pirates rolled up 441 yards of total offense, getting 211 rushing yards on 35 carries.
Besides his scoring reception in the third quarter, Jakaiden Johnson (3-36 receiving yards) led all rushers with 130 yards on 16 carries.
Bosston Johnson led all receivers with six receptions for 130 yards. Wofford had the Pirates other reception for 64 yards and a touchdown.
Gilmer finished with 432 yards of total offense, getting 315 on 37 rushing attempts with quarterback Zade Taylor leading the way with 128. Tayveon Horne followed with 96 yards and three rushing touchdowns. Those covered three-, 15- and seven-yards.
Taylor completed 10-of-19 passes for 119 yards. Kipton Neighbors led the receiving corps with four catches for 71 yards. Kaden Canady (4-35) and Amare Garrett (2-13) followed.
The Buckeyes won the coin toss and deferred to the second half, opting to kick off the 2026 football season. Less than 2:00 minutes later, just 1:39 off the scoreboard clock, and three plays into the contest, they found themselves behind as Croft and Wofford hooked up for a 64-yard scoring completion. Barron converted his first-of seven extra points to give Pine Tree an early 7-0 lead.
Gilmer answered on the third play of its ensuing possession, getting a three-yard Horne run to complete a 66-yard scoring march. Alex Sanchez converted to knot the score at 7-all with 9:40 left in the first quarter.
The Pirates would score on four of their five first-half possessions, but not the third time they had the football. A couple of Croft completions, one to JaKaiden Johnson and the other to Bosston Johnson had things looking good, but a fumble, the Pirates’ lone turnover of the contest, spoiled the drive.
Pine Tree’s defense forced a punt and the Bucs were back in business, putting together a four-play, 73-yard sojourn, getting the final 27-yards on a Croft to Bosston Johnson completion to lead 14-7 with 5:25 remaining in the first period.
Pair’s 54-yard interception return extended Pine Tree’s lead to 21-7 with just 2:53 remaining in the opening quarter. Gilmer didn’t waste any time answering, though, as junior Jerzyri Johnson returned the ensuing kickoff 97 yards and Sanchez converted the PAT, pulling the visitors back to within a touchdown with 2:38 left in the opening quarter.
That was more than enough time for the home-standing Pirates to put together a five-play, 52-yard scoring drive with Ja’Karius Timmons doing the honors with a three-yard run as time expired in the opening stanza. Barron tacked on the PAT to give Pine Tree a 28-14 cushion.
Croft, who threw for three touchdowns, ran for this one, scoring on a three-yard keeper to close an eight-play, 67-yard march with 4:46 remaining until halftime, extending the Pirates lead to 21 points, 35-14.
Didn’t take Taylor and the Buckeyes long to respond, this time, just two-plays with the Gilmer quarterback racing 60-yards with 3:50 left in the half to trim the deficit back to14, 35-21.
Just enough time for Barron, the Pirate’s junior placekicker, to convert a 29-yard field goal.
And, that wasn’t even the end of the scoring in the half as the Buckeyes promptly marched 64 yards in eight plays with Taylor scoring his second rushing touchdown of the evening on a two-yard keeper to end the half, trimming Pine Tree’s lead to 11, 38-27.
Horne’s first of two scoring runs in the second half pulled Gilmer to within four points, 38-34.
The teams then traded touchdowns in the next 14 minutes of play, with Horne scoring for the third time, but a conversion pass for two sailed incomplete, leaving Pine Tree up 45-40.
Next up for the Pirates are the defending Class 4A Division II state champion Carthage Bulldogs on Friday, Sept. 4 in Carthage, while Gilmer (0-1) visits Chapel Hill (0-1), which lost to Whitehouse 37-14 on Thursday night.