Sports

The 2015 Homecoming game is set for Friday, Sept. 11 and the Pirates are ready to roar in the face of the New Boston Lions.

New Boston is a 3A powerhouse and has been an extremely successful team according to Pittsburg Athletic Director Brad Baca.

“They were 10 and 2 last year and very well coached,” he said.

The pirates lost to New Boston last year after several bad breaks. But that was last year, Coach Baca said, and this year’s team is ready to tackle any competition. After each game of the 2015 season, the bar has been raised by the Pirate coaches. The team is in better physical shape than last year and Coach  Baca gives another coach the credit for that.

“My dad, Coach Eddie Baca, has been doing this for a lot of years and that type of stuff I bounce off of him,” he said. “Conditioning is a big part of this, especially early in the year, and the Pirates pride themselves in saying ‘we’ll be the best conditioned team in the state.’”

After a string of good plays and sportsmanship in the first few games of the 2015 football season, the Pittsburg Pirates are looking to face Gladewater on Sept. 4.

Pittsburg Athletic Director Brad Baca said he’s been proud of the camaraderie he’s seen in his team both on and off the field. He said they’ll need to stick together because Gladewater is known for being a strong, physical team.

“They have a lot of talent and they have been very successful,” he said. “They’ve had deep playoff runs. Those kids believe – and they’re well coached.”

Coach Baca said the team is large-framed and plays “smash-mouth” football.

“They're big, physical kids,” he said. “Our boys are going to have to bring their physicality up.”

Former NFL great Homer “The Spike” Jones was honored in a ceremony at Pirate stadium Friday, Aug. 28 before the Pirates first home game.

He received the nickname `The Spike’ as a player for the New York Giants slamming down a football in the end zone after taking an 89-yard touchdown pass which was the first play of the game. This set a New York Giants record and the spike started a tradition.

“I am so greatly honored by all this,” Mr. Jones said. “Pittsburg is my hometown.”

Mr. Jones was born in Pittsburg on Feb. 18, 1941 in Pittsburg.  He played football and ran track for the Panthers of Frederick Douglass High School.

Upon graduation in 1959, he elected to go to Texas Southern University.

Before the Pirates and the Hawks toss a coin and begin playing the first football game of the 2015-’16 season, Pittsburg will honor one of its former football legends.

The first game, which begins at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 28 at Pirate Stadium, is being dedicated to Homer Jones by the Pittsburg Independent School District and the City of Pittsburg. Mr. Jones is from Pittsburg and went on to play for the New York Giants and the Cleveland Browns.

Mr. Jones was born in 1941 and became well-known throughout school as a football and track star. He could complete the 200 yard dash in 19.9 seconds.

Pittsburg ISD Athletic Director Brad Baca said he’s proud to be able to honor Mr. Jones, who he calls the pride of the town.

“”Anytime you have a person like Homer Jones, it’s neat when they can come back,” Mr. Baca said. “Several of our Pittsburg athletes have gone on to compete at a national level. We’re proud to call Mr. Jones our own.”

The Pittburg Pirates and Chapel Hill Bulldogs scrimmaged in a preseason match up that was not only productive for the coaches, but a morale booster for the teams.

The Pitt offense made good on their promise to score throughout the game and at the final buzzer the score had the Pirates winning 19-14. Athletic Director Brad Baca said he was extremely pleased with the varsity and told the team in an after game huddle they had met the bar the coaching staff had set.

The scrimmage began with the freshmen and Junior Varsity team match ups. The field was split with the Fish teams on the East 50 yards of the field and the JV on the west.

All four teams would run 10 offensive plays then switch for 10 defensive plays. The Pirate coaches said they were extremely pleased with the performance of the Pirate Fish and JV teams.

Be sure to check out the Aug. 20 issue of The Pittsburg Gazette for more photos of the Pittsburg Pirates Tailgate Party. 

A record of four state championships in the past eight years might intimidate some football teams, but the Pittsburg Pirates are ready to take on the Carthage Bulldogs in the team’s first scrimmage game Friday, Aug. 14.

The game starts at 7 p.m. at Carthage’s Bulldog Stadium, 1600 W. Panola St. in Carthage. Pittsburg athletic director Brad Baca said his team is ready to show the Bulldogs what they’ve got.

“They’re as respected and as good a team in East Texas as there is,” Mr. Baca said of the Bulldogs.

The Carthage football team, which won state football championships in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2013, is led by head coach Scott Surratt.

“The success they’ve had is a reflection of the type of coach he is,” Mr. Baca said. “I have the utmost respect for him and what he does with those guys. It’s very impressive.”

Go Pirates! Go Pirates, Win! Summer football practice is here and another squad of athletes is about to begin practice for the same games the football team will be playing. 

That squad is the Pittsburg High School varsity, junior varsity and junior high cheerleaders. They will be preparing to energize the folks in the stands and to inspire the teams on the field to do their best.  

A Pittsburg cheerleader is chosen by a tryout. Each participant is judged on enthusiasm, athletic ability, a demonstration of school spirit, precision in the performance of a cheer and a dance routine.

Another quality needed is leadership according to varsity cheer sponsor Mandy Hobbs and junior varsity cheer sponsor Helen Ray.

Although each squad has their sponsor and their head cheerleader, each member of each squad is expected to be a leader. They are expected to be leaders in their school and their individual classes.

The Pitt Elite summer league track team competed at the state level in College Station July 30-Aug. 3. Coach Troy Lafayette said, "We didn't have any one to medal, but I did had a few that ran their personal best. It was a great experience for all the kids, some were very nervous and that was very understanding."

Coach Lafayette said there were hundreds of students competing at the state level and his team would like to return next year.
"I'm very proud of all of them and really looking forward to next summer," he said.

Now in its second year, the Pitt Elite summer league track club has qualified to attend a state tournament to be held July 30-Aug. 3 in College Station. Head coach Troy Lafayette and assistant coach Nina Andrews couldn’t be prouder of the 19-member team, 11 of whom are going to be competing in the tournament.

“They’ve been working hard all year,” Mr. Lafayette said. “I have a couple athletes that came out late, but they worked hard, put in the effort and made it to state.”

Eight players from Pittsburg, two from Carthage and one from Daingerfield will be competing in College Station. Pitt Elite is a member of the U.S. Track and Field club and the Texas Amateur Athletic Federation. The team is not sanctioned by the University Interscholastic League because it’s a summer league.