Homecoming set for Sept. 11

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.’”

Coach Baca understands the pre-district schedule is a tough one with the Pirates facing off against Pleasant Grove, Gladewater, New Boston, Atlanta and Mt. Vernon before they begin 7-4A district play.

Coach Baca says that conditioning is one of the keys to winning.

“Especially in the third and fourth quarter, you can make more plays than maybe you should because you’re not cramping and in better shape than your opponent and that’s what we’re after,” he said.

The no-huddle offense instituted by Coach Baca and his staff lends itself to a fast pace.

“Hopefully, simply by the tempo we play on offense, we can specifically wear down the opponent’s defensive line,” Coach Baca said. “With our pace offensively, we want to be fast and get a ball snapped every 20 seconds or so.”

Coach Baca visited Auburn University in 2010 and stayed four days to study the `no-huddle offense’ early on. Many teams in the SEC have adopted the no-huddle offense, Texas A&M University being a notable example.

“I am a believer in the fast tempo and how it fatigues a defense. I like that the ball gets spread around to a lot of different players. It has very simple terminology, it’s all about playing fast paced and we have very talented kids,” said Coach Baca, smiling.

The Pittsburg Pirate fans play a big part of a Pirate winning season.

“We can hear them and they’re on their feet, the team really appreciates that and the boys feel that support,” Coach Baca said. “The boys do appreciate everyone coming out. The fans here in Pittsburg make Pirate stadium a tough place for any opponent to play in and that’s all you can ask of our fans.”