GORE PIRATES
Coach: BRANDON ELLIS
2023 RECORD: 9-3
OFFENSE
After what was supposed to be a rebuilding year under new coach Brandon Ellis in 2023, the Pirates exceeded all expectations by advancing to the second round of the playoffs with just one returning starter on offense. And with nine players that either started or had lost of playing time, Ellis sees an even brighter future for the Pirates.
“We’re very excited about the upcoming season. We’ve got lots of guys back who saw playing time last year and the learning curve will be a lot shorter now in our second year,” said Ellis.
Back as the Pirate signal caller is Tate Brooksher (5-7, 145, Jr.) who was the district newcomer of the year last season and with good reason. He passed for 1558 yards and ran for 675 more with a total of 30 touchdowns out of Ellis’ I-formation offense.
Gore will feature two returning running backs in Bladin McCartney (5-10, 170, Jr.) and Devon Mannon (5-9, 160, So.), a football junkie according to Ellis. They combined for nearly 900 yards and 11 touchdowns to give opposing defenses something to think about other than Brooksher. The line will be in capable hands with Antonio Parker (6-0, 230, Jr.) and Kaydin McCartney (5-10, 245, So.).
DEFENSE
Like the offense, there will be nine experienced bodies on the defensive side of the ball for the Pirates in Gore’s 3-4 defense. Size and strength will anchor the D-line as big Drake Cowart (6-1, 337, Sr.) will win the point of attach conflicts. Linebacking will also be a strong spot for the Pirate defense with the return of Bladin McCartney who logged 60 tackles last season, Mannon, who led the team with 89 tackles and 10 sacks and Ayden Cox (6-1, 165 Sr.) who recorded 56 tackles and four sacks. Brooksher, who had six interceptions in 2023, will return to be the lockdown man in the secondary. Given the returning experience of a team that wasn’t expected to do much last year, there’s no reason to believe the Pirates can’t equal of beat last year’s playoff run.
