LONGVIEW, Texas — Pine Tree football had a nice bounce back season in 2023 finishing 6-5, which tied their win total from the previous two years combined.
Head Coach Jason Bachman applauded the way his guys were able to dig deep and fight for a playoff spot.
"(We) finished really good down the stretch," Bachman said. "We'll forever be grateful man."
Third year varsity lineman Peyton Davis was on those Pirate teams that didn't perform well, but he was also part of last season's success. He said that this year's group has the ability and the experience to take the success of last year's run and push it even further.
"Coming in sophomore and junior year -- 70-80% of our defense is upperclassmen," Davis said.
After the first few weeks of summer practice, one thing this team prides itself on is its physicality. The Pirates say they can match up with any of the strong teams across East Texas.
"A strength is our physicality. It's difficult but that's our strong point," Davis said.
So Pine Tree is a physical group and they're coming into their own, but they're going to have to get things done in a new division. This comes after UIL's realignment moved them to the 4A Division 1 bracket, promising matchups with Chapel Hill, Kilgore and Henderson among others.
It's going to be a year of hard-fought games, but Bachman and his guys are ready to go out there and prove that they belong.
"We certainly try to pride ourselves on that, but we certainly hope so," Bachman said.
The Pine Tree Pirates will open up their season on Thursday, Aug. 29, against the Gilmer Buckeyes.