Region title returning to rightful home

By Cole Gardner | October 31, 2025 |

On the Halloween Night of Friday, October 31, the Appling County Pirates Football team traveled to Pierce County to take on their fierce rival in the game that determined if the Pirates would be the region champions or not. In what is always an intense, tough, and good game, the Pirates were able to put the scare on the Bears and come away with a 31-14 victory and bring the region champion trophy back home to Appling County. After having to forfeit the entire season last year including the region championship, this was an accomplishment all of the players and coaches were happy to achieve. Not only were players and coaches happy about the win, but the band, cheerleaders, and all fans in attendance were glad as well.

After the Pirates missed the opening kickoff and gave the Bears the ball at the Pirates’ own 28-yard line, the Bears worked their way down to the Pirate 9-yard line. The pirates had them at fourth and six on the nine, and the Bears attempted a tight-end pass to get the first down, but Pirate defenders Jaiden Knight and Jack Lee Courson came across the field and stopped him about three yards short and forced a turnover on downs with 8:54 left in the first quarter.

The Pirate offense took over at their own six-yard line and wasted no time before moving the ball very quickly down the field. Key runs by Jaiden Knight, Mikel Crayton, and Titus Wallace brought the Pirates down to the Bears own two-yard line. Titus Wallace would line up in the back field and take the direct snap two yards and reached the ball across the endzone for the first touchdown of the game. Alan Ramirez made the PAT to give the Pirates a 7-0 lead with 5:15 left in the first quarter.

The Bears took the next possession over on their own 20-yard line after Alan Ramirez kicked the ball into the endzone for a touchback. The Bears took a total of 46 seconds to get the ball 68 yards down to the Pirates 12-yard line. From there, the Bears would take a direct snap run into the endzone for a 12-yard touchdown. The PAT attempt was tipped by some pirate defenders, but the Bears’ kicker did still have enough power on the kick to just get it through the goal post. This tied the game back up 7-7 with 4:22 left in the game.

The Pirates got their next score not long before the end of the first quarter. They drove the ball all the way down from their own 34-yard line to the Bears’ 30-yard line. The Pirates would be held to a fourth down there, and Alan Ramirez came out and made a 45-yard field goal to give the Pirates back the lead 10-7 with 0:39 left in the first quarter.

The next score wasn’t until later in the second quarter. After both defenses stood strong and forced punts out of both teams, the Pirates defense forced another turnover on downs. They stopped the Bears on a fourth-and-six attempt and kept the Bears one yard short of the first down. This gave the Pirate offense the ball on their own 36-yard line. On the first play of the drive, Jaiden Knight took the ball past the Bears’ defense 64 yards to the endzone. Alan Ramirez made another PAT, making the score 17-7 with 4:34 left in the second quarter.

Pirate Brigade

An interception by Jaiden Knight gave the Pirates the ball back with 1:14 left in the second quarter, and the Pirates would take the knee and go into halftime leading 17-7.

The Pirate Brigade as always did an excellent job, and this was not their first time performing in Pierce County this year. Earlier in the year, the Pirate Brigade traveled to Pierce County to compete in the Sound of Silver Marching Band Competition. The Pirate Brigade came home as the Grand Champions of that competition and were happy to get to perform their show again in Pierce County.

The Pirate defense picked right back up where they left off. After holding the Bears to another punting situation, the Pirate offense took over on their own 12-yard line. The Pirates drove the ball down the field to the Bears’ 13–yard line, with a key third-down pass from Harrison Hickox to Bryson Mickens for a 35–yard gain. The Pirate Offensive line opened a big hole for Jaiden Knight to take the ball to the endzone for a 13–yard touchdown. Alan Ramirez made his third PAT of the night, making the score 24-7 with 4:33 left in the third.

The Pirate defense made a statement this game, forcing another turnover on downs to give the offense back the ball. The Bears were in a fourth-and-three situation on their own 27–yard line, and the Pirate defense would stop their direct snap run on their own 28–yard line to keep them two yards short of the first down. Jaiden Knight would take the ball on the first play of this drive for the Pirate offense to the endzone for a 28-yard touchdown. Alan Ramirez made his final PAT of the night to make the score 31-7 with 2:14 left in the third quarter.

Pirate football team celebrates region win

The final score of the game would come on a four-yard run by the Bears’ to the endzone. The Bears’ kicker would make the PAT, making the score 31-14 with 9:13 left in the game. This would be the final score as neither offense could score again before the time expired.

What an excellent way to end the regular season, especially one with a very tough schedule at the beginning of the year. This team has gotten better every week since the start of the year, and now they are being rewarded for it not only with a region championship, but the Pirates will go into the playoffs as the number five team and will host Hart County in the first playoff game at home. Looking at the schedule, the Pirates will be able to host the first two rounds at home. After that, it will depend on which team they will be playing to determine if they will host any more games at home or not. The Pirates are not done yet, and if they keep following the trend of getting better every week, this team should have a good shot at going far into the playoffs, and possibly to go for a state championship. The Playoffs will not start until November 14, so the Pirates will be off this week to prepare for the Playoffs. Make plans to attend the first round of playoffs at home. Kickoff should still be slated for 7:30 p.m. at Jimmy Swain Stadium. Check next week’s edition of the News-Banner or our Facebook page to see if there are any changes for the time of the game. GO PIRATES!

Statistics:

First Downs – ACHS 12; PCHS 15
Rushing – ACHS 33/310/4; PCHS 42/258/2
Passing – ACHS 3/4/70; PCHS 4/7/30
Total Yards – ACHS 380; PCHS 288
Penalties – ACHS 9/79; PCHS 4/25

Individual Statistics:

Passing – Harrison Hickox completed three of four passes for 70 yards.
Rushing – Jaiden Knight rushed 16 times for 267 yards and three touchdowns; Mikel Crayton rushed six times for 25 yards; Titus Wallace rushed six times for 24 yards and one touchdown; Harrison Hickox rushed three times for a loss of three yards; and Bryson Mickens rushed two times for a loss of three yards.
Receiving – Bryson Mickens caught both passes thrown to him for 73 yards; Rett Thomas caught one of two passes thrown to him for a loss of three yards.Defensive Standouts – Jack Lee Courson Lead the teams in tackles having nine total; Edwin Burt had seven tackles with two sacks and causing a loss of 11 yards; Jaiden Soloman had seven tackles; Rett Thomas had six tackles; Jaiden Knight had five tackles with one tackle for a loss of one yard, and one interception returned seven yards; Karson Johnson and Cameron George both had five tackles with both assisting a tackle for a loss of half a yard; Deondre Mims had four tackles and one sack for a two yard loss; Titus Wallace, Mikel Crayton, and Devonte Poole all had a three tackles each; Javechez Johnson and Brayden Miles both had two tackles each; and Tommy Beard had one tackle.