The Piper Pirates took charge from the opening whistle Friday night at Turner, rolling to a 43-7 victory over the Golden Bears behind an explosive offensive performance that saw the Pirates score on their first play from scrimmage and never look back.
“Our whole thing this week was setting the tone,” said second-year Piper head coach Cole Orrick. The Pirates did exactly that, wasting no time establishing control. After receiving the opening kickoff, senior receiver Alamar Brooks took a reverse 80 yards to the house, and the Pirates added a two-point conversion to take an 8-0 lead just 14 seconds into the game.
Piper (3-4) built a commanding 16-0 lead after the first quarter and extended it to 36-0 by halftime. The offense found success both on the ground and through the air, with junior running back Roman Byers connecting on a 71-yard touchdown pass to junior receiver Easton McCarty over the middle in the second quarter.
“Turner does a good job with their offense,” said Orrick, explaining his team’s approach. “They chew that clock, so we wanted to make sure we were getting on the board early and keeping it rolling.”
Byers was the star of the night for Piper, accounting for four touchdowns. The junior, who entered the game leading the Pirates with 645 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on the season, ran for scores of 9, 10 and 80 yards, the latter coming in the third quarter on an impressive weaving run back and forth across the width of the field eluding multiple tacklers. He also threw the 71-yard touchdown pass to McCarty from his running back position, showcasing his versatility as both a rusher and passer.
Sophomore quarterback Leeum Healy contributed a 41-yard scrambling touchdown run in the closing seconds of the first half, pulling the ball down and heading for the end zone when he couldn’t find an open receiver.
“We had a lot of good performances,” Orrick said. “I feel like we did a pretty good job up front. But our receivers, we did some different things this week. We wanted to get some of our playmakers in space.”
The Piper defense was equally impressive, forcing turnovers and limiting Turner’s offensive opportunities. Senior defensive back Shinji Pollard intercepted a Turner pass in the first quarter and returned it to the Piper 38-yard line, setting up another scoring drive. In the second quarter, senior linebacker Max Clark’s sack forced a fumble (recovered by senior defensive end Jeremiah Price) that ended a promising Turner drive.
Turner (1-6) struggled to find rhythm offensively for most of the game, gaining yards on the ground, but unable to complete drives. The Golden Bears’ offensive workhorses, senior fullback Michael Estes and sophomore fullback Romo Byrd, consistently picked up three to five yards on a carry, but any penalty or loss of yardage put the possession at risk.
Senior quarterback Josue Castillo showed his dual-threat ability, contributing several runs including a 9-yard gain in the third quarter. He struggled, however, under Piper’s pass rush, throwing an interception in the first quarter and having multiple passes thrown away while under duress.
The Golden Bears managed just one scoring drive, finally breaking through late in the third quarter when sophomore running back Jaidyn McNeal capped a sustained 68-yard drive with an 18-yard touchdown run to make it 43-7. Estes carried the ball multiple times on the drive to set up McNeal’s score.
Turner’s defense showed fight in the fourth quarter, with senior linebacker Cody Crawford sacking Healy and junior defensive end Manny Urquidi recording a 10-yard sack that forced a Piper punt.
The victory comes as welcome momentum for Piper after a challenging start to the season that saw the team face three highly-ranked teams in its first four games.
“We played a really tough schedule,” Orrick acknowledged. “Our first four games, we played three or four teams that are in the top 25 in the city, and so we’ve been really close getting over the top. That’s been the whole message, obviously. We’ve got to continue finishing. We’ve got to work on the little things. All those things are starting to add up, and I like the direction that we’re going.”
With the win, the Pirates improve their playoff positioning heading into the final stretch of the regular season. Orrick estimated his team could move up to a six or seven seed depending on how results shake out across the rest of the region.
“Regardless of who it is, there’s going to be some good football teams,” Orrick said of potential playoff opponents. “We’re looking at Fort Scott, Schlagle, potentially some other teams like that. So it’ll be a good competition for us.”
Piper will host Topeka West next Friday as they look to build on their second consecutive victory and solidify their playoff position.
Turner will travel to Tecumseh to face Shawnee Heights (3-4) on Oct. 25.
For more photos from the game, visit Dotte Sports.
