Pilots drop 2022 season opener to Gleason Bulldogs

Mark Collier

The high school football season got underway for the Fulton County Pilots Aug. 19 as they hosted the Gleason Bulldogs, but despite putting up 34 points, they were unable to come away victorious, losing 60-34.

The Bulldogs struck first on the scoreboard on a one-yard touchdown run on a fourth and one with 6:12 left in the first quarter.

The Pilots’ first offensive possession of the season was cut short on a fumble by quarterback Max Gibbs, which subsequently resulted in the Bulldogs’ second touchdown with 4:49 remaining in the quarter to take a 16-0 lead.

The Pilots were able to remain their composure and score their first touchdown of the 2022 season on a carry by running back J’Shon Jones to make the score 16-6 with 56 seconds remaining in the first quarter.

The Bulldogs did not take long to respond, scoring their third touchdown on a completed pass to take a 24-6 lead.

J’Shon Jones once again rumbled down the sidelines evading defenders to score the Pilots’ second touchdown with 4:57 remaining in the second quarter, and the two-point try afterwards was successful to pull the Pilots within 10 points, 24-14.

That would be as close as the Pilots would get, as Gleason would respond with back-to-back touchdowns to take a 40-14 lead, before the Pilots scored on a touchdown pass from Gibbs to Jones with 29 seconds remaining in the second quarter to bring the score to 40-20 at halftime.

The Pilots were able to find the endzone two more times in the second half, one on a pass from Gibbs to Charles Goodman, and another on a run by Gibbs, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the halftime deficit as the Bulldogs won 60-34.

Gibbs completed nine of his 25 passing attempts for 193 yards and two touchdowns, and also led the team in rushing with 74 yards on nine attempts and a touchdown.

Jones had 52 yard on three attempts and two touchdowns, while TyAvious Isbell had 22 yards on six carries and Damien Hill had eight yards on eight carries.

Jones also led the team with 102 receiving yards on three receptions, followed by Goodman with 48 ayrds on three catches, Caden Kimble 22 yards on one catch and Hill 21 yards on two catches.

Defensively, Luke Jackson led the way with a team-high 12 tackles, followed by Goodman and Carson Oldaker with 10 each, Kimble 9, Jones 6, Isbell and Hill with five each, Jason Mathews, David Allison, and Braxton Bridges with four each, Kalon McCauley and Nyjah Montgomery with three each, Marcus Bonds, RuMarriez Westbrook and Jovan Westmoreland with two each, and Zayden Kinney and Connor O’Malley with one each.

Kimble was able to intercept a Bulldogs’ pass and returned it for 26 yards.

Despite the loss, Head Coach Bridges was optimistic about his team’s performance. “I thought we ran the ball really well at times. We have to get back to the basics and learn to be a team that plays for each other. We stress the importance of Team first before me. The O-line blocked well and we had some big plays but we have to learn to bounce back when we are put into a hole in the first quarter,” he said.

The Pilots will look to regroup as they head on the road to take on the Marshall County Marshals Aug. 26 beginning at 7 p.m. “Marshall County is a big team with a lot of kids but they put 11 on the field just like we do. Hopefully we will battle with them,” Coach Bridges said when asked about this week’s game.