STROUD — Gore’s 2023 football season ended Friday night at the hands of the highpowered Stroud Tigers, who beat the Pirates 546, in the second round of the Class A playoffs.
The Pirates, who went into the game with an 8-2 record and ranked No. 3 in the state, stayed competitive through the first half, but the Tigers (10-2) eventually wore them down, particularly in a stretch of about 10 minutes spanning halftime. The Tigers used that stretch to expand a 13-6 lead to an insurmountable 35-6.
“Stroud’s a wellcoached ball club,” Gore coach Brandon Ellis said. “They’re physical and just outmatched us. Our kids fought hard. We’re thin, and it took a toll on us. That takes nothing away from Stroud. Stroud’s a really good ball club and they deserved to win.”
The Pirates had only one returning starter from last year’s team that played for the state championship Ellis said, and not everyone believed they were a playoff team before this season started.
“We did (believe in ourselves), but a lot of people didn’t,” he said. “We’re young and had one returning starter and a lot of people counted us out. It’s a testament to the kids — they worked their butts off and they believed in the system. Everything was brand new. and we put in the work and came out with a pretty good season. This loss is tough, but the sun will rise tomorrow and we’ll start a new chapter.”
Stroud took a 14-0 lead early in the second period, but Gore got on the board when Journey Shells got behind the Stroud secondary and quarterback Tate Brooksher dropped a pass into his arms for a 38-yard touchdown pass play to cut the Gore deficit to 14-6.
However, Stroud’s running game took over at that point and the Pirates could draw no closer.
In defeat, Hunter Mc-Gee rushed for a teamhigh 25 yards, while Shells caught six passes for 86 yards and a TD. Brooksher passed for 204 yards and a touchdown.
The Pirates started the season with six straight wins, then lost back-to-back district games to Central and Panama. They peeled off three more wins in a row before falling to Stroud, ending the year with a 9-3 record.
