Pirates entertain Keys in home opener after winning last week over Wilburton

The Gore Pirates opened their 2024 football season with a 20-8 road win over the host Wilburton Diggers last Friday night.

Quarterback Tate Brooksher threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Devon Mannon as well as scoring on a 15-yard run. Brooksher also scored on a two-point conversion run after his TD pass to Mannon.

Gore’s first score was a 55-yard punt return by Cole Brooksher in the middle of the third quarter.

Brooksher

“That kind of sparked things off for us,” Gore coach Brandon Ellis said. “It was good (to start 1-0).”

The Pirates (1-0) will entertain the Keys Cougars (0-0) at 7 tonight at K.G. Horn Stadium in Gore’s home opener.

There’s a lot of unknown things about the Cougars, which will make them a dangerous home-opening foe.

“They have a new head coach coming in,” Ellis said. “They have some younger players. They had a very nice junior high bunch. I believe they have 10 seniors, but some of those younger guys are going to get called to play early. I don’t know much about them. The philosophy has changed just a little bit. That’s kind of always a little scary.”

However, Ellis also is quick to point out if his Pirates do their thing and do it correctly, it makes little difference what the Cougars do.

“We have to be sound on our spot,” he said. “We have to cut out a bunch of mistakes that we made Friday night. We just shot ourselves in the foot a bunch. It wasn’t that Wilburton was stopping us. We stopped ourselves.”

Ellis said that is one reason why he is a big proponent of playing on Zero Week.

“That’s one advantage of playing Week Zero, in my opinion,” Ellis said. “We’ve been through a complete game as far as timing, special teams and in and out with personnel. I think that really helped us out versus having that second (preseason) scrimmage.”

Ellis and the Pirates, who are healthy going into tonight’s home opener, are hoping the home crowd will spark them tonight against the visiting Cougars.

“It’s going to be nice,” Ellis said. “People are excited around the community. Fans are excited. Gore has always had a great showing and support, so we expect it to be packed.”