Death, taxes, and the Pilot Point Bearcats in the Texas High School football playoffs.  These are the three things you could count on in the 1980’s - 90’s. The first only the Slays appreciate, the second everyone hates, but the Bearcats playing football into November is something that everyone in town could get behind. Our first season was our regular season that included going 10-0 and winning our 13th District Championship.

It was playoff time now though…and we referred to it as our “second season.” This meant everything would be magnified. It was my senior season and I wasn’t planning on playing college football. So, we had to survive and advance every week otherwise it could be mine and my fellow seniors final football game. We wanted our second season to last as long as possible and ultimately culminate with a State Championship title.  

The playoffs were the most exciting part of the year for me. I remember the charter bus rides, the larger crowds at the game, the intensity of each game being magnified, and the sense of relief after every victory knowing that we had at least one more week of football to play.

Our first-round match-up put us up against the Tom Bean Tomcats at Pennington Field in Bedford, TX.  Tom Bean were a scrappy bunch and had a solid passing offense.  I remember they gave us a lot more of a fight than we expected for a first round match-up. We came out flat likely having used up a lot of the energy in our emotional and physical tanks in our recent victory over Celina. In the end though our defense pitched another shut out and we came out on top 19-0 as Bi-District Champions.

We had survived and advanced. Our season had not concluded with a meeting at Slay Memorial. Next up would be a very tough match-up in the Area round against a solid Jacksboro Jackrabbit team.