Still here

A turnover-laden performance led to a 24-7 loss for the Granbury Pirates at Saginaw Friday in the final game of the regular season.

Granbury (6-4, 5-3 District 3-5A DI) had seven turnovers against the Rough Riders (6-4, 5-3 District 3-5A D1), preventing the offense from developing any sort of rhythm and putting the defense in a series of tough positions.

“Any time you have turnovers, it’s costly in any game,” Granbury head coach Chad Zschiesche said, “especially against a playoff team.”

The Pirates were without starting quarterback Kyler Gibson, who is still fighting an injury to his upper arm, and may not be able to return this season. Austin Jinkerson, who played most of the season with the junior varsity, took the majority of the snaps for the Pirates at quarterback.

Jinkerson had a few good throws and ran hard once he adjusted to the jump in competition.

“For the level of quarterback he played at all year long on Thursday nights, I really think he stepped in there and played good enough to give us a chance to win,” Zschiesche said. “He also made some young, first-time-on-varsity mistakes, and quickly realized that the speed of the game is much quicker on Friday nights than on Thursday, but overall we were pleased he gave us a chance to win.”

Despite the giveaways, Granbury was not out of the game until late in the fourth quarter. The Pirates trailed 17-7 after three quarters and had chances to move the ball.

“The fact that we had a chance to be in that game with the amount of turnovers we had speaks volumes for our team,” Zschiesche said.

PLAYING A GIANT

The loss also moved Gran-bury from third place to fourth place in the district, meaning the Pirates will have to face Denton Ryan, the No. 3 team in the state of Texas, in the bi-district round of the playoffs.

Denton Ryan (10-0, 7-0 District 4-5A DI) has won 50 consecutive regular season games and made the state semifinals in 2018. The Raiders have big physical stars at almost every position.

Drew Sanders, who plays linebacker and receiver for the Raiders, is rated by 247Sports as the No. 1 athlete in his class and the No. 2 overall player from Texas. He holds offers from Alabama and Oklahoma, among others. Wide receiver and cornerback Billy Bowman Jr.is committed to Texas as a 4-star prospect.

“They’re ranked in the top five, and some people have them number one, for a reason,” Zschiesche said. “They’re a really good football team.”

The Pirates are the underdogs. though there’s no shame in that – Denton Ryan would be favored against nearly every other team in the state. Zschiesche said Granbury will view this game as a great opportunity.

“How often do you get a chance to go play the number one team in the state?” he asked. “We’re going to go over and battle them, and see what we can do.”

By no means are the Pirates writing Thursday’s game off as a loss. But Zschiesche was able to reflect on how far Granbury has come this season, as making the postseason surprised even some of the Pirate players.

“I’m very proud of our players and our coaching staff, and our supporters that have been with us through the good times and the bad,” he said. “Hopefully we can make this thing where this is the expectation moving forward.”

Granbury plays Denton Ryan at the C.H. Collins Athletic Complex in Denton at 7 p.m. Tickets are $6 for adults and $4 for students in advance sales – available in the athletic office at the GISD Administration Building – and $8 at the gate.

There will be a send-off Thursday as the Pirates travel to the game. It starts at 1:45 p.m., when the Pirates leave from the field house, turn east on Howard Clemmons Road, north onto Pearl Street through downtown and merge onto Highway 377 heading east.

Fans are encouraged to show their support with signs and noisemakers at any point along the route.

grant@hcnews.com | 817-573-7066 ext. 254