Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

The Pike Liberal Arts Patriots (1-0) opened up the 2024 football season with a resounding 35-6 win over Class 4A’s New Brockton Gamecocks (0-1) at home on Friday.

The win marked Pike’s first ever win over a 4A school and got the 2024 season off to a hot start. Pike opened the game with a 13-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Dawson Bradford to Kade Brookins in the first quarter.

In the second quarter, Pike began to pour it on, ripping off three straight touchdowns to open the lead. First, Bradford heaved a 32-yard touchdown pass to Brookins on fourth down to extend Pike’s lead to 14-0 with 9:18 left in the first half.

On the next New Brockton drive, Jackson Bowen stepped in front of a pass and raced 21 yards for the first defensive touchdown of the year for the Patriots to put PLAS up 21-0. Next, Dougie Branson intercepted a New Brockton pass and returned it 40 yards inside the Gamecock 5-yard line. Just two plays later, Dalton Jordan scored on a 2-yard run to extend the Pike lead to 28-0 with 6:32 left in the half.

New Brockton finally got on the scoreboard with an 8-yard run with 2:43 left in the half and the Patriots took the 28-6 lead into halftime.

Pike started off the second half like the Patriots opened the first half, with a long scoring drive. Bradford capped off that drive with his third score of the night, an 11-yard pass to Rhodes Baker. Neither team was able to find the end zone for the remainder of the game and Pike came away with the 35-6 win.

Pike rolled up 228 yards of offense with 145 yards on the ground, while holding New Brockton to 180 total yards. PLAS also forced three turnovers. Jordan led the Pike offense with 122 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries in his first varsity start. Bradford completed 6-of-11 passes for 83 yards and three touchdowns, while Brookins caught three passes for 55 yards and two scores.

Pruitt Vaughan led the PLAS defense with nine tackles, two tackles-for-loss, one sack and two forced fumbles, while Baker recorded eight tackles, two tackles-for-loss and a sack. Brookins tallied six tackles and one tackle-for-loss, while Jackson Both earned six tackles, one interception and one forced fumble.

PLAS is back at home next Friday against Samson.