Pine Tree Runs Away From Hallsville in District Opener, 55-35

HALLSVILLE – It took only a few minutes for Pine Tree to begin its rout.

The Pirates scored a touchdown on each of their first three drives, eventually handing Hallsville a 55-35 loss, their first of the season, in the District 9-5A Division II opener.

Keshon Williams caught a 53-yard pass from DJ Freeman on the opening drive. Williams, a Texas State commit, had only 52 yards total receiving in the three games prior. That set up a four-yard touchdown run from Freeman, who paced the Pirate offense all evening. He finished with 161 yards on 10 carries and was 8-of-11 for 158 yards. He had four total touchdowns.

“Any time you’ve got a guy back there that can pull it down and run like he does, that’s a problem for defenses," coach Kerry Lane said. "He’s very smart and calm. He doesn’t get rattled. He made some mistakes tonight that sophomore quarterbacks make, but he doesn’t get too high or too low.”

Pine Tree (3-1, 1-0 District 9-5A D-II) began to build distance by taking a risk in the first quarter.

After Freeman scored again to give the Pirates a 14-7 lead, Pine Tree opted for an onside kick. Nikema Williams recovered the kick, giving the Pirates prime field position. They took advantage, with Gabe Nelson scoring his first touchdown of the evening on a nine-yard run.

"My kids want it," Lane said. "They want to be in games that matter and they want to be attacking. I love it, because they haven’t been like that the past couple of years. I told them before the kick, ‘I either look really smart or really dumb. So make me look smart.’”

Pine Tree forced three turnovers in the first half, none bigger than Davon Coleman’s interception to begin the second quarter. Semaj Boyd attempted a swing pass, but Coleman stepped between the pass and had a clear path to the end zone. He scored, putting Pine Tree up three scores to begin the quarter.

“I watched (the receiver) and I saw him kind of backpedaling," Coleman said. "I jumped it. I just started running with one hand. I was happy. It got the sidelines hyped.”

That seemed to be the breaking point. Pine Tree was in control the rest of the way.

Hallsville (3-1, 0-1) scored a few times in the second half, but they simply put a dent in an insurmountable Pirates lead. Tristan Driggers finished with 137 yards rushing and three touchdowns, but two came in the fourth quarter, including one with 46 seconds remaining.

Both teams struggled with penalties throughout the game, wracking up a combined 210 yards. Pine Tree running back Gabe Nelson finished with 20 carries for 199 yards and two touchdowns.

In addition to Driggers, Hallsville had two more 100-yard rushers. Small Boyd led the Bobcats with 156 yards, while Tre Fulton finished with 126.

Pine Tree will next face Mount Pleasant at 7:30 p.m. Friday in Longview, while Hallsville will hope to bounce back against Marshall at 7:30 p.m. Friday in Marshall.

Pine Tree 55, Hallsville 35

At Bobcat Stadium, Hallsville

Pine Tree         21    28    3    3    --    55
Hallsville          7      7   7   14        –    35

First Quarter
PT – DJ Freeman 4 run (Jose Vasquez kick), 10:44.
HAL – Tristan Driggers 21 run (Driggers kick), 7:56.
PT – Freeman 30 run (Vasquez kick), 6:40.
PT – Gabe Nelson 9 run (Vasquez kick), 4:00.
Second Quarter
PT – Davon Coleman 58 interception (Vasquez kick), 11:50
PT – Freeman 50 run (Vasquez kick), 5:56.
HAL – Tre Fulton 48 run (Driggers kick), 4:12.
PT – Nelson 24 run (Vasquez kick), 3:19.
PT – JJ Sparkman 20 pass from Freeman (Vasquez kick), 0:22.
Third Quarter
HAL – Fulton 10 run (Driggers kick), 10:43.
PT --  Vasquez 37 field goal
Fourth Quarter
PT -- Vasquez 43 field goal
HAL -- Driggers 6 run (Driggers kick), 8:12
HAL -- Driggers 60 run (Driggers kick), 0:46

                                           PT                   HAL
First Downs                          18                     12
Total Yards                           558                   471
Rushes-Yards                  42-400             42-434
Passing Yards                       158                  37
Comp.-Att.-Int.                 8-14-0              5-14-2
Punts-Avg.                       1-40.0              2-29.5
Fumbles-Lost                         1-1                  1-1
Penalties-Yards                     11-105              11-105

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING—Pine Tree, Gabe Nelson 20-199, DJ Freeman 10-161, Sylvandan Stewart 7-33, Corey Thomas, 3-3, Gabe Adams 1-3, Davon Coleman 1-1. Hallsville, Semaj Boyd 18-156, Trista Driggers 10-137, Tre Fulton 12-126, Sha'Keem Jackson 1-9, Shannon Marshall 1-6.
PASSING—Pine Tree, Freeman 8-11-0--158, Thomas 0-3-0--0. Hallsville, Boyd 5-14-2—37.
RECEIVING—Pine Tree, JJ Sparkman 4-76, Keshon Williams 1-53, Davon Coleman 2-17, Gabe Adams 1-12. Hallsville, Nolan Sirmons 3-26, Tre Fulton 2-11.