Pineville had their first slip up of the season last week when the Lions lost to Paris at home. Pineville will be looking to rebound on Friday when the team welcomes Berea to town with the chance to improve the record to 3-1.

The Mountain Lions have had success against the Pirates in years past. Last season, Pineville dominated Berea on the road in a lopsided 42-6 victory.

The game wasn’t even close as the Lions rushed for 543 yards with then-senior Lawrence Simpson leading the way with 236 yards and three touchdowns. Reese Capps tallied 191 yards and three touchdowns on 14 carries. Matt Golden registered 105 yards on eight carries.

All two of last season’s leading tacklers during the game return for Pineville in Deon Coffman and Nick Holbrook. Coffman lead the way last year with 13 tackles while Holbrook tallied 12.

The Lions will look to have a repeat performance this year.

Know the Pirates

Over the past two seasons, Berea hasn’t had much luck winning football games. Last year, the Pirates went winless. This season, Berea has lost their first two games of the year by considerable margins — a 40-12 loss to Jackson County and a 48-0 loss to Eminence.

The dynamic of the team has changed from last year with several players missing from the team’s roster. Whaylon Connor, who rushed for 86 yards and a touchdown last season against Pineville, is not listed on the KHSAA roster. Baylor Hill, who started at quarterback during last year’s match-up, is also missing in action.

Leading tacklers Chandler Beaver and Sam Hurt were not listed on the roster as well (both tallying six tackles apiece against the Lions a season ago).

Will Brennan looks to be the starting running back for the Pirates. Against Jackson County, he led the team in rushing and carries going for 42 yards and a touchdown on nine carries. Jaiden Cunningham finished that game with 29 yards on seven carries.

Cody Moore lined up behind center during Berea’s loss to the Generals. He went 3-for-5 for 71 yards. Zane Brown hauled in 52 yards on his lone catch. Brennan caught two passes for 19 yards.

Tanner Hoskins and JJ Walker tied for a team-high six tackles against Jackson County.