Pike County is a school on the rise. In nearly every sport, the school saw improvement in 2024. It has invested heavily in its athletic programs, and the trend of growth should continue into 2025.
The school’s football program saw one of the biggest turnarounds in the state. The team went 0-10 in the 2023 season, a winless year that marked the culmination of a half-decade of struggles. From three straight winning seasons between 2019-2018, the program had failed to win more than four games in any season from 2019-2023. Following the 2023 campaign, the Pirates hired coach Stephen Holmes. Holmes was coming off a season where he helped Manchester reach its first finals appearance in 28 years, leaving with a record of 25-12. In his first season at the helm, the Pirates went 5-6, making the playoffs for the first time in six years and posting their first .500 regular season in that same span. The improvement is expected to continue into 2025 as players grow more accustomed to his system.
Other boys sports also found success. Baseball, while not having an impressive regular-season record, made it to the second round of the playoffs before falling to eventual state champion Rockmart. Boys’ soccer had a productive season as well, going 10-6 and making the first round of the playoffs.
On the girls side, Pike County has truly come into its own. The flag football team jumped from a 7-9 record to 13-6, winning the program’s first-ever playoff game and reaching the second round. The softball team performed even better. After making the state tournament but falling in the first round in 2023, the Pirates took the next step in 2024, advancing all the way to the semifinals.
The girls soccer team was the most impressive program of the 2024-25 school year. The Pirates’ soccer program has been strong for more than a decade, winning at least one playoff game every year in that span. But the 2025 season was something special. The team went 23-2 overall, 10-0 in region play, and won the 2A state championship. Only two games against 2A opponents were decided by fewer than three goals, one of those being the championship game against Savannah Arts, a thrilling 6-5 victory. The team will lose several key players, but returns freshman superstar Jacey Fillingim, who scored 23 goals and added 18 assists. In addition, the team brings back 54 goals and its top two goalkeepers from last season, giving them a strong shot at repeating in 2026.
Loading ...
