Crane Pirates hit the gridiron for the first time in 75 years

On Monday, Aug. 31, a monumental event took place on the Forsyth football field as a football team bearing the blue and gold of the Crane Pirates marched out of the locker room for the first time in over 75 years.

The Crane Pirates started the 11-man game with 12 players, having 11 players play both offense and defense in their first high school game in over 75 years. (Photo courtesy of Crane Youth Sports)

The Crane High School junior varsity football team opened its inaugural season with grit and determination. The crowd was full with both Panther fans and Pirate fans, who traveled 40-plus miles to see the Pirates on the field since the early 1950s. Crane High School does not have a varsity team this year as it is a new program. The Crane team has three juniors, three sophomores, seven freshmen and no seniors. The players have been moving up in the Crane Youth Sports program since it developed a K-6 football program in 2023. Last year, the Crane School District reached an agreement with the program to host junior high football, which became its first high school team this year. 

The Pirates ultimately fell 44-34 against the Forsyth Panthers junior varsity team in the middle of Panther nation. 

The Pirates players played both sides of the ball, without a bench. This season the new Crane team carries 13 players, but one was injured before the game, leaving only 12 players available for the Pirates. Brandon Hodges was injured early in the game, leaving only 11 players to continue playing both offense and defense with no substitutions. 

Despite fighting both sides against a tough team, the Pirates made their presence known by putting the first points on the board for the night. In the first quarter, Forsyth fumbled twice which was recovered by Clay Cypret and quarterback Maddox Vaught. Vaught scored a touchdown with a two-yard run. The Pirates tried for a two-point conversion, but it was unsuccessful, leaving the Pirates in the lead 6-0 in the first quarter.  

The Panthers came alive in the second quarter. The Panthers and Pirates kept up with each other, answering back for each touchdown. On a sack and for a seven-yard loss. The Panthers were able to get in some points of their own. While Vaught was able to throw a 30-yard pass to Jax Glossip to place six more points on the board for the Pirates. Vaught ran the two-point conversion and was able to get the Pirates up to 14 points in the first half. The Panthers were ahead 22-14 at the end of the first half.

The second half of the game saw some fight from both teams as the score board reflected the competitive teams showed their skills by answering back to each other. Vaught was able to connect a 20-yard pass to Colby Tracy for a touchdown. The Pirates once again decided to try for the two-point conversion. This time Vaught found Lewis at two yards to gain the points. The Pirates trailed the Panthers 30-28 with five minutes of game time to be played.

A Forsyth kick, which traveled just past the 10 yards required for the kicking team to recover, bounced back toward the Panthers in a crazy sight to be seen. The Panthers were able to take control and ran the ball to score again. With the outcome determined as time was running out, the Panthers declined to attempt the extra point, a show of sportsmanship toward the Pirates. 

The game ended with the Panthers beating the Pirates by 10 points. 

The Crane Pirates are led by head coach Chane Hutton. Hutton has helped on the field with assistant coaches Mike Morelock, Andrew Asher and Anthony Daniels.