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Last season: 7-5, 5-0 Metro 4-A (1st place), advanced to first round of playoffs

-The Pirates knocked off then-unbeaten rival Grimsley by a point en route to their first conference crown in years last season, but don't try telling head coach Kevin Gillespie that the season was a success. The Pirates' four regular-season losses each came by eight points or less, and their season ended with a 54-7 loss to Charlotte Independence in the first round of the playoffs. "We had success, but we weren't as successful as we wanted," Gillespie said. "They're starting to understand how we want it done. It's a slow process, but we're getting there."
-That Independence drubbing is still fresh on the Pirates' minds, as you can imagine. After a Page fumble deep in enemy territory defused an early drive, Gillespie said he could see the wind disappear from the sails of his players, most of whom had never played in a game of such significance. "The focus had better be there after that," Gillespie said.
-Senior quarterback Will Newman returns, a first-team All-Area selection last season after passing for 1,400 yards and 18 TDs and rushing for 720 yards and eight TDs. Chris Jasperse, Juan Miranda and John Spain all return as starters on the offensive line. Senior Brad Workinger will move from tight end to wide receiver. Projected starting running back Lenny Gordon has been nursing a sore hamstring this summer, one of a rash of bumps and bruises hobbling the Pirates. "I hope we're getting it all out of our system now," Gillespie said.
-The Pirates should be a force on defense, with five sophomore starters returning from last year's team that held five opponents to 14 points or fewer. Linebackers Demarcus Ferguson and Chris King were already going to be difficult to replace, and the unexpected transfer of junior Chris McCain to Northern Guilford last week didn't make things any easier. But Chris Knight, an honorable mention All-Area choice last year, still remains, and he'll get help from Chase Johnson, Josh Black and Deandre Leach. They'll have veteran help on the line from Gabe King and Tony Rustin and in the secondary from T.J. Todd and Alonzo Campbell. "We've got a pretty good nucleus on both sides of the ball," Gillespie said. "That helps."
-More Gillespie sound bytes: "These kids act like they want to be here. It's not a chore. ... We're hard hat and lunch pail. We roll up our sleeves and go to work."