Pirates look to turn the tides
The Pirates’ longtime head coach Scott Moore has stepped down after 15 years at the helm of the Bucs; he ends his tenure with Greensburg with a record of 80-83 that included a 2012 sectional championship. The Pirates are now under the tutelage of first-year head coach Wes Anderson. Anderson comes from a successful New Palestine team where he was the Dragons’ wide receiver and special teams coach for the last seven years.
The Bucs are coming off a 4-7 season after a second-round shutout (0-28) at the hands of Lawrenceburg in the sectional. The Bucs finished the season strong with three straight wins before that loss and return one of the top offensive linemen in the EIAC. Senior Robert Eisert, a 6’4” 270 lb. tackle, was an all-conference selection a season ago. Complementing Eisert will be junior Reed Hungerford. The combo should move bodies and give the Bucs’ backfield another 2,000-yard rushing season and then some.
Anderson will deploy a stable of running backs led by junior Kaden Acton. Acton is a speedy back that has seen two years of varsity already; he took eight carries for 185 yards against Milan his freshman season and has gained 761 yards over the past two. Sophomore Austin Cruz will see carries this season along with Brayden Rankin, who got varsity carries in 2022.
The Pirates will be a ground-heavy offense after the loss of a two-year starter at the signal caller spot. The offense this season will be led by sophomore quarterback Bryson Abplanalp, who will replace the now Indiana Hoosier Sam West. The sophomore QB will have a handful of receivers stretching the field this season with juniors Carson Miller and Camden Loudin on the outside with senior Hunter Springmeyer and freshman Myles McKinsey on the inside. Anderson stated “All four are great weapons and I think Abplanalp is going to surprise some folks. He’s got a live arm and can make all throws.”
The defense returns linebackers Rankin (54 tackles) and Jesse Hadler (75 tackles and two sacks) along with defensive back Owen Meadows (85 Tackles, 1 INT) and the loss of several seniors will see several new faces step in on the defensive side of the ball.
The special teams will return kicker Hunter Springmeyer, who hit 22 extra points last season for Greensburg. Anderson is also excited about freshman K/P Jacoby Miller who is a dual-sport athlete football/soccer but has the potential to be a big-time weapon in the kicking game.
The Bucs will be one of the few teams that will play all seven other EIAC schools this season after dropping Milan from the schedule and picking up a week eight game against East Central. They will start the season on Aug. 18 with a new turf field hosting Shelbyville.
