FAIRHOPE, Ala. - The Fairhope Pirates finished last season with a tough, if not devastating, loss in the second round of the 6A state playoffs to Carver-Montgomery after finishing the regular season with a 7-3 record.

They began the playoffs with a victory at Ladd Peebles Stadium against Davidson 10-0. The Pirates lost the following week at home against Carver-Montgomery 20-16 to end the season. The Pirates scored a total of 358 points last season while only surrendering 237.

This season, head coach Adam Winegarden is burdened with the task of overhauling a team that sees only two guys return on defense and five on offense.

“It’s going to be a journey. Every team is different; the 2013 team will be different than the 2012 team just like the 2014 team will be different than this team,” Winegarden said. “We have a lot of new faces but I feel like we are a very capable team.”

Just because the players joining the ranks are new starters Winegarden believes they have potential to do great things.

“We are going to be fairly inexperienced when it comes to the guys we will have on the field,” Winegarden said. “We have guys that I believe are capable it’s just going to be a journey and how they mature and learn their roles on the team. Football is like a beautiful puzzle, a team game.”

One person the Pirates hope they can count on is starting quarterback Grey Jackson. Jackson will take over an offense that scored just under 30 points per game a year ago. If not for an injury in the game against the Trojans, Jackson would have resumed the starting job throughout the rest of the season.

“He went through a great learning process (last season). He had two starts in two competitive games he is a physical character who loves to compete,” Winegarden said. “He is also a polished passer and I am excited to watch him play over the course of the season and to see him develop.”

Winegarden, who is entering his second year in Baldwin County with the Fairhope Pirates after leaving Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa, learned a lot in his first season in 6A Region 2.

“I think from top to bottom, even if the team doesn’t have a good record they can still beat you, because they have talent. I think every team you’re going to face in our league has enough ability to win on Friday nights,” Winegarden said. “I think in other places I have been you could look on your schedule and you can pretty much name the games you know can win unless you play really poorly.”

The schedule will prove to be tough again this season as each team in the region will play five games at home as well as five games on the road.

The five games Fairhope will play in front of the Pirate faithful this season will be St. Paul’s, Spanish Fort, Daphne, Robertsdale, and Northview.

The Pirates will begin the 2013 season at home against the St. Paul Saints on Aug. 30 at 7 p.m.