It was a victory for Permian and a victory against the weather gods.
After a lengthy rain delay, the Permian football team managed to get a game in as the Panthers defeated Plano High 13-10 in last Friday’s season opener at Ratliff Stadium.
Not everyone was fortunate last week as Odessa High and Amarillo High saw their game canceled last Thursday due to lightning.
Numerous teams in West Texas had to deal with weather delays and postponements as well due to the inclement weather.
Permian’s game started at around 8 p.m. with the field conditions remaining wet for most of the evening.
With the win, the Panthers defeated the Wildcats for the first time in history as Permian avenged their previous four losses to Plano High and move to 1-0.
“It’s a big win for our program,” Permian head coach Jeff Ellison said. “I’m proud of our guys and our coaching staff keeping everyone focused during the rain delay. We started off a little bit rocky but our guys still remained focus for four quarters and got the win.”
>> Dealing with it: While dealing with any weather delay isn’t fun, the Panthers found ways to deal with it.
“We met with the kids and had to deal with the situation. Emotionally, we just had to keep everyone steady. I think the fact that we knew we were going to get the game in as the weather moved on so that kept the kids excited because everyone wanted to play a game.”
Neither team had a chance to get on the field and warm up until shortly before kickoff.
>> Good defense: Permian’s defense came through for the Panthers, holding Plano High to a scoreless second half and doing enough to secure the win.
“They looked good. We talked about how young we were in some spots. We made some mistakes with it being week one. Defensively, at the beginning of the game, we gave up bad field position but we held them to a field goal and they’re a good football team. They’re big up front. They have a good run game and a good quarterback.”
>> Passing woes: Whether it was because of the wet field, the weather delay or the fact that it was the first game of the season, Permian’s passing attack never materialized in last week’s game.
Quarterback Jakob Garcia went 3-of-11 for 21 yards with wide receiver Alexx Cruz hauling in one pass for 15 yards to lead the Panthers.
“I guess you can have different excuses and things like that but the bottom line is we have to get that fixed,” Ellison said. “You have to make those plays. Our kids are working hard and we’re going to fix it.”
>> Strong running game: However, what Permian lacked in the passing game, it made up for on the ground as running back Gavin Black rushed for 174 yards off 25 carries and scored Permian’s two touchdowns of the night.
The Panthers would put up 48 rushes for 246 total yards while Plano had 19 carries for 85 yards.
>> Looking ahead: The Panthers will now be on the road when they face El Paso Eastlake at 7 p.m. Friday at SAC I Stadium.
Eastlake (1-0) is coming off a 62-7 win over El Paso Bel Air.
“They’re a good program, good coaching staff,” Ellison said. “They do a lot of things spread wise. We have to be able to do a good job on defense and lining up. Defensively, they have some big kids up front so we have to do a good job but our kids are excited and ready to play week two.”
Permian at El Paso Eastlake
>> When: 7 p.m. Friday.
>> Where: SAC Stadium I.
>> Last season: Did not play.
>> Records: Permian 1-0; El Paso Eastlake 1-0
>> Radio: KHKX (FM-99.1)
