The Permian football team pulled off a 57-41 win in a shootout against Waco Midway Friday on the road.
The Panthers face another tough test this week when they host Amarillo Tascosa at 7 p.m. Friday at Ratliff Stadium.
The Rebels defeated Permian, 40-18, last year at Dick Bivins Stadium in Amarillo.
While the Panthers were holding their own in Hewitt, Tascosa was participating in an offensive battle of its own against Midland Legacy at Grande Communications Stadium in Midland.
The visiting Rebels fell by a 51-48 score.
Permian head coach Jeff Ellison is expecting a good challenge from the Panthers former district opponents.
“They do a great job, they’ve got very talented kids,” Ellison said. “Great size, great team speed and they’re disciplined and play hard, so it’s going to be a great challenge for us.”
The head coach believes his players have to focus on getting better this year instead of looking back to what happened in last season’s meeting with Amarillo Tascosa.
After its loss against Midland Legacy, Amarillo Tascosa is the No. 10 ranked team in Class 5A Division I.
“Last year was last year,” Ellison said. “This year we’ve got new challenges that we’ve got to get better at.”
Permian saw the connection between quarterback Rodney Hall and receiver Jaquan Richardson improve last week, as Richardson pulled in 111 of Hall’s 231 passing yards.
>> FAMILIAR FOE: Permian and Amarillo Tascosa faced off many times before the Rebels were reclassified from Class 6A to 5A last year.
The offense the Rebels run is also similar to Permian’s, with option schemes taking center stage to lead to high rushing production.
Tascosa ran for 389 yards in last week’s loss, while Permian ran for 359 against Waco Midway.
Permian defensive coordinator Vance Washington said Major Everhart, BT Daniel and the Tascosa offensive line are among factors to look out for in the matchup.
“I don’t see any weaknesses that they have, they’re a good offensive football team,” Washington said. “It helps to see this type of offense as much as we do, but it’s still a physical, hard-nosed football game.”
He believes whoever has the advantage in speed and physicality will come out with the victory.
>> BACK IN TOWN: After its game in Hewitt, Permian will be back at Ratliff Stadium for three straight contests.
The Panthers will host Amarillo Tascosa and Stellar Prep Academy in nondistrict action before playing in their District 2-6A opener against Abilene High at home Sept. 24.
It’s part of a home-based schedule that will see Permian’s remaining road games take place in Wolfforth and Midland.
>> SETTLE DOWN: Permian saw its offense find a rhythm in its second matchup of the season and its defense still made timely plays, but Ellison wants to see his players avoid putting themselves in tough positions.
The Panthers were penalized 10 times last week, resulting in 55 yards lost.
Maintaining strong focus in practices and games will help resolve those issues.
“If you’re wanting to truly fix an issue, then you have to concentrate on it, address it and not just forget about it,” Ellison said. “That’s the part of correcting your mistakes, focusing on them mentally and getting them corrected.”
>> SUBVARSITY RESULTS: The Permian subvarsity teams saw action last week, coming up with mostly positive results against San Angelo Central.
The Permian Junior Varsity Black team defeated the Bobcats 28-26 at Ratliff Stadium, but the JV White team couldn’t pull off the same result at home, falling by a 20-6 score.
Both of the school’s freshman teams played against the Bobcats, unlike the season opener where only the freshman black team saw game action.
The Permian Freshman Black team won 47-31 and the Freshman White team won 22-8.
All four of the subvarsity teams are scheduled to play against Midland Legacy this week.
Both of the JV teams will travel to Midland to play at Grande Communications Stadium and the freshman teams will play at the Ratliff South Turf Field.
JV and Freshman White will kick off at 5 p.m. Thursday, JV and Freshman Black play at 6:30 p.m.
>> Follow Chris Amaya on Twitter at @OA_CAmaya
AMARILLO TASCOSA AT PERMIAN
>> When: 7 p.m. Friday.
>> Where: Ratliff Stadium
>> Last Season: Amarillo Tascosa 40, Permian 18
>> Records: Permian 2-0; Amarillo Tascosa 1-1.
>> Radio: KHKX (FM-99.1).
>> Live Updates: Follow on Twitter at @OA_CAmaya.
PERMIAN PLAYER OF THE WEEK
RODNEY HALL
Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 170
Class: Junior
Position: Quarterback
Last Week: Completed nine of 15 passes for 231 yards and three touchdowns to go along with 173 yards on the ground and three rushing scores.
This season: Leads Permian with 358 passing yards and five touchdowns. Has rushed for 216 rushing yards and four touchdowns.
