The Permian football team didn’t get the start it wanted to District 2-6A play, falling to Abilene High 42-21 Friday at home.
Permian couldn’t find its footing after the Eagles jumped in front early and took control of the clock throughout the rest of the matchup, limiting the Panthers to a few big plays on offense.
Head coach Jeff Ellison said his team went right to work during practice Monday to figure out what needed to be fixed in terms of play execution and staying in the right state of mind.
The team’s leadership was important in making sure every player kept their heads up heading into their second district game.
“I thought we prepped well last week, we’ve just got to keep that confidence and go out and execute on Fridays,” Ellison said. “Our senior class is doing a good job of keeping everybody focused and not letting anybody get their heads down, I heard a lot of that on Friday.
“I didn’t feel like we had turned on anything or things were going downhill, I was proud of that. There’s been a few guys who have stepped up and gotten everybody focused.”
Permian (3-2 overall, 0-1 district) will make the drive north to play Wolfforth Frenship (4-1, 1-0) at 7 p.m. Friday at Peoples Bank Stadium in Wolfforth.
The Tigers are averaging 33.4 points per game and are coming off a 49-32 victory over San Angelo Central last week on the road.
>> GOING AWAY: Permian hasn’t played a lot of road games in the early part of the 2021 season and its players are still used to getting out and traveling.
One of the more important things after sitting in a bus for a while is staying mentally focused on the events of the evening.
Ellison said his players are ready for the away game routine.
“Any type of travel for us, we have our routine depending on if it’s a two-hour trip or a five-hour trip,” Ellison said. “Our kids as far as staying focused throughout the day have done a good job of doing that.”
The only road game the Panthers have played this season was against Waco Midway in Hewitt.
After their trip to Wolfforth, their only other away trips involve driving to Midland to play Midland High and Midland Legacy at Grande Communications Stadium.
>> CONTAINING THEM: Along with averaging 33.4 points per game, Wolfforth Frenship has also seen a connection blossom between quarterback Chad Pharies and receiver Tate Beeles.
The junior pass catcher has reeled in 20 receptions for 394 yards to go along with seven scores and Pharies has shown an ability to be dangerous with both his arms and his legs.
He has thrown for 960 yards, 12 touchdowns and three interceptions while leading the Tigers with 350 yards on the ground.
Against San Angelo Central, Pharies carried the ball 23 times for 191 yards and five rushing touchdowns.
“We’ve got to complete our assignments, we have to do a great job in our preparation,” Ellison said. “We have to go out and do what we’re coached to do during the game, we’ll play with high intensity.”
>> ON THEIR SIDE: Wolfforth Frenship head coach Jay Northcutt has been pleased with the way his team has played throughout the early part of the season, handling adversity well on both sides of the ball.
While the Tigers have been able to consistently score, they also have been able to make solid defensive stops.
Their two late goal line stops in a 14-13 win over Lubbock-Cooper on Sept. 10 stand out.
“(We) weathered some different pieces of adversity on both sides of the ball in different weeks that I think just helped build us and learn lessons that made us better,” Northcutt said.
Northcutt believes Permian presents a tough challenge because of the offense the team runs, making it difficult to simulate what they might see during practice.
The physicality Permian’s defense has shown in its game also gives Northcutt something else to focus on.
“I’ve been very impressed with their front, I feel like those guys up front get off the ball well and run to the ball well,” he said.
>> SUBVARSITY: The Permian subvarsity teams saw split results against Abilene High last week, with Junior Varsity teams gaining victories and the freshmen teams picking up losses.
JV Black defeated the Eagles 14-6 and will host Wolfforth Frenship at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Ratliff Stadium, while JV White won 7-0 and plays the Tigers at 5 p.m. at the same venue.
Freshman Black lost 7-6 and Freshman White lost 18-6, both teams will travel to Wolfforth this week with Black kicking off at 6:30 p.m. Thursday and White playing at 5 p.m.
>> Follow Chris Amaya on Twitter at @OA_CAmaya
PERMIAN AT WOLFFORTH FRENSHIP
>> When: 7 p.m. Friday.
>> Where: Peoples Bank Stadium, Wolfforth.
>> Last Season: Permian 36, Wolfforth Frenship 27.
>> Records: Permian 3-2 overall, 0-1 District 2-6A; Wolfforth Frenship 4-1, 1-0.
>> Radio: KHKX (FM-99.1).
>> Live Updates: Follow on Twitter at @OA_CAmaya.
PERMIAN PLAYER OF THE WEEK
JAQUAN RICHARDSON
Height: 6-foot-0
Weight: 185
Class: Junior
Position: Wide Receiver
Last Week: Caught five passes for 117 yards and two scores, including a 72-yard touchdown pass, against Abilene High.
This season: Leads Permian with 355 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns.
