The Permian football team lost three regular-season games in 2021.
The Panthers have avenged one of those defeats with a victory against Abilene High on opening night of the 2022 season.
Permian gets a chance to make it 2-for-2 on its redemption tour when it travels to face Amarillo Tascosa at 7 p.m. Friday at Dick Bivins Stadium in Amarillo.
The Rebels defeated the Panthers 40-20 last season.
Permian head coach Jeff Ellison knows that it’s going to take a complete effort against the Rebels.
“Tascosa is always a well-coached team,” Ellison said. “They have a lot of athletes and we are going to have to be prepared to play four quarters.”
Permian (2-0) is headed north following a complete victory against Waco Midway that saw the Panthers respond in the second half to pull away from the visitors at Ratliff Stadium.
Quarterback Rodney Hall was the conductor on offense, finishing 16-of-26 passing for 298 yards and five touchdowns.
Wide receiver Deonte Bass caught a pair of scoring tosses, with Tabarie Jones, Jaydn Pruitt and Ja’Quan Richardson each finishing with one.
The Panthers were dominant on defense by forcing five turnovers.
“Extra possessions for the offense,” defensive coordinator Vance Washington said. “We set a goal for three each game.”
The Rebels are going to test the Panthers’ run defense, with a trio of players all with more than 10o yards rushing this season.
Amarillo Tascosa has only thrown eight passes through two games, but Washington knows his side of the football has to be disciplined and make plays.
“They are going to be big, strong and physical like they always are,” Washington said. “It’s going to be a test.”
>> DISCIPLINE: The Panthers are going to need to play under control on offense as well.
Against Waco Midway, they were penalized nine times for 80 yards, with several of the penalties stalling drives.
>> IMMEDIATE IMPACT: Richardson didn’t see the field in the first half against Waco Midway.
He announced his presence when he raced behind the defenders for a 43-yard touchdown pass from Hall with 4:35 remaining in the third quarter.
Richardson would finish with five catches for 76 yards and the one score and moved back up the depth chart into a starting spot against Amarillo Tascosa.
>> REBELS HANDLE REBELS: Amarillo Tascosa faced Midland Legacy last week and it was the Rebels from the north emerging with a solid victory behind a dominant running attack and relentless defense.
Amarillo Tascosa rushed for 419 yards and passed for 40 in the 48-27 triumph.
Tascosa also pressured Midland Legacy quarterback Marcos Davila into one of his worst performances.
Davila completed just 8 of 20 passes for 124 yards and one touchdown, with one interception.
>> Follow Lee Scheide on Twitter at @OALeeScheide
PERMIAN PLAYER OF THE WEEK
JAYDN PRUITT
Height: 6-foot-0
Weight: 185
Class: Senior
Position: DB/WR
Last Week: Pruitt caught two passes for 52 yards and one touchdown, intercepted a pass on defense, made five tackles and returned two kickoffs ina 41-20 victory against Waco Midway.
GAME DAY
PERMIAN (2-0) AT AMARILLO TASCOSA (2-0)
7 tonight, Dick Bivins Stadium, Amarillo
Series: Permian leads, 23-10
Last Season: Amarillo Tascosa 40, Permian 20
Radio: FM-99.1 (KHKX)
Web: kicks99.net
Live updates:
On Twitter at OALeeScheide
KEYS TO VICTORY
>> HALL THE WAY: Quarterback Rodney Hall is the unquestioned leader on offense and he solidified that with his 288-yard, five-touchdown performance last week against Waco Midway. As Hall goes, so to do the Panthers, so keeping him upright and on the field is key.
>> STAY DISCIPLINED: Last week against the visiting Panthers, Permian took penalties that stalled several drives. It has to play with discipline, especially in the trenches on offense, especially against an athletic Amarillo Tascosa team that is going to provide challenges at the line of scrimmage.
>> EXTRA POSSESSIONS: Permian took the ball away five times last week and it was two turnovers in the third quarter that allowed the Panthers pull away for the victory. Getting the ball in Hall’s hands as often as possible is a good thing and will put more pressure on the Rebels’ defense..
— Lee Scheide
PANTHERS BREAKDOWN
Opponents to Watch
QB Hudson Farris : Has passed for 88 yards and rushed for 115 and two scores through first two weeks of play.
RB Tayden Barnes: He has 116 yards rushing in two games, but has found the end zone five times already in the Rebels’ victories.
LB Brenyn Barnes: Senior leads the Rebels with 17 tackles, including 3.5 tackles for loss.
NUMBERS GAME
23 — Number of points the Permian defense has allowed through two games this season.
34 — Number of points the Amarillo Tascosa defense has allowed through its two victories this season.
41.5 — Number of points Amarillo Tascosa is averaging on offense this season.
SCHEDULE
August
26 Abilene High W, 17-3
September
2 Waco Midway W, 41-20
9 at Amarillo Tascosa 7 p.m.
16 Harker Heights 7 p.m.
23 Abilene Cooper 7 p.m.
30 Bye
October
7 Odessa High 7 p.m.
14 Midland Legacy 7 p.m.
21 at Wolfforth Frenship 7 p.m.
28 at San Angelo Central 7 p.m.
November
4 Midland High 7 p.m.
PERMIAN STARTERS
Offense
Quarterback
25 Rodney Hall Sr.
Running back
43 Jonathon Viscaino Sr.
Wide receivers
2 Ja’Quan Richardson Sr.
3 Tabarie Jones Sr.
18 Deonte Bass Sr.
29 Jyzaiyah Solis Sr.
89 Nathan Rodriguez Sr.
Tackles
73 Harris Sewell Sr.
76 Israel Ponce Sr.
Guards
66 Ryan Ontiveroz Sr.
72 Nathaniel Rodriguez Sr.
Center
65 Francisco Sanchez Sr.
Defense
Defensive ends
52 Frank Alvarado Jr.
57 Desmond Hill Sr.
Nose guard
99 Bryan Pry Jr.
Linebackers
34 Preston Grizzell Jr.
36 Cayson Clinton Sr.
42 Jace Gilliam Sr.
47 Matthew Albia Sr.
Cornerbacks
3 Deonte Bass Sr.
4 Jadyn Pruitt Sr.
Safeties
6 Bryce Woody Sr.
12 Hayden Duran Sr.
Specialists
Place kicker
7 Tate Terry Sr.
Punter
7 Tate Terry Sr.
Head coach: Jeff Ellison ( 33-16)
