GAME ARTICLES
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SEPTEMBER 2nd- The Permian Panthers got into the win column in a big way on Friday night, rolling up 643 yards in a 59-44 victory over the Spanaway Bethel Braves.
Bethel got on the scoreboard first with a safety. MOJO responded with 24 unanswered points. Jorrion Wilson busted loose for a 76 yard touchdown run, and Nestor Castellon scored on a pair of passes from Jack Wilkins. The Braves then got two quick TDs before the half, and MOJO went into the break with a 24-16 lead.
The Braves shocked the Ratliff crowd with a 93 yard kickoff return to open the third quarter, tying the game at 24-all. Bethel was back in the game and seemingly in control. But MOJO had an answer. Kacey Ryan led the Panthers on a 58 yard scoring drive, capped by Wilson's four yard TD. On the Braves next possession, CB Tyler Grizzell batted away a third down pass to force a field goal try. The kick was wide left, giving the Panthers the ball on their own 20. Wilson then took the first snap to the house for an 80 yard score, Clay Adams grabbed an interception on the Braves ensuing possession, and just like that momentum was back on the home side. Wilson- who racked up 348 yards for a new school record- added two more scores to give him five on the night, and MOJO went home with the win.
SEPTEMBER 16th- Permian got back in the win column with a 28-26 win over Amarillo Tascosa.
Tascosa got on the board first for a 6-0 lead. Permian answered with a 77 yard drive capped off with a touchdown pass from Jack Wilkins to Michael Miller. The Rebels would respond with another score to make it 13-7. On the next Tascosa possession Clay Adams grabbed the first of two interceptions, and Jorrion Wilson took advantage of the gift with a 91 yard touchdown run to give MOJO the lead for good. On the ensuing series, Nestor Castellon grabbed an interception of his own to set up the Panthers at the Rebels three yard line. Wilson bulled in two plays later to give MOJO a 21-13 lead. After another defensive stand, Kacey Ryan hooked up with a wide-open Andrew Perez for a 36 yard score. Permian took a 28-13 lead into the break.
The second half was a scoreless affair until the fourth quarter, when the Rebels scored a pair of touchdowns to pull within two points. The Panthers defense stepped up to thwart the final drive however, and from there ran out the clock for the 28-26 victory.
SEPTEMBER 23rd- Permian had a happy Homecoming on Friday, defeating Lubbock Monterey 56-14.
MOJO dominated from the opening kickoff, as Jorrion Wilson scored on the fourth play of the game. The Plainsmen answered with a 74 yard drive to tie the game at 7-7. That was as close as Monterey would get, as the Panthers responded with a 67 yard kick return by Andrew Perez, and big passes up the seam from Kacey Ryan to Nestor Castellon. Wilson tacked on two more scores to stake MOJO to a 21-7 lead early in the second quarter. The defense rose up in a big way on the next Plainsman possession, as Jordan Leake batted a pass, then grabbed the ball out of the air and returned it to the Monterey 10 yard line. Ryan scrambled into the endzone on the next play. After the defense forced another three-and-out, Ryan hit a streaking Andrew Perez on the far sideline for a 36 yard touchdown strike. Brett Becker's extra point gave Permian a 35-7 halftime lead.
The second half was more of the same for MOJO. Leake got another turnover for the defense, chasing down the Monterey quarterback and knocking the ball loose from behind. Ryan hit Perez for the second time on a 27 yard catch-and-run TD. On the next Panther possession, Jack Wilkins hit Josh Ontiveroz on a seam route to get MOJO back in striking distance. Wilkins capped the drive with a one yard TD run, and Permian was well in control with a 49-7 lead. JaQuille White ended the evening with a four yard plunge for the final score.
OCTOBER 14th- The Panthers fell to 1-1 in District 3-5A with a 55-35 loss to Abilene Cooper.
It was a tale of two games for most of the night. Cooper jumped out to a 20-0 lead before the Panthers could get the offense untracked. The defense would finally get MOJO on the board, when Adam Leos picked up a fumble and returned it 23 yards for a touchdown. On Permian's next possession, Jack Wilkins hit Andrew Perez for a 26 yard touchdown pass. After a rough start, Permian went into the lockerroom only down by six at 20-14.
The second half started out great for the Panthers, as Clay Adams intercepted a Cooper pass to set up the offense on the 48 yard line. Jorrion Wilson gave MOJO their first lead of the night four plays later, crashing over from five yards out. Brett Becker's PAT gave MOJO a 21-20 lead, and it appeared the momentum was firmly on the home side. That was as good as it would get for the Panthers however as the Cougars scored five straight touchdowns, including interception and fumble returns for touchdowns in the fourth quarter to seal the victory. The Panthers ended the scoring with an 11 yard touchdown pass from Wilkins to Perez with 15 seconds left in the game. The loss drops Permian to 1-1 in district, while Abilene Cooper sits in first place at 2-0.
OCTOBER 7th- The Permian Panthers sent a message to the rest of District 3-5A with a 28-26 victory over previously undefeated Midland High.
MOJO received the opening kick and marched methodically down the field, as Jorrion Wilson capped a 15 play drive with a one yard TD run. Brett Becker's PAT gave Permian a 7-0 lead. After a three and out by the MOJO defense, Kacey Ryan connected with Van Powell for a six yard scoring toss. On the next Permian possession, Midland grabbed an interception to set up a 36 yard touchdown run. The extra point was wide left, but the Bulldogs were on the board. MOJO answered with a 51 yard TD pass from Jack Wilkins to Michael Miller. The half ended with MOJO on top 21-6.
The second half saw Midland get back in the game on a 46 yard scoring pass. Permian responded with Wilson's 62 yard touchdown run, making the score 28-13. The Bulldogs pulled to within eight points with a 39 yard touchdown run. After some stout defensive play by both teams, Midland got the ball back with 1:50 to play. The Bulldogs finally hit paydirt with :09 left to play and a chance to tie with a two point conversion but the pass attempt was incomplete, leaving Permian with a 28-26 lead. Midland attempted an onside kick, but the ball was recovered before it had traveled 10 yards. The Panthers lined up for one final kneel down, and the game goes to MOJO.
OCTOBER 21st- The Panthers improved to 2-1 in league play with a 17-16 win over Midland Lee.
MOJO got off to a good start, receiving the opening kick and marching down the field on a 15 play scoring drive. Jack Wilkins hit Van Powell from 10 yards, and the Panthers were up 7-0. The Rebels fumbled the ensuing kickoff, with Jordan Leake recovering to set the Panthers up at Lee's 35 yard line. Wilkins would hook up with Powell again from 11 yards out. MOJO went into the lockerroom with a 14-0 lead.
The second half was a stalemate until the fourth quarter, when Lee showed they weren't quite dead. After Brett Becker added to Permian's lead with a 37 yard field goal, Lee's offense began to show signs of life. The Rebels capped a 60 yard drive with a two yard touchdown run, then made it a one score game on the next possession with a 36 yard field goal. The Panthers tried to run out the clock but could not convert on 4th down, leaving the Rebels with a little over two minutes to tie the game. Lee got the touchdown they were looking for with six seconds remaining, setting up a heart-stopping finish. Rather than kick the PAT for the tie, the Rebels faked the kick and threw for the endzone. CB Javier Gavaldon was able to tip the ball just enough to break up the pass, leaving the Rebels down by one point. Lee attempted an onside kick but Wilkins fielded the ball cleanly, and the Permian victory celebration began. With the win the Panthers are 2-1 in district, while Lee falls to 0-3.
OCTOBER 28th- The Panthers clinched a playoff spot with a thrilling 36-29 come-from-behind win over Odessa.
MOJO opened the game with a 65 yard scoring drive, capped by Jack Wilkins' 20 yard touchdown run. Odessa's Johnny Campos answered with a TD run of his own to tie the game at 7-7. MOJO made it 14-7 with a 23 yard TD by JaQuille White. After forcing a punt, Permian looked to extend their lead but the Bronchos had other ideas, stepping in front of a Wilkins pass and taking it back for the score. Wilkins hit Van Powell from 20 yards out to make it 21-14, but the Bronchos responded with a 78 yard scoring drive. The PAT hit the upright, leaving MOJO ahead 21-20. On the next Permian possession, Clay Adams was stripped of the ball in a pileup, with the Bronchos recovering. Campos got Odessa into the endzone with five seconds on the clock. The Panthers went into the break down 26-21.
After a scoreless third quarter, the Bronchos extended their lead with a 40 yard fourth quarter field goal. Kacey Ryan came off the bench in relief of Wilkins, and on the fourth play of the drive hit Andrew Perez for a 59 yard catch-and-run touchdown. Van Powell made a diving catch to get the two point conversion, and the game was tied 29-29 with 3:33 remaining. A big stand by the MOJO defense forced the Bronchos to punt, setting up the wild finish. On the first play of the ensuing drive Powell took a screen pass from Ryan, bounced to the outside, then raced up the sideline for the 85 yard touchdown that won the game.
NOVEMBER 4th- In a game that had bearing on the district championship- but had no effect on the playoffs- the Panthers fell to Abilene 42-14 at Ratliff Stadium.
The Permian defense got off to a promising start, forcing the Eagles to punt on their first possession. Abilene's defense answered with a three and out of their own. From there the Eagles got their offense cranked up, scoring on a 22 yard run. The Panthers moved the ball on their next possession, but a tipped pass fell into the hands of an Abilene defender, who took it 63 yards to the house. Just like that, Abilene was up 14-0 in the first quarter. After another Permian drive stalled, Abilene went on a 95 yard scoring drive capped by a one yard TD run by the Eagle's QB. Another Abilene score on a screen pass gave the Eagles a 28-0 halftime score.
The second half was more of the same for MOJO. After a defensive stalemate for most of the third quarter, the Eagles scored again on another 95 yard drive. A nine yard pass from the swinging gate formation gave Abilene a 35-0 lead. Permian finally got on the board with a five play, 54 yard scoring drive capped by a touchdown pass from Jack Wilkins to Van Powell. The Panthers put together another scoring drive, going 67 yards in eight plays. Michael Miller hauled in the touchdown pass from Wilkins for the score. The Eagles added one more touchdown to make the final 42-14 score. MOJO ends the regular season at 6-4, 3-2 in District 3-5A. Abilene wins the District 3-5A title with the win.
NOVEMBER 11th- Permian saw their playoff run end at the hands of the Arlington Bowie Volunteers.
For most of the first half the Panthers were playing pretty well, limiting the explosive Bowie offense to just 14 points as the second quarter was winding down. Unfortunately, the MOJO offense was having trouble overcoming the speed of the Volunteers defense. After stopping Jorrion Wilson short on a fourth down run, Bowie's quarterback scored on a 59 yard run as the first half clock was winding down. The Panthers went into the lockerroom down 21-0.
The second half kick belonged to Bowie, and they promptly capitalized with an eight play, 71 yard scoring drive to make it 28-0. After a quick three-and-out from the MOJO offense the Volunteers struck again quickly, scoring on a 54 yard halfback pass for a 35-0 lead. Bowie would add another score in the fourth quarter before MOJO finally got on the board, with Jorrion Wilson crashing across the goalline from one yard out with 1:55 remaining in the game.
Jack Wilkins ended the game with 232 yards passing. Van Powell was the recipient of most of those yards, hauling in eight catches for 128 yards. Andrew Perez added 58 yards on six catches.
The Panthers end the 2011 season at 6-5, with lots of positives to work with as they prepare for the offseason. With six starters on each side of the ball returning, a solid junior varsity, and a very talented freshman class coming up, the future looks bright for Permian football in 2012.
