THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Odessa High School Athletics

Permian and Odessa High traded punches early, but the Panthers had just a little bit more in their arsenal as the crosstown rivals opened District 2-6A play Friday at Ratliff Stadium. Peyton Powell rushed for three touchdowns and passed for a fourth, while Ed Williams and Justin Hammond each went over the 100-yard mark as the Panthers pulled away for a 42-10 victory. “It’s a great feeling and a great opportunity, knowing that we got the first one of the district,” Permian defensive end Matt Jones said. “It sets a tone for the rest of district. We’ve got full confidence that we’re going to come out every game in district and win it.” The outcome was overshadowed by an injury to Odessa High defensive back Charles McClure, also the Bronchos’ punter and kick returner, when he was involved in a collision while defending a pass in the end zone late in the third quarter. McClure was strapped to a backboard and removed from the field on a cart, but did show movement in his arms and legs. “We’re going to check on Charles,” Odessa High coach Danny Servance said. “I hadn’t heard anything more when they hauled him off in the ambulance. We’ll check on him and evaluate after that.” Permian finished with 482 total yards. Powell completed 8 of 11 passes for 166 yards and rushed for 82 yards. Williams finished with 185 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries and Hammond caught six passes for 141 yards. “It was really just the O-line making holes and Ed and Justin running, the slots and receivers making catches and evreybody doing their job,” Powell said. Odessa High was led by quarterback Trey Smith, who rushed for 61 yards on 10 carries and was 8 of 18 passing for 88 yards as the Bronchos finished with 247 total yards. Julian Galindo, who scored Odessa High’s touchdown on a kickoff return, caught six passes for 106 yards. Austin Aguirre had a fumble recovery and an interception in the Bronchos’ end of the field. “Permian gave us a hard time with their speed,” Servance said. “That was the fastest team that we’ve seen up to this point. “I give them a lot of credit for being able to execute when they needed to in order to win the ballgame.” Permian (4-2 overall, 1-0 district) didn’t look very sharp at the start, drawing a delay-of-game penalty before the first snap and losing 6 yards once it did run a play. Williams changed all that on the next snap, bursting through the middle for an 86-yard touchdown. Odessa High (4-2, 0-1) wasted no time in responding as Galindo returned the ensuing kickoff 70 yards to score, putting both teams on the board just 50 seconds into the contest. The Panthers came right back with Powell’s 16-yard touchdown pass to Hammond before getting the first break, however small, when the Bronchos settled for Cain Cordova’s 27-yard field goal with 1:41 to go in the first quarter. The Bronchos had first-and-goal from inside the Permian 1-yard line, but the Panthers stopped Josh Lara for a loss or no gain on each of the next three plays, and a delay flag pushed Odessa High back another five yards before Cordova’s kick. “That was huge,” Permian interim coach Jeff Ellison said of the sequence. “Our defense played great all night, we just had a huge mistake on our special teams. That was a great stop for us.” After an exchange of punts, Permian picked things up in the second quarter as Powell scored on runs of 19 and 7 yards to make it 28-10 with 4:57 left in the half. Odessa High gambled and lost on fourth-and-1 from its own 34 on the next series, and the Panthers cashed in immediately when Mason Sellers hit Hammond for a 34-yard score on the next play. “Our offense and defense knew we didn’t want them to stay in the game,” Powell said of getting separation from the Bronchos. “We wanted to make this win as big as possible. For us to be able to execute the plays, it made it easy.” Powell’s 18-yard touchdown two plays after McClure’s injury was the only score of the second half. Permian lost two turnovers in Odessa High territory.

THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Odessa High School Athletics

PERMIAN PULLS AWAY FROM ODESSA HIGH IN 2-6A OPENER

SAM WALLER

Odessa American | 10/14/2018

PHOTO CREDIT: Midland Reporter Telegram