FOOTBALL: Falcons, Bronchos, Panthers prep for camp

Let the countdown begin.

The UTPB, Odessa High and Permian football teams begin preparations for the 2022 season on Monday.

Odessa High will be the first on the field, with the Bronchos lighting up Coleman Field at 6:30 a.m. for the first of four days of conditioning and walkthroughs without pads.

Permian opens its practices at 9 a.m. on Wilkins Field, while the Falcons will hit the Falcon Field turf at 9 a.m. as well.

Odessa High, under the direction of second-year head coach Dusty Ortiz, looks to continue laying the foundation it hopes with result in the program’s first playoff berth since 2013.

The Bronchos went 3-7 in Ortiz’s first year, installing a new offense and snapping losing streaks dating back to the 2018 season.

Odessa High saw wide receiver Ivan Carreon, now a junior, thrive in the new scheme as he set multiple school receiving records and is just 15 yards shy of setting a career mark.

Permian, with Jeff Ellison at the helm for the fifth season, finished 8-4 last year, advancing to the Class 6A Division I area playoffs.

The Panthers have made the playoffs the past five seasons and look to extend that streak behind senior quarterback Rodney Hall.

The Falcons head into their summer practices on the heels of playing in the program’s first bowl game, against Oklahoma Baptist in Dec., 2021.

Justin Carrigan is back for his eighth season leading the program, the only coach the Falcons have had.

UTPB played two seasons in 2021 as the COVID-19 pandemic pushed the 2020 schedule to the spring, where the Falcons went 5-0.

They then went 5-5 during the fall season, with key Lone Star Conference victories against West Texas A&M, Western New Mexico and Eastern New Mexico.

Both Odessa High and Permian open the regular season on Aug. 26, with the Falcons starting their 2022 campaign on Sept. 3 against Southwest Baptist in Midland.