The Permian football team needed some late magic to pull off last week’s win at Waco Midway.
The Panthers won’t mind as long as it helps get them in right frame mind and forget about their opening season loss to Abilene High.
Permian (1-1) got in the win column for the first time this season with a 27-21 win over Midway (0-2) last Friday in Waco.
“It feels great,” Permian head coach Jeff Ellison said. “I’m proud of our guys for bouncing back from Week 1. We had a good week of practice. It was a long drive to get there. We did a good job of staying focused throughout the day. We did a good job of going through our road trip routine. I thought we played extremely physical on both sides of the ball. It was good to get back on track.”
After a tough start to the season in a 49-14 loss to Abilene High at home two weeks ago, the Panthers’ offense came to life in Week 2 while the defense managed to shut down Midway in the final minutes of the game.
“Up front with the offensive line, they did a good job of coming off the line and controlling the line of scrimmage all night,” Ellison said. “Hats off to our quarterback (Jakob Garcia). He got his feet wet in the first week and did a good job of executing the offense. He was throwing more confidence. We had some big plays. Defensively, I thought we were a little hesitant in Week 1 but we got that corrected and thought our guys did a good job of flying to the football.”
>> LARA:Trailing 21-19 in the fourth quarter, Permian running back Juzstyce Lara scored on a 4-yard run and the Panthers converted the two-point conversion to take the lead for good with 7:46 left in the game.
“Juzstyce had a great night,” Ellison said. “He had over 100 yards rushing. The offensive line did a great job of blocking for him. Juzstyce is a great football player for us. He’s gotten better. He had a great off-season and summer. He’s grown for us as a leader. He’s getting better each week.”
>> CONFIDENCE BOOST: With a couple of players still trying to gain more varsity experience on this year’s Permian team, Ellison is hopeful that last week’s comeback victory can help steer the Panthers in the right direction.
“it’s a great confidence builder for our team,” Ellison said. “With the experience that our guys have, getting that win and everybody looking around and thinking ‘ok, we can do this.’ If we play with that intensity, we’ll be fine. We proved to ourselves that we can do it but now we have to do it week in and week out.”
>> TASCOSA: Now, Permian returns home to face a team it knows all too well as former District 2-6A foes Amarillo Tascosa (1-1) comes to town this week in a 7 p.m. contest Friday at Ratliff Stadium.
The Rebels, which plays in District 2-5A DI, is coming off a 63-34 loss to Midland Legacy last Friday at Astound Broadband Stadium in Midland.
Coached by Ken Plunk, the Rebels enter this season with a younger squad than in previous seasons, coming off a 10-2 record from last year which ended with a 31-7 loss to Burleson Centennial in the area round of the playoffs.
Tascosa began the season with a 28-7 win over Palo Duro.
In recent years, the Rebels have made it tough for Permian.
Last year, the Panthers squeezed by with a 13-12 win at Dick Bivins Stadium in Amarillo.
In 2021, it was Tascosa that had the final laugh in a 40-20 win.
The Rebels also defeated the Panthers 40-18 in 2020.
“Tascosa is a tough team,” Ellison said. “Coach Plunk does a great job with his team. We’re expecting a fired up Tascosa team on Friday. They do a great job on defense. They have a great attacking defense and on the veer offense, they pound it all game. We’re expecting a fight for sure.”
Amarillo Tascosa (1-1) at Permian (1-1)
>> When: 7 p.m. Friday
>> Where: Ratliff Stadium
>> Last season: Permian 13, Amarillo Tascosa 12
>> Records: Amarillo Tascosa 1-1; Permian 1-1
>> Radio: KHKX (FM-99.1)
