After winning three of their four nondistrict contests, the Permian football team is ready to turn its attention to District 2-6A action.
The Panthers are set to host Abilene High at 7 p.m. Friday at Ratliff Stadium, marking their third straight home game of the 2021 season.
Permian had to set up its game against Mesquite Poteet last week on short notice due to COVID-19 issues, but that didn’t stop the Panthers from showing how dominant their offense can be.
The 49-14 win helped the Panthers get rid of the bad taste that was left behind when they fell to Amarillo Tascosa two weeks ago.
Against Mesquite Poteet, Permian put 578 yards of total offense and ran for 525 yards as a team.
That mark was the second highest single-game rushing yardage total in program history.
“It was a great team win,” Permian head coach Jeff Ellison said. “I thought we did a better job at tackling and we just need to stay focused on us heading into district play.”
The head coach wants his team to approach its game day preparations the same way it has been all season, looking to avoid errors that put it behind in crucial situations.
Permian cut down on some of the penalty mistakes it has endured in the early part of the campaign against Mesquite Poteet, being called by the referees four times for 50 yards in the matchup.
Ellison is expecting a great matchup from the Eagles to kick off the most important games of the season.
>> BEEN HERE BEFORE: Permian and Abilene High are no strangers to each other, as they have faced off in district action for a few decades.
Since 1959, the Panthers have a 36-18-2 mark against the Eagles.
There was a bit of a break in the games between the teams when the Eagles were moved out of the district and played games against teams in the Metroplex.
After Amarillo Tascosa dropped down to Class 5A, Abilene High was brought back into District 2-6A during UIL realignment in 2020.
In their first game back last season, Abilene High defeated Permian 27-25 at Shotwell Stadium in Abilene to hand the Panthers their only district loss of the year.
>> ON THEIR SIDE: Abilene High head coach Mike Fullen said he’s ready to face a tough atmosphere when his team steps into Ratliff Stadium.
“They’re a good team, very good at what they do,” Fullen said of the Panthers. “It’s going to be a good atmosphere and it’s what makes this district special, the type of football that’s played in the district and the community support.
“Looking forward to kicking off district and we got one of the big dogs early.”
After dropping their first two games of the season, the Eagles are riding a two-game winning streak after defeating Cedar Park Vista Ridge and Grand Prairie.
Fullen feels confident about the direction his team his headed after playing some tough road games in nondistrict.
>> MORE SECURE: Permian had a few defensive players also fill up the stat sheet with the offense against Mesquite Poteet last week.
The Panthers had five players secure at least five total tackles last week, with Jaxon Dorethy leading the way with 14.
He also had four tackles for loss against the Pirates and he was followed closely by Peyton Sharp, who finished the night with 12 tackles.
Jyzaiyah Solis also made a big play for the Panthers when he returned an interception 48 yards for a touchdown.
Dorethy leads the Panthers with 49 tackles through the first four games of the season.
>> SUBVARSITY: All Permian subvarsity teams were off last week, but they’ll be back in action Thursday against Abilene High.
The Junior Varsity Black and White teams will face the Eagles at Ratliff Stadium, with White kicking off at 5 p.m. and Black starting its game at 6:30 p.m.
The freshman teams will host Abilene High at the Ratliff South Turf Fields and the freshman White team will start at 5 p.m., while freshman Black starts at 6:30 p.m.
>> Follow Chris Amaya on Twitter at @OA_CAmaya
ABILENE HIGH AT PERMIAN
>> When: 7 p.m. Friday.
>> Where: Ratliff Stadium
>> Last Season: Abilene High 27, Permian 25.
>> Records: Permian 3-1; Abilene High 2-2.
>> Radio: KMCM (FM-96.9).
>> Live Updates: Follow on Twitter at @OA_CAmaya.
PERMIAN OF THE WEEK
JAXON DORETHY
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 195
Class: Senior
Position: Outside Linebacker
Last Week: Recorded 14 total tackles along with four tackles for loss and one quarterback hurry.
This season: Leads Permian with 49 total tackles and nine tackles for loss.
