During the 2015 season, the Permian football team’s defense steamrolled opposing offenses.

That group, which featured solely starting seniors, allowed less than 11 points per game and totaled 25 turnovers in 12 contests.

Blake Feldt — the head coach of the Panthers — said in the final week of spring practice that he believes this could be the top defense the team has had since he arrived at Permian in 2013.

“The big positive is how we are playing on the defensive side of the ball,” Feldt said. “Our first group defensively is right now is the best since I’ve been here. We still have a long way to go and a lot of work ahead of us, but right now we are very pleased with where we are at defensively.”
Permian’s starting defense for the 2017 season will likely include six seniors and five juniors.

Seth Higdon — a 6-foot-2, 205-pound safety — said the defense has put together a solid spring. A majority of those potential starters received quality playing time during the 2016 season as the defense gave up 23.2 points per game on a team that finished with a 6-4 record.

The spring practice also marked the first time Higdon has trained alongside his teammates since he was forced to miss the final seven games of the 2016 season due to a right-knee injury.

“Our defense has looked really good, since last year,” Higdon said. “Even our twos are doing well and they know what do. Everyone is doing well right now.

“Experience helped a lot and it helped everyone not be so fidgety anymore. They know what to do.”

A year ago, Permian was hampered with specifically season-ending, right-knee injuries when four starters — Kobe Robinson, Brother Miller, Taivon Walker and Higdon — missed multiple games and for two defensive starters Walker and Higdon sat out the entire District 2-6A schedule.

The Panthers have stayed relatively healthy with the exception of their offensive line.

Permian’s Dawson Reynolds, Orlando Bueno, Marc Prieto and Landon Peterson have all suffered injuries, but Feldt believes none are serious enough to miss time in the fall.
 To insure limited injuries at Permian’s annual Black-White spring game at 6:30 tonight at Ratliff Stadium, members of the first-team offense and defense likely won’t take a snap.
“There hasn’t been a lot of consistency with the offensive line with guys that have gotten hurt in that first group,” Feldt said. “The good news is that all of them are going to be back. They will be ready to go within the next few weeks.”

Jeff Ellison — the Permian assistant head coach and offensive line coach — said the injuries have provided opportunities for other players to take meaningful snaps with the first- and second-team offenses.

For the last four years, the offensive line has helped the team average nearly 3,000 rushing yards per season. 
Ellison knows every member of the offensive lineman can play an important throughout the season.

“It has given us the opportunity to give guys that wouldn’t get a lot of reps as a second- or third-team that they are getting a majority of the reps as a first- or second-team guys,” Ellison said. “We tell them that it doesn’t matter where you are at on the depth chart. If you are a right guard, you’re not the third-team right guard, you are a right guard and you better know what to do if your name is called. If somebody’s shoe comes untied or somebody’s helmet comes off or whatever the case, you have to be the guy to go in there and that play may be the play wins us the game or loses us the game if you aren’t prepared.”
One of the running backs that will rely on a strong offensive line is Ed Williams.

The 5-9, 175-pound running back finished his sophomore campaign with 130 carries for 662 yards and eight touchdowns. Williams said with his second spring practice under his belt, he feels more comfortable in the backfield.

“Right now, we have a lot offensive line out, but I can still trust them,” Williams said. “They need the reps just in case one our linemen go down during the season.”
