The Permian football team played at full strength three times throughout the 2016 season.

During their third nondistrict contest, the Panthers felt the sting of the injury bug and it continued to bite for the remainder of the campaign.

Permian experienced four season-ending right-knee injuries to four starters — two on offense, two on defense — in a span of five games.

Seth Higdon was the first of a slew of injuries. The 6-foot-1, 210-pound senior safety, who finished with the sixth most tackles (35) for the Panthers during his junior season, was hurt against El Paso Eastwood.

While patrolling the sidelines on crutches, Higdon watched Taivon Walker — a senior defensive tackle — suffer an injury during the final nondistrict contest against Bishop Timon-St. Jude (N.Y.). Kobe Robinson — senior slot back — was injured in the first District 2-6A contest, against Wolfforth Frenship, while junior slot back Brother Miller felt the final blow two games later against Amarillo Tascosa on the seventh play from scrimmage.

“That was crazy for me to see,” Higdon said. “I’ve never really been hurt that badly. I’ve never been out of a game and then four people go down in five weeks. That was crazy to see.”

The Panthers concluded the 2016 season with 6-4 record and missed the playoffs.

Permian head coach Blake Feldt said there’s really no rhyme or reason about the season-ending injuries. He hopes those serious injuries subside during the 2017 campaign.

“Anytime you have that many injuries, especially specifically one injury, you look and see if you are doing something wrong,” Feldt said. “When you look at it and analyze it, all of those guys didn’t hurt their knee making cuts. They didn’t hurt their knee running. They tore their ACLs by direct hit on the outside of their knee with a football helmet with the player going full speed while their foot was planted in the ground. There really isn’t anything you can do about that. That’s just sorry luck. That’s football and that happens sometimes.

“It has been my experience that stuff kind of comes in waves every now and then. You will have a long period of time where you don’t have anything like that happen. Like literally years and years. Then all of sudden, it bombards you all at once like it did last year.”

>> DEFENSE: The Panthers bring back a wealth of experience with nine defensive starters.

Those returners include seniors Preston Ellison, O’Ryan Farley, Ben Vore, Dorian Rand, Higdon, juniors Tanner Adams, Christian Tschauner, Rakeeb Adeyemi and Matt Jones.

Permian defensive coordinator Vance Washington expects senior Alvaro Ramos, juniors Keatyn Armstrong, Andy Notley and Zach Burlingame to join the fold.

“The experience of playing on Friday nights is a big deal,” Washington said. “They know the game speed. They know how practice is supposed to be. The retention has been great. That’s the biggest thing that (the coaching staff) is happy about. We just picked up where we left off. ”

In Farley’s case, the 6-2, 260-pound senior will split time between offense and defense as he has been practicing as the team’s first-team left tackle.

Farley said the last time he competed on both sides of the ball he was at Wilson & Young Medal of Honor Middle School. As a junior, Farley finished with 29 tackles and a team-high seven sacks as a defensive end.

“In junior high, I played a little bit of everything, because we had like 13 players on my team,” Farley said. “There isn’t anything that’s too new, but it’s going to be difficult on the varsity level.”

The defensive line will include the talents of Rand, Jones, Ramos, Burlingame and Farley part-time.

Jones was named a District 2-6A first-team linebacker in 2016 after he supplied 103 tackles, seven pass breakups, four tackles for a loss and two interceptions. Rand finished with 19 tackles and one fumble recovery.

Permian’s starting linebackers are Ellison, Adams, Notley and Armstrong. Adams led the Panthers with 109 tackles as a sophomore. Ellison supplied 83 tackles, 10 pass breakups, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and one interception.

The Panthers secondary will highlight Higdon and Vore as safeties, while Tschauner and Adeyemi are set to start at cornerback.

In addition to 35 tackles in three games, Higdon also posted four pass breakups and one interception. Vore concluded his junior campaign with 15 tackles and three pass breakups. Tschauner and Adeyemi combined for 44 tackles, 14 pass breakups and one interception.

The Panthers allowed 23.2 points per game. Permian collected shutouts against El Paso Franklin and Odessa High, while the team dropped back-to-back one-point losses to Midland High and Amarillo Tascosa during District 2-6A contests.

With the multitude of returners, Adams believes the defense is primed for a strong season.

“What’s good about having all the talent that we have is that we can trust one another,” he said. “If Preston has to do something, I know he’ll do, so I never have to worry about him. I can just focus on my job and do the best that I can.”
>> OFFENSE: The Panthers experienced a roller-coaster effect on offense.

Permian scored more than 40 points per contest, but there were times when the team struggled to move the ball down the field. The Panthers amassed 4,232 yards of total offense — an average of 423.2 yards per game.

The most important cog on offense for Permian every season is the offensive line. The first-team offensive linemen after the first week of practice included Pablo Olivares, Dawson Reynolds, Landon Peterson, John Hignojos and Farley. Rodney Gann took the place of Peterson, who had his left arm in a sling during Aug. 18 and Aug. 19.

“I’m happy to take, most would say burden, that position to protect the quarterback at his most vulnerable spot,” Farley said. “I see it as an opportunity to better the team.”

In the backfield for the Permian, senior Steve Steen returns as the starting quarterback. Junior Ed Williams comes back as the starting running back. Steen and Williams combined for 273 carries for 1,524 yards and 25 touchdowns.

Steen set a single-season rushing record for Permian quarterbacks in 2016. He rushed for 862 yards, which was 42 more than Taylor Byrd in 2007. Williams, who took limited snaps throughout the first three weeks, received his time to shine against Bishop Timon-St. Jude (N.Y.) where he rushed for 126 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries.

“I feel more comfortable, because I know what I’m doing now and I know what to expect when it comes game time” Williams said about his first season.

The Panthers’ playmakers include Miller, Justin Hammond, Toddrick Robinson, Devin Graham, Wyatt Stiles and Nakavieon White.

Robinson began the 2016 season as a cornerback, but moved to slot back after Miller suffered his season-ending injury. He grabbed three passes for 136 yards and two touchdowns. Robinson also had eight carries for 125 yards and two scores.

The junior slot back said it was a tough, yet, positive experience to be thrown into the offense immediately.

“I figure things out very fast,” Robinson said about moving from cornerback to slot back. “It was very hard for me, but I started to catch on and it got easier.”

Permian’s trio of Miller, Hammond and Robinson bring back 73 carries for 647 yards and eight touchdowns. They also grabbed 18 passes for 457 yards and six scores.

>> SPECIAL TEAMS: The Panthers will rely on sophomore kicker and punter Carson Roberts.

A year ago, Permian converted on 47 of 54 extra-point attempts and 3 of 4 field goals. Roberts said it was a little intimidating during the spring, but he has grown accustomed to being at the varsity level.

“I was on JV and (the coaching staff) brought me up to practice with the varsity,” Roberts said. “That kind of built a camaraderie with the players. In the spring, it was easier to perform at my best, because I knew the guys a little bit and it’s getting easier.”

Roberts stated that his career-best field goal in practice is 53 yards, but he feels that he can average 40 yards consistently.

The sophomore will also take over the punting duties. Permian’s punting average in 2016 was 35.7 yards, but Roberts believes he can hit average punts of 40 yards. Senior Ethan Easley will serve as Roberts’ long snapper.

With Permian’s explosive ability on offense, Roberts know he’ll have to be ready to perform an extra-point attempt or a field goal at any point in time.

“It could be third down and a game-winning situation, so you always have to be ready, go out there and do the best for your team,” Roberts said.

Permian kick and punt returners include Miller, Hammond and Robinson. Miller averaged 47.7 yards per kick return last season, which included a 100-yard touchdown against Midland High.
