THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Permian High School Athletics

Despite scoring 50 points and piling up 552 yards of total offense, Permian head coach Blake Feldt wasn’t pleased with the team’s performance in the opening round of the playoffs. The Panthers were kept scoreless in the first quarter and plays from Ed Williams continued to keep them in scoring situations. Williams finished with 300 yards of total offense — 290 rushing and 10 receiving — and four touchdowns as Permian defeated El Paso Coronado 50-17 in a Class 6A Division I bi-district contest on Friday at Ratliff Stadium. “We need to realize what just happen and we need to be thankful and grateful for advancing and being where we are right now in the second round,” Feldt said. “We are excited about that and very proud of that. “At the same time as a football team, we have to be mature enough to understand what really happened tonight. We didn’t play well.” The sluggish start was also felt by Permian senior quarterback Steve Steen. The Panthers (9-1) were limited to 10 yards and zero first downs in their first two offensive possessions. The Thunderbirds (5-6) scored on their second possession — a 26-yard pass from Angelo Donatelli to Julian Madrid. “We have to play better at this point in the season,” said Steen, who ended with 76 rushing yards on 16 carries. He was also 3-of-8 passing for 30 yards. “We have to keep playing better if we hope to keep on advancing.” However, in the third offensive series, Williams received his first carry — an 8-yard gain. He continued to rack up the yards throughout the remainder of the contest. Williams had six carries for double-digit yards, which included a quartet of rushes for 23, 22, 40 and 67 yards. Williams scored two touchdowns in the second quarter to give the Panthers a 14-10 lead at halftime. He added two more in the third quarter. Williams admitted he wasn’t thinking about Permian’s individual rushing record of 299 yards in the playoff game held by Brandon Bailey in 2014 against Amarillo Tascosa. “At the time, it didn’t really matter, because I was just trying to do everything I could to help my team win,” Williams stated. After allowing 179 total yards in the first half, Permian’s defense also stepped up in the final 24 minutes. The Panthers defenders tallied a safety and a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Tanner Adams sacked Donatelli in the end zone for the safety, while Preston Ellison intercepted the El Paso Coronado quarterback and returned it 35 yards for the score. “We picked the intensity up,” Ellison said. “We still should have had a little bit more. There was definitely a switch between the first half and the second half. We have to have a good first and second half if we are going to go as deep (in the playoffs) as we want to.” Permian’s Carson Roberts kicked 22-yard field goal for the final score in the third quarter and added a 27-yard field goal for the opening score of the fourth. Kaden Horrell rushed for a 3-yard touchdown for his first varsity touchdown, the Panthers final score of the contest. The Panthers continue their season traveling to face Arlington Martin at 3:30 p.m. Friday at Maverick Stadium on the campus of the University of Texas at Arlington. “It’s great to a win, but at the same time now our focus is going to shift to Arlington Martin,” Steen said. “Week in and week out, we have to win. We have to shift our focus pretty quick.” Royal McGregor covers sports and Permian football for the Odessa American. Reach him at 432-333

THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Permian High School Athletics

WILLIAMS’ BIG NIGHT LIFTS PERMIAN TO PLAYOFF VICTORY OVER EL PASO CORONADO

ROYAL MCGREGOR

Odessa American | 11/19/2017

PHOTO CREDIT: Jacob Ford