The Permian Panthers wrapped up their first week of preseason practice Saturday with their first session in full pads.

Now the real work begins.

“I thought the first week was good,” Panthers interim coach Jeff Ellison said. “Our tempo was good. Our conditioning went well throughout camp.

“I thought (Saturday) overall was good. We had a couple of periods where I thought we dropped off with our speed and intensity, but we picked it up and ended up finishing on a positive note.”

While changes to University Interscholastic League rules allowed teams to engage in limited contact in shells (shoulder pads and helmets) from Wednesday through Friday, Ellison said Saturday’s first full-contact practice was a significant step in the preseason.

“Really for everybody, but especially with the guys inside — the offensive line and defensive line — when that contact starts, everything gets real pretty quick,” Ellison said. “It was good to get that going.

“We’ve been going against bags and on air a lot during this week. Obviously, things change when it’s live contact.”

Senior offensive lineman Landon Peterson said the first day in full pads changes everything.

“It’s just a whole different ball game from being in shells to going to full pads,” said Peterson, who has committed to Baylor. “You’re at full speed 24/7 just going.

“It’s huge. If you can’t hit, you can’t play O-line. You can’t do it.”

Junior defensive lineman KeyShawn Wright said it’s much the same on the other side of the ball.

“We’re ready to go,” he said. “We got to hit. It’s a big step for us.”

After a week of morning practices, things change for the Panthers on Monday with the beginning of classes and their weekly practice routine.

“We’ll have our athletic period and we’ll practice after school, but our kids are used to doing that,” Ellison said. “We’ve always done that.

“We need to continue to get better in all phases of the game — offensively, defensively and the kicking game.”

Peterson said the team’s focus now turns to being ready for Friday’s scrimmage against Lubbock-Cooper. Permian will host the Pirates at Ratliff Stadium at 7 p.m. Friday in its lone tuneup against outside competition before the season opener on Aug 31 against DeSoto.

“Overall, I think this week was a great week just to get out there and compete,” Peterson said. “We’ve got to make sure we get ready for (Lubbock) Cooper for our scrimmage and keep going throughout the season.”

Wright added that it’s just the start of what the Panthers hope to become a long grind.

“We’ve got to keep up the intensity, stay low and keep fighting,” he said.
