THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Permian High School Athletics

The Permian football team’s 2019 season came to an end with a 71-28 loss to Arlington Martin in the area round of the playoffs Friday night at Ratliff Stadium. The Panthers end the season at 7-5, while the Warriors improved to 11-1. The 71 points are the most the Panthers have allowed in a game in school history. The Warriors’ 43-point margin of victory was also a record for a Permian opponent. “It’s not a good feeling to lose,” Permian head coach Jeff Ellison said. “Arlington Martin is a dang good football team. This team has done wonders this year. I’m proud of our players. I’m proud of our senior class and for everything they’ve done. They believed in the coaching staff so we’re disappointed with the result but with what this senior class continued with their work ethic and everything, that’s going to play dividends for us in the future.” Arlington Martin will face the winner of today’s Flower Mound-Duncanville game next week in the regional round of the playoffs. “I was very pleased with our offense tonight,” Arlington Martin head coach Bob Wager said. “We have so much respect for the Permian program. The grittiness and the toughness really showed in the second half. We then made some big plays in the second half and that helped loosen some things up. We want the takeaway battle and that helped us out.” The first half was not very kind to the Panthers. Where in previous victories, Permian found itself leading or at least tied in the early stages of the game, the Panthers found themselves in a 14-point hole by the end of the first quarter against the Warriors. Arlington Martin wasted no time in getting started, scoring on its first possession of the night on a six-play, 75-yard drive that last just 67 seconds and was capped on a 12-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Zach Mundell to wide receiver Cal Robinson. The Panthers were then forced to punt after going three-and-out. The Warriors thanked Permian by marching down the field on a seven-play, 63-yard scoring drive that resulted in a 7-yard touchdown by running back Jaden Miles with 5:36 left in the first quarter. Permian continued to struggle to get anything going on offense and was forced to punt again. However, the Panthers’ defense managed to get its first stop of the night, forcing the Warriors to turn the ball over on downs after Mundell tossed three consecutive incomplete passes. The defensive stop proved crucial to the Panthers as Permian’s offense answered by marching down field on a scoring drive, capped by Easton Hernandez’s 4-yard touchdown run at the 10:21 mark of the second quarter. The scoring drive covered 69 yards in 10 plays and featured a fourth-down conversion when punter Carson Roberts completed a 16-yard pass to Chase Stell on a fake punt. It didn’t take Martin very long to answer Permian’s scoring effort. On their ensuring possession, the Warriors quickly worked downfield and doubled its lead when Mundell completed a 25-yard touchdown pass to tight end Ryan Wallace. Permian’s offense couldn’t respond and its next offensive drive resulted in an interception by Martin’s corner back Placide Djungu-Sungu. After both teams were forced to punt, Martin’s offense had one more scoring drive left in it before halftime, finding the end zone after a three-play drive that was capped by Jaden Miles’ 14-yard touchdown run for a 28-7 lead at halftime. Permian got the ball to start the second half and got off to the right start, scoring on a 3-yard run by Malachi Medlock with 8:39 remaining in the third quarter. The Warriors responded with consecutive touchdown drives to build a 43-14 lead in the third quarter. A 51-yard punt return by Jordan Carder for Arlington Martin set up an 8-yard touchdown pass from Mundell to Wallace. Moments later, a 30-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown by Christian Taylor gave the Warriors a 57-14 lead before the end of the third quarter.

THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Permian High School Athletics

PERMIAN'S SEASON ENDS IN AREA ROUND

MICHAEL BAUER

Odessa American | 11/23/2019

PHOTO CREDIT: Permian Athletics