Football Recap: Jaryen Whitaker's Menacing Defense Leads Lufkin over Sterling

Lufkin won the last time they faced Sterling and things went their way on Friday too. The Panthers walked away with a 31-21 victory over the Rangers. The final result isn't all that surprising considering the Panthers' considerable advantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked 145th, while the Rangers are ranked 461st).

JaRyen Whitaker

Total Tackles

10/17/25 @ Sterling	7
10/03/25 vs West Brook	6
09/26/25 @ Barbers Hill	7

On the defensive side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Lufkin's defense and their 3.5 sacks. JaRyen Whitaker was especially locked on to Sterling's QB and sacked him twice. Whitaker is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made six or more in each of the last three games he's played.

The win made it two in a row for Lufkin and bumps their season record up to 5-2. As for Sterling, their defeat ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 5-3.

Coincidentally, Lufkin and Sterling will both be playing Port Arthur Memorial the next time they take the field. The Panthers will host the Titans at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, while the Rangers will head out to face them at 7:00 p.m. on the 31st.