Two dominant signal callers in Graylyn Fry and Kaine Hill are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Panther Creek Panthers will take on the Springtown Porcupines at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Panther Creek is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. They claimed a resounding 49-7 victory over Carter. The Panthers haven't had any issues with the Cowboys recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive win against them.
Panther Creek can attribute much of their success to Shawn White, who rushed for 78 yards and a pair of touchdowns on only 11 carries, and Donovan Webb, who rushed for 61 yards and two TDs.
Panther Creek didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. Elyon White was the real danger to the passing game, picking up two interceptions all by himself.
Meanwhile, Springtown never let their opponents score on Thursday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Lake Worth 55-0. The game was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point the Porcupines had established a 48-point advantage.
This one was won in the trenches and the lion's share of the credit has to go to Jon Anthony Lardizabal and Teagan Hair. Lardizabal rushed for 156 yards and four scores on only nine carries while Hair rushed for 143 yards and a pair of TDs on only eight carries. The dominant performance also gave Hair a new career-high in rushing touchdowns (two). Another receiver making a difference was Riley Jackson, who picked up 40 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Special teams was a major factor in the game for Springtown, racking up 24 points in total. All those points came courtesy of Brennan Smith: he added 21 points with seven field goals.
One reason for the win was Springtown's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for three sacks. Luis Lazcano refused to say out of the backfield, picking up two sacks all by himself. Springtown got some further help from Lazcano: he picked up two sacks and made four total tackles.
Panther Creek's record is now 9-2. As for Springtown, their record now sits at 11-0.
The upcoming matchup will be a clash of competing strengths. Panther Creek has relied on air attacks this season and has averaged 289.5 passing yards per game. Springtown, on the other hand, has relied on a stout run game: they average 190.9 rushing yards per game. So which strategy will prevail on Friday? There's only one way to find out.
