Mojo Defeats Lake Ridge, 30-28

The Area Champion title has eluded the Panthers for the past 11 years, dating back to 2014.  Two fourth quarter field goals by junior kicker Iker Munoz and an interception late in the game by Cameron Mattingly preserved the victory for the Panthers tonight as they advance to the Regional Round of the state playoffs.

I guess I better disclaim that this website is not affiliated with the school or district.  For a lack of a better term, tonight this team showed it has the stones.  When you get down a quick 14 points in the first quarter to a high scoring D/FW team, you either know the game is about to get out of hand or you better dig your heels in.  Mojo did the latter, and I’m proud of these young men for it.

Lake Ridge slapped the contest’s first points on the board just three plays and 49 seconds into the game.  It was 14-0 after the Eagles ran another three plays, capped off by a 15-yard Deshawn Edwards TD run with 3:50 left in the first frame.

In his first game back since leaving at halftime during the Frenship game, Jakob Garcia connected with passes of 15 and 12 yards to setup the first Permian score late in the quarter.  Gavin Black powered his way into the endzone from eight yards out to close out a 14-7 first period tally.

The Panthers produced 17 unanswered points in the second quarter and evened the score behind a 10-play, 59-yard scoring drive when Black crossed the goal line for a second time.  The Mojo D forced a Lake Ridge three-and-out to give the offense the ball on its own 33.  Garcia still seemed a little sluggish and out of sync but navigated another scoring drive that included Cason Nabarrette hauling in a 20-yard TD pass for Permian to take its first lead at 21-14.

The Eagles were back on the attack and marched down the field with a 9-play drive that threatened outside the redzone.  Permian junior Zephaniah Deleon snuffed out the threat when he intercepted the pass at the Mojo 11.  With MOJOmentum clearly on the black and white side of the field, the Black Cats closed out the second quarter with a 11-play effort that set up a 27-yard Munoz field goal.  The Panthers went into intermission with a 24-14 lead in tow.

Lake Ridge cut into Permian’s lead with the lone score of the third stanza on an 11-yard touchdown pass.  Mojo would drag a 24-21 advantage into the final 12 minutes of play.  And see, I made through three quarters without mentioning any discrepancies concerning calls (or missed ones) by the officiating crew.

Munoz opened the fourth quarter with a short 22-yard field goal to push the score to 27-21, but left room for the Eagles to regain the lead.  The following possession they did just that by generating a 7-play, 75-yard scoring drive that was capped by a 30-yard TD pass.  Lake Ridge retook the lead 28-27 with four minutes to play.  The Panthers were not going to let the game get away and sent Munoz back out four plays later to nail a 33-yard field goal for the 30-28 edge.

With just two minutes left in regulation, Lake Ridge successfully made their way down the field as precious seconds ticked off the clock.  A potential field goal or touchdown was all that was needed to change the outcome of the game.  As the contest entered its final 58 seconds, the Eagles drove the ball down to the Permian 39-yard line.

With a fresh set of downs, Lake Ridge’s Edwards thought he had an open receiver splitting coverage down the middle of the field.  Coming up clutch and saving the game, Mattingly nabbed the intended pass at the 15-yard line and returned it to the 43.   His interception denied the Eagles and secured the Mojo win.  The Panthers went into victory formation near midfield to drain the remaining seconds off of the clock.

Black racked up 184 yards rushing from 30 carries while scoring two touchdowns.  Garcia completed 12 of his 18 passes for 195 yards, including a TD.  Navarrete finished with four catches for 59 yards, while Nabarrette had two receptions for 32 yards with the touchdown catch.  Munoz made all three of his field goal attempts of 33, 27, and 24 yards.

Permian (11-1) advances to the Regional Round of the state playoffs and will face state ranked Allen (12-0), who finished first in District 6-6A.  The Eagles defeated Lake Highlands tonight 41-7.  Shotwell Stadium will play host to the playoff next Friday at 6:00 p.m.
  

SCORING SUMMARY

First Quarter
LR – M Blow 58 pass from Edwards (Scott kick), 11:11
LR – Deshawn Edwards 15 run (Scott kick), 3:50
OP – Gavin Black 8 run (Iker Munoz kick), 1:10

Second Quarter
OP – Gavin Black 3 run (Munoz kick), 7:20
OP – Cason Nabarrette 20 pass Garcia, 4:27
OP – Iker Munoz 27 Field Goal, 0:01

Third Quarter
LR – K Jackson 11 pass from Edwards (Scott kick), 6:43

Fourth Quarter
OP – Iker Munoz 24 Field Goal, 6:37
LR – J Evans 30 pass from Edwards (Scott kick), 4:14
OP – Iker Munoz 33 Field Goal, 2:12
  

Summary & Stats – Terry Alan
  

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