The contest began as a defensive standoff, with both teams missing field goal attempts in a scoreless first quarter. To open the second stanza, the Panthers utilized a six-play drive to travel the length of the field. The effort was all-for-not when a fumble at the goal line ended the drive.
Breaking the silence, Pebble Hills converted the Mojo miscue into points with an 86-yard touchdown catch-and-run. On the ensuing possession, Permian responded and uncorked a 12-play, 75-yard scoring drive, capped with a Josh Curry 14-yard scamper to knot the game at 7-7.
The kickers would then get into the act. The Spartans went first and made a 38-yard field goal at 1:08 remaining. Not to be outdone, Mojo drove the ball down into Iker Munoz range. The senior kicker matched the challenge and hammered a 36-yarder through the uprights as time elapsed on the first half. The contest was now deadlocked at 10-10.
The second half belonged to Mojo. The Black Cat defense set the tone early in the third quarter. Izeyah McCoy played a crucial role when he recovered a Pebble Hills fumble with the Spartans driving just outside the redzone.
Mojo took immediate advantage, striking fast on a 2-play, 76-yard touchdown jaunt. Dae Dae McDowell was recipient of a little razzle-dazzle that resulted in a 12-yard TD strike to break the tie. Minutes later, the Panthers extended the lead to 24-10 when Aaron Navarrete hauled in a 32-yard touchdown pass.
Pebble Hills fought back early in the fourth quarter on a 21-yard TD pass to pull within seven, but Permian’s dominant rushing attack choked out any hopes of a comeback. The Black Cats countered with a steady dose of Mark Herrera and Cayden Taylor, who finished off the scoring drive with an 8-yard touchdown run to push the lead to 31-17.
A brutal assault by the Mojo defense gave the Permian offense the ball at the Spartan 30. Four plays later, Herrera iced the game by bursting loose on a 13-yard touchdown run with just over three minutes remaining. A late Spartan touchdown in the final seconds proved to be too little, too late, as Permian ran out the remaining clock to seal the 38-24 victory.
Permian produced 506 yards of total offense, while the Mojo defense held the Pebble Hills to 411 yards. Herrera carried the ball 14 times for 105 yards rushing and a touchdown, while Taylor finished with 80 yards on eight rushes and a TD. Vickers completed 14 of his 18 passes for 166 yards, and Malachi Mendoza led in receptions with four for 71 yards.
With the victory, the Panthers remain the only unbeaten team in district with a perfect 4-0 record. Permian will host Compass Prep from Chandler, Arizona for Homecoming next Friday at 7:00 p.m.
PUMP UP THE VOLUME!
Authors: Terry Alan, Mojo Gem
| BY QUARTER | |||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | |
| Peb Hills | 00 | 10 | 00 | 14 | 24 |
| Permian | 00 | 10 | 14 | 14 | 38 |
SCORING SUMMARY
First Quarter
No scoring
Second Quarter
PH – Bailey 86 pass from Fernandez (Melucci kick), 8:16
OP – J Curry 14 run (I Munoz kick), 2:02
PH – Melucci 38 FG, 1:08
OP – Munoz 36 FG, 0:00
Third Quarter
OP – McDowell 12 pass from Navarrete (Munoz kick), 4:41
OP – Navarrete 32 pass from Vickers (Munoz kick), 1:36
Fourth Quarter
PH – Bailey 21 pass from Fernandez (Melucci kick), 9:28
OP – Taylor 8 run (Munoz kick), 6:23
OP – Herrera 13 run (Munoz kick), 3:11
PH – Sotelo 1 run (Melucci kick), 0:27
| SPORTZ GAME STATS | ||
| PH | OP | |
| First Downs | 12 | 19 |
| Total Yards | 411 | 506 |
| Rushing | 62 | 328 |
| Passing | 349 | 178 |
| C-A-I | 16-23-0 | 15-19-0 |
| Fumbles | 2-1 | 1-1 |
| Penalties | 10-64 | 7-45 |
SportzStats compiled by Terry Alan
