From the opening whistle, the “Mojo D” dictated the terms of engagement, swarming Central running back Zeyvion Johnson and forcing quarterback Micah Smith into rushed reads, heavy pressure, and critical mistakes.
Permian went on the attack first and reeled off eight plays, before being forced to attempt a long 45-yard field goal. It would get blocked to give the Bobcats early hope. The Central momentum was snuffed out quick when Malachi Mendoza stepped in front of a perimeter pass and hit the accelerator, racing 71 yards for a pick-6 touchdown and early 7-0 Mojo lead.
Following a quick three-and-out by the Bobcats, Air Vickers engineered a surgical 7-play, 76-yard march, capped off by Josh Curry on a gritty 13-yard touchdown scamper down the right sideline to put Permian up 14-0.
Central coughed up the ball near midfield to open the second frame. Zephaniah DeLeon stripped the ball loose and Aiden Medina recovered to set the Black Cats up at the Mojo 43. But two plays later, Permian would give it right back on a fumble of its own.
On the next possession, a Bobcat punt would pin the Panthers deep on their own 1-yard line. Mojo marched down the field behind a 12-play drive to get Permian in position for an Iker Munoz 30-yard field goal to extend the lead to 17-0 at the half.
Any hopes of a second-half Bobcat resurgence were thoroughly put to rest in the third quarter. The ‘Mojo D’ opened the half by forcing a turnover on downs, setting up an 11-play, 74-yard drive that completely deflated the San Angelo defense. Despite a chaotic sequence of flags, Vickers remained unfazed, calling his own number on a 3-yard scamper, crossing the goal line with just 27 seconds left in the third stanza to push the margin to 24-0.
Central managed to foil the shutout early in the final quarter on an 11-yard touchdown pass, followed by a successful two-point conversion to make it 24-8. However, the subsequent onside kick attempt failed, granting Mojo premium field position at the Central 43-yard line. Vickers put the exclamation point on his night, keeping the ball on a read-option and trotting 12 yards into the end zone at the 4:29 mark to cement the final 31-8 score.
Permian’s offensive front line dominated the trenches, clearing the path for 287 rushing yards while out-gaining the Bobcats 405 to 223 yards in total offense. The secondary choked out Central’s passing attack, limiting Smith to just 10 completions on 20 attempts. Vickers finished 10-of-13 for 118 yards and two rushing touchdowns.
With the outright District 2-6A Championship secured, the top-seeded Panthers turn their sights to the second season. Permian (10-0, 4-0) will return to the turf of Ratliff Stadium next Friday night to host El Paso Eastlake in the Bi-District Round of the Class 6A state playoffs. Kickoff is tentatively slated for 7:00 p.m. Our weekly preview will post on Monday.
Authors: T Alan, Gem Callahan
Tonight’s full game replay is in the MojoLand Film Room.
| BY QUARTER | |||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | |
| Central | 00 | 00 | 00 | 08 | 08 |
| Permian | 14 | 07 | 07 | 07 | 31 |
SCORING SUMMARY
First Quarter
PER – Mendoza 71 INT return (Munoz kick), 6:21
PER – Curry 13 run (Munoz kick), 2:29
Second Quarter
PER – Munoz 30 Field Goal, 2:46
Third Quarter
PER – Vickers 3 run (Munoz kick), 0:27
Fourth Quarter
SAC – Johnson 11 pass from Smith (2pt conv), 7:22
PER – Vickers 12 run (Munoz kick), 4:29
| SPORTZ GAME STATS | ||
| SAC | PER | |
| First Downs | 14 | 21 |
| Total Yards | 223 | 405 |
| Rushing | 121 | 287 |
| Passing | 102 | 118 |
| C-A-I | 10-20-1 | 10-13-0 |
| Fumbles | 1-1 | 1-1 |
| Penalties | 10-93 | 9-80 |
Sportz Stats compiled by Terry Alan
