It’s Round Two… the Area Round of the state playoffs in Texas. Permian will spend the week preparing for another dual threat quarterback… this one from the Metroplex. The Panthers will host Mansfield Lake Ridge at Abilene Christian’s Wildcat Stadium on November 21. Kickoff is slated for 7:00 p.m.
Permian (10-1, 5-0) is the top representative of District 2-6A. In the first round match-up, the Panthers thumped El Paso Eastlake 59-7. Lake Ridge (9-2, 5-1) is from the Dallas/Ft Worth area and District 3-6A runner-up. The Eagles defeated Euless Trinity 47-38 in their Bi-District playoff.
The Black Cats have remained undefeated since dropping the season opener and are on a 10-game win streak. Lake Ridge, on the other hand, has achieved half that success and on a five-game streak. Prior to the five games, the Eagles got shredded by North Crowley, 62-17. The Birds are accustomed to high scoring affairs and have been participants in seven games where the combined final score eclipsed 70 points… four of those topped 80.
THE HISTORY:
This is the first meeting for the Panthers and Eagles.
Lake Ridge High School opened in 2012. In their third season, the Eagles reached the playoffs. It would be the beginning of a run that stretched from 2014 to 2018, and would include three district titles (2015, 2017, and 2018). The 2015 season saw the Eagles reach the Class 5A Division I State Finals. In the 14-year history of the program, Lake Ridge has had eight losing and six winning seasons with an all-time record of 75-82-2.
TEAM COMPARISONS:
Permian has tried to offer a balanced attack all season. Early in the year, the offense favored the ground game. As the season has progressed, the passing game has emerged as a powerful asset to complete the one-two punch. Defensively, the Mojo D has come into its own and will have a pronounced role affecting the outcome of the game. Regardless of some predictions out of D/FW, they won’t put 48 points on this defense.
Lake Ridge relies on a fairly versatile quarterback. He and his running back are the primary option in the Eagle offensive play book. The passing game has been used in a complementary role, often spreading the ball between as many as five receivers. Evident by the shootout scores, defense is not their greatest strength.
– POINTS: Permian is maintaining a 37-point average per game, while Lake Ridge averages 43 points a game. The Mojo defense has been giving up 21 points a game, while the Eagle defense gives up a hefty 35 points a game.
– YARDAGE: The Panthers have been producing 435 yards a game in total offense, that breaks down to 263 yards passing and 172 rushing yards. The Eagles maintain an average of 442 yards of total offense per game (194 passing and 248 rushing).
OFFENSIVE ASSETS:
Junior Deshawn Edwards (5-10, 160) has thrown for 2,142 yards this year. He has completed 152 out of 254 passes (60%), and that includes 22 touchdowns and five interceptions. Edwards also leads the team in rushing with 1,300 yards from 135 carries for an additional 20 TD’s. He’s a right-handed passer, favors running to his right, and is guilty of telegraphing his intended target.
Edwards is joined in the backfield by Jaiden Cotton (5-11, 185). Also a junior, JC has broken the 1,000-yard season rushing mark with 1,091 yards from 175 carries. He has crossed the goal line 13 times and has caught nine passes this year. When confronted out of the backfield, Cotton has a tendency to run to his left.
Lake Ridge is not short of pass recipients. The primary receivers are: Jayden Evans (6-1, 165), Mikah Blow (6-0, 170), and speedster Noel Butler (5-10, 175). Evans has 30 catches for 623 yards with 10 touchdowns. Blow has donated 583 yards from 29 receptions, while Butler has recorded 367 yards from 36 catches. Both have scored five TD’s. Emmanuel Oggs (5-10, 160) has filled in on some of the underneath stuff with 13 catches for 123 yards.
The Eagles have some beef on the offensive line – Texas Tech commit Felix Ojo (6-7, 285), Mohammed Saleh (6-1, 285), and Justin McBride (6-2, 280). Are yall sure Ojo is a high school senior? The Mojo linebackers cannot overlook TE/WR Kameron Jackson (6-5, 210). More times than not, he’ll release from the line and leak out for a potential medium range target. He has 26 catches for 280 yards.
DEFENSIVE ASSETS:
Good luck finding defensive stats on these guys. Thankfully, there’s several game videos posted on YouTube. The Lake Ridge defensive front has some size and is anchored by Mason Johnson (6-3, 265), Camden Kennedy (6-3, 215), Cayden Brown (6-3, 280), and Jeremiah Morris (6-5, 235).
Linebacker Jayden Cupitt (6-3, 220) is in on several tackles. Tylen Hockett (6-0, 170), Markeis Smith (5-11, 170), Cameron Wilson (6-1, 165), and Jaylen Pollard (6-0, 175) rotate in the pass coverage. Hockett has the better speed in the group.
Kyson Scott has a field goal range of about 40-42 yards, which is better than his punt range of about 35 yards. Receivers Evans and Butler handle punt and kickoff returns. However, they fair catch the ball the majority of the time.
GAME NOTES:
Time to change the mindset to Metroplex Street Ball. Smash-mouth football is no longer king… well, in the eyes of the opponents we’re going to face the next two weeks. The language the Eagles speak is no huddle / quick tempo, where the QB likes to hang in the pocket (behind his beefy offensive line) and sling the rock. They spread the field with four and five receivers, and Edwards looks for an open target.
Lake Ridge will sometimes run a wide receiver bubble screen, similar to ours, as a change of pace. *When Edwards runs beyond the line of scrimmage, he is susceptible to having ball punched out. He runs with it out away from his body, and typically runs to his right.
The Eagle defense can sometimes be weak on quick traps up the middle. They also seem to be slow getting to the corner to secure the edge. And finally, this week ‘Permian exorcises the second round Metroplex Hex’. Yelp, I said it.
SPORTS MEDIA PICKS:
> Lone Star Football (LSFN) – Permian 63, Lake Ridge 43
< Matt Stepp (Texas Football) – Lake Ridge 48, Permian 27
> Trey Francis (KMID2) – Permian 48, Lake Ridge 45
> Dalton Arredondo (KMID2) – Permian 42, Lake Ridge 35
> Cory McIntyre (KWES9) – Permian 41, Lake Ridge 38
> Ethan Becker (KWES9) – Permian 48, Lake Ridge 46
> Terry Alan (MojoLand) – Permian 38, Lake Ridge 27
= Consensus Pick (6-1) – Permian 44, Lake Ridge 40
