The area round of the playoffs got kicked off Thursday night from The Star in Frisco with a marquee matchup between two of the state’s best offenses, as the Alvarado Indians (11-0) took on the Frisco Panther Creek Panthers (10-1).
Alvarado came into this matchup with the second-ranked offense in all of Texas High School Football, scoring 59 points per game, led by dynamic playmaker and Tarleton State commit Cardea Collier, who has accounted for 64 touchdowns this season. On the other side is a Panther Creek squad with an explosive offense of their own, scoring 43 points per game. If you were looking for fireworks to start off the area round, The Star was the place to be on Thursday night.
Alvarado @ Panther Creek Game Recap
The two offenses got off to slow starts to begin the game. A punt and two turnovers ended the first three drives, but Panther Creek would strike first, as an 11-play drive ended with a 37-yard field goal by Nick Humphrey to put the Panthers up 3-0, and that is where the score stood after the first quarter.
On the ensuing drive, Alvarado would get on the board. Cardea Collier took the snap, and ran left, untouched, to the endzone for a three-yard touchdown. On the next Indian drive, Demarcus Belton made one cut and stormed away from the defense for a 50-yard touchdown run, putting Alvarado up 14-3 with 7:04 left in the half.
Following the Alvarado touchdown, the kickoff would find the hands of Panther Creek’s Elyon White, who broke through the coverage, and returned it to the house, giving some momentum back to the Panthers. Alvarado would drive all the way down to the Panther one-yard line on the following drive, but a fumble was recovered by Jalen Lott in the endzone and returned into Alvarado territory. That eventually set up a 29-yard field goal by Humphrey, making it 14-13 with 1:36 remaining in the half.
The end of the half swung all the momentum to the Indians going into the break. Following the Panther field goal, Alvarado marched down the field and Collier connected with Lance Sansom for an 11-yard touchdown with 18 seconds remaining in the half. Two plays later, a strip sack by Aden Harris gave the ball back to Alvarado, setting up a 46-yard field goal attempt by Isaiah Sanchez, who snuck it over the crossbar as time expired, giving the Indians a 24-13 lead at the half.
The third quarter was all Panther Creek. Coming out of the half, the Panthers marched down the field and Graylyn Fry found Cristian Trickett down the right sideline for a 35 yard touchdown. On the next Panther Creek drive, Fry hit Trickett on a slant route over the middle for a 6-yard touchdown, making the score 27-24 Panthers, which is where the score stood heading to the fourth.
On the third play of the fourth quarter, Panther Creek got into the endzone again, as Fry hit Parker Ord over the middle, for a 29-yard touchdown. The Panthers had now scored 21 unanswered points to take a 34-24 lead, which is where it would stand until late in the fourth.
With 3:34 remaining, the Alvarado defense came up with a huge fourth down stop, giving the ball back to the Indian offense at their own 28-yard line. It took less than a minute for the Indians to make it a one-score game, as Collier hit Belton over the middle for a 35-yard touchdown, cutting the deficit to three with 2:41 remaining.
On the kickoff, the Indians decided to go with the onside kick, and DJ Clampitt recovered it, giving the ball to Alvarado at the Panther Creek 40-yard line. Alvarado would drive all the way down to the Panther 11-yard line, setting up a 28-yard field goal for Sanchez, who nailed it, tying the game up at 34, to send the game to overtime.
On the first possession of overtime, Collier took the snap, ran right, and dove into the endzone for a 2-yard touchdown, but the Panthers would respond. On the first play of their possession, Fry hit Trickett on a screen pass, who made a couple of defenders miss on the way to a 25-yard touchdown, their third touchdown connection of the game, sending this game to double OT.
On Panther Creek’s possession of double OT, Fry heaved a ball up, which was picked off by Schyler Dethorne. This gave the Indians the ball, and they needed any score for the win. Alvarado ran a few plays, eventually setting up a 26-yard field goal for Isaiah Sanchez, who hit it right down the middle. This sent the Alvarado fans into a frenzy as the Indians completed a stunning comeback to win 44-41 in double OT.
Alvarado advances to play past Thanksgiving for the first time since 2011. In the Regional Semi-Finals, they will take on the winner of Springtown vs Sulphur Springs.
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Area Champions! 🏆
Final (2 OT): 44-41
We believed, we achieved, and WE FOUND OUT!#AlvaradoExcellence #TR1BE #LFO pic.twitter.com/irSQ6dEuJK
— Alvarado Indian Football (@Alvarado_FB) November 22, 2024
