3A

Area Round 3A Team of the Week: Paradise Panthers

by
Adam Ogburn
November 27

3A Team of the Week: Paradise Panthers

With Bushland facing a second-and-goal from the Paradise one yard line, it looked like the Falcons were about to take a 21-14 lead late in their area round showdown.

However, the Panther defense stood strong, forcing a field goal. It was a stop that, according to Paradise head coach Joe Koch, “energized us and reinforced our belief that with God’s help, we would find a way to win.”

The only problem? Paradise still trailed 17-14 and head to go 80 yards in 80 seconds with no timeouts. Enter Panthers senior quarterback Ayden Winters.

With Paradise facing a fourth-and-three in its own half, Winters found Logan Lampley for a 12-yard gain to keep the Panthers’ hopes alive. From there, they worked the ball into the red zone where the Panther offense had one last bit of magic. Winters connected with Luke Brown, who “ran over two defenders to get into the end zone” for a 16-yard touchdown with just two seconds left.

PARADISE STORMS DOWN THE FIELD AND SCORES TO TAKE THE LEAD WITH TWO SECONDS LEFT!!! pic.twitter.com/X9LokeX6sE

— 940 Gameday (@940Gameday) November 23, 2024

It was a moment those on the Paradise side will never forget.

“Everyone exploded with the thrill of victory against such a great opponent,” Koch said.

It was a fitting ending considering Winters and Brown had kept the chains moving for the Panthers all night long.

Winters threw for 190 yards and a touchdown, while adding another 103 yards and a score on the ground. Brown rushed for 41 yards and also had three catches for 57 yards.

Elijah Jennings also provided a key burst with seven carries for 67 yards.

Coming into the game, Bushland had been averaging 45 points per contest. The Panther linebacking corps is a big reason why it only scored 17 on Friday.

Teagan Lambert had 10 tackles, four tackles for loss, and three sacks. Miles Godwin had 15 tackles, two TFLs, and a sack. And last but not least, Cash Watson had 10 tackles and a tackle for loss.

With that complete performance, Paradise is now in the third round of the playoffs for the third-straight year. The Panthers will try to reach the regional final again this season when they face Jim Ned in Springtown on Friday night.