Maypearl takes care of business – beats Grand Saline 26-3

MAYPEARL – Coming off of a blow-out victory against the Clifton Cubs, the Maypearl Panthers beat the Grand Saline Indians 26-3. Showing off their strong defense, the Panthers held the Indians to a single field goal in the first quarter. Senior Homer Arizpe proved to be vital in the Panther’s success on both sides of the ball.

Maypearl won the coin toss and elected to receive the ball in the second half. However, the start was slow for both teams. It wouldn’t be until 7:10 was left in the first quarter when the pigskin would finally cross the goal line for the Panthers. Homer Arizpe pushed his way into the endzone for the rushing touchdown, but Maypearl fell short when sophomore quarterback Heath Graf attempted to sneak the ball into the endzone for the extra points. Despite the multiple sacks against the Indian’s quarterback, Grand Saline was able to get close enough for a successful field goal attempt by kicker Trent Eldain (Jr.) to finish out the quarter.

After regaining the ball from an unsuccessful Panther offense early in the second quarter, the Indians had a strong drive composed of two passes over 35 yards each. However, Maypearl successfully blocked the field goal attempt by Eldain. With both teams struggling on offense the next two possessions, it would be late in the half when the Panthers would find themselves in scoring position. With 2:42 left in the half, Adian Votaw (So.) caught a deep pass bringing his team to the 35 yard line. It would be Cole Rager (So.) who would plunge into the endzone for the second touchdown of the night.

With less than a minute remaining in the half, most might already start making their way to the concession stand, but that was when the excitement started for Charles Houdmann. With 0:41 left in the second quarter, the Maypearl senior grabbed the first of two Maypearl interceptions of the night.

After multiple unsuccessful offensive possessions in the beginning of the second half by both teams, the Panthers finally found their rhythm with less than four minutes left in the third quarter. Aaron Jett (Sr.) brought the Panthers deep into the red zone after a 30-yard completion. This set up Arizpe for his second rushing touchdown of the night. Not only would the senior score the touchdown, but he also added two extra points on the board for the Panthers. Jett completed the second interception for the Panthers late in the third quarter. However, the offense was not able to capitalize on the turnover.

After already scoring two touchdowns in the game, Arizpe would put the Panther’s final points on the board with another rushing touchdown less than a minute into the fourth quarter. As the game continued on, the waning minutes proved to be difficult for both teams. With many four-and-out possessions from both teams, it wouldn’t be until a minute was left on the game clock when the Indians would find themselves in scoring position. However, the game’s final play would be telling of everything that came before it, with the Indian’s running back being tag-teamed by Timmy Gracy (Sr.) and Dustin Chautin (So.) in the backfield only a few yards from the goal line.

For Grand Saline, much of the game was plagued with penalty calls and a soft offensive line. Throughout the game, it would not be uncommon to find the Panther’s defense chasing the opponent’s quarterback down. This led to many last minute passes, which in turn granted Maypearl two interceptions.

While celebrating the win against the Indians, the Panthers (2-1) look to a tough Homecoming game in Maypearl against the Grandview Zebras (3-1) this week. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m.