Heading into the Class 2A Division I postseason, the Panhandle Panthers found a rhythm. Over the past four weeks, the Panthers’ district slate, they have averaged a score of 65-10.

This trend continued in Panhandle’s Class 2A Division I bi-district championship contest against Floydada. The Panthers pitched their second straight shutout with a lopsided 62-0 decision on Thursday at Wildcat Stadium on the campus of River Road High School in north Amarillo.

It was all Panhandle from the opening kickoff until the final buzzer, who rolled out to a 34-0 lead by the end of the opening period and never looked back. The Panther defense was on lockdown, preventing a potent Whirlwinds team from achieving a first down until 1:37 left in the third quarter and kept Floydada from crossing into Panhandle territory until 11:48 left in the game.

According to Panhandle head coach Dane Ashley, the complete effort was made possible with a classic combination of strategy, practices, and execution.

“I thought our defensive preparation all week was good,” Ashley said, following the game. “(Assistant coach Corby Maurer) and (assistant coach Tyler Richardson) did an outstanding job of putting together a plan. We were able to set our front and take advantage of it. (Senior lineman) Jacob Herzberg is pretty good. You can set him in a bad position, and he could still make plays.”

Once the Panthers neutralized the Whirlwinds’ ground game, Floydada had to resort to the pass.

“We took away their favorite play, which was the counter,” said Ashley. “That makes you very tough. With a player like Herzberg, we took advantage.”

Sophomore quarterback Zack Andrews fired on all cylinders, going 6-of-6 for 121 yards and three touchdowns. Andrews also picked up four carries for 67 yards and two more scores.

Even though it was his first playoff game, you could never tell that he had some pregame jitters.

“I was nervous,” Andrews said. “But once we got a few plays in, I got the nerves out of me.”

Senior running back/linebacker Cooper Brinkley had a good night at the office, snagging two catches for 45 yards and two touchdowns to go along with going 8-of-9 on his PAT attempts.

“It feels amazing to come out with a big win,” said Brinkley. “We felt like we were underestimated so far. Not a lot of people expected much out of us. We wanted to really show others that we’re here and we’re ready to play.”

“Our coaches did a great job on scouting (Floydada) all week,” Brinkley added. “We practiced running the ball, which I feel like we’ve done great here lately, along with hustling to the ball on defense.”

The Panthers improved to 7-4 overall, and will face the winner of the bi-district contest between Abernathy and Forsan. The matchup between the Antelopes (2-8) and Buffaloes (8-2) is set for 7 p.m. on Friday at Wigwam Stadium in Seminole.

Should Abernathy pull off the upset, the area round clash will take place at Happy State Bank Stadium in Canyon. If the Buffaloes take the bi-district win, the contest will take place in Lubbock. The time and date is to be determined.

In recent years, the area round has been a great filter for the Panthers. This time around, Panhandle is focused on the here and now, rather than history.

“Forgetting about the past will help us out a lot,” Brinkley said. “Our team has stepped up a lot. We’ve all come together, and we’ve been great together. I feel like this team’s really good.”

Ashley knows that this team isn’t content with just one gold ball. They want a deep playoff run. To do so, it’s all about the next play.

“They looked really happy, but they didn’t look satisfied,” Ashley said. “You could tell that they want more. Our message this whole year has just been ‘one play at a time.’ We’re not even talking about the game. We’re not even talking about the next game. We’re not even talking about anything. We’re just talking about the standard that we want to play each play, and they’ve really bought into the idea. It’s really changed everybody’s mindset.”

Floydada finished up their season with a 5-6 record under head coach Jeff Smith. After guiding West Texas High to a state semifinal appearance last year, Smith improved the Whirlwinds from a winless record to a bi-district playoff appearance.

The Panthers recovered an onside kick to start the game, before driving down the field. From three yards out at the 10:09 mark, Parker Lumpkin punched it in for six points.

Lumpkin totaled 20 yards and the aforementioned touchdown on seven rushing attempts.

No more than three minutes later, Brinkley caught a 17-yard touchdown pass from Andrews. This was followed by a blocked punt, and a 14-yard touchdown connection between senior Landen Andrews and Zack Andrews at the 4:51 mark. The latter play had senior Lukas Purcell flip a toss back to Andrews, who connected with his older brother for the score.

“We practiced it a lot,” Zack said of the trick play. “We hadn’t run it before, so it was nice.”

Landen Andrews wrapped up the night with 56 yards and the lone score on three receptions.

The Panthers continued to pour it on, with Zack Andrews scampering into the endzone from 19 yards out with 2:10 left in the opening period. With 28 seconds remaining in the first quarter, Purcell struck paydirt from 30 yards out.

At the end of the first, Panhandle already established a 34-0 advantage.

“Offensively, we’ve been playing well,” Ashley said of the strong start. “(Zack Andrews) has really grown up. We’ve got a lot of threats everywhere, and (Floydada) had to spread the field. They got into man coverage. When you get into man coverage like that, you have to break the line of scrimmage. You have a chance for some big plays.”

“People are going to have to decide whether they want to load the box,” said Ashley. “We have a phenomenal offensive line that can decide whether they want to cover the pass. So, we’re very fortunate to have some of the guys that we have.

According to Ashley, Floydada came out with a different look. However, it didn’t take long for Panhandle to adjust.

“It took us about three plays to get it fixed,” Ashley said. “(Assistant coach Trever Couch) recognized it from up in the box, we got our blocking schemes fixed, and the kids adjusted well. Even with everything we practiced, we did something different tonight, and our kids did a good job.”

Panhandle kept putting points on the board, as an interception by Braylyn Lambert set up a 27-yard touchdown connection between Andrews and Brinkley at the 9:40 mark of the second period. It was Brinkley’s favorite touchdown of the evening.

“It was the new screen that we ran,” Brinkley said. “I took three steps out and ran under the line. Then, I had a little front flip into the endzone by accident.”

Purcell then tacked on an 18-yard touchdown run three minutes later, which was set up by a fourth down stop by the Panther defense. Andrews then scored with a four-yard touchdown run with 1:07 left until intermission.

At the break, Panhandle extended their lead to 55-0.

Returning from halftime, the Panthers scored one more touchdown, by way of a six yard touchdown run from Purcell. Purcell ended the night with 66 yards and two touchdowns off of four carries. Purcell also caught one pass for 20 yards.

By the end of the third, Panhandle had complete control of the game at 62-0. With a running clock and reserves called in, the Panthers were able to finish off the game with a shutout.

Photos by Joe Garcia III: