It didn’t matter how often the Palo Duro Dons got their hands on the ball Thursday night, it was what they did when that happened.
Not only that, but it was when they got their hands on the ball even when it wasn’t their possession which counted against the Plainview Bulldogs. That best explains why the Dons are going back to the playoffs.
Knowing a postseason berth from District 2-5A Division II was theirs for the taking, the Dons seized that opportunity at Dick Bivins Stadium. They had four scoring plays of over 55 yards and two nonscoring plays which went for more than 40, and it doesn’t take a mathematical whiz to see how that added up to a 55-25 victory.
That big play ability explains how Palo Duro (7-1, 4-0 in district) sits alone atop the district and has clinched a playoff berth with two games left in the regular season. If that keeps up, the Dons, who have won seven straight since losing their season opener 10-0 to Tascosa, could well score their first playoff win since 2014.
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Palo Duro clinched by virtue of Abilene Cooper beating Wichita Falls Legacy 53-24 on Thursday.
“I’m always excited about a win,” said PD coach Eric Mims, who has led the Dons to their third postseason trip in their last four seasons. “We had some areas of the game where we didn’t play as well as we’d like to play, but coaches are perfectionists. We’re definitely excited about the outcome. The kids came out and finished and played well in spots to secure a playoff berth early. The last two times we did it, it came down to the last game of the season against Plainview.”
The only real suspense for the Dons is who and where they’ll be playing in the first round of the playoffs in three weeks. If they win one of their final two games, they’ll host a playoff game at Bivins.
Beating Plainview (3-5, 1-3) provided a sampler of what Palo Duro is capable of on a good night. Despite the fact that the Bulldogs ran more than twice as many offensive plays as the Dons (final count: 75-36), it was Palo Duro’s explosive nature which told the story. The Dons outgained a strong Plainview offense 475-418, averaging 13.2 yards a play.
“We’ve got some playmakers on offense and they made some big plays,” Mims said. “When they got the ball in their hands they got 50 to 60 yards. It’s about those points you can put up on the board. We got stops when we needed them and made some big defensive plays as well.”
Palo Duro wasted no time in making a big statement.
After forcing a punt by Plainview following the opening kickoff, Palo Duro took one play to get on the scoreboard. Eric Mims Jr., the coach’s son, took a handoff on a reverse and outran the Plainview defense to the end zone for a 59-yard touchdown 86 seconds into the game to give the Dons a 7-0 lead.
“When I was at Duncanville my oldest son was our punt returner and he was phenomenal,” said Mims, of his previous stop prior to Palo Duro when he was on offensive coordinator. “Every time he would go back as the OC I was in the press box and I said ‘I’m about to have a dad moment.’ When E.J. got the sweep, caught the edge and hurdled the guy, I turned into a dad and said ‘Go son.’ What a way to start a game with your son scoring.”
The Bulldogs moved the ball well most of the first half led by quarterback Seth Mayberry. They moved the ball inside the Palo Duro 10-yard line on the ensuing possession and when the drive stalled, Hector Rodriguez kicked a 25-yard field goal to cut it to 7-3.
Palo Duro answered with two big plays on the ensuing possession, a 24-yard run by Raymond Johnson V and a 44-yard pass from Julian Reese II to Darien Lewis to put the ball at the Plainview 7. Two plays later, Johnson scored from 5 yards out to make it 14-3 late in the first quarter.
The Bulldogs got into the end zone early in the second quarter when Mayberry hit Jordan Porter on a 29-yard scoring pass to cut it to 14-10.
When Palo Duro’s offense stumbled, the Bulldogs looked in prime position to take the lead by driving deep into PD territory with under two minutes left in the half. Another big play happened, but this time it was for the defense.
Mayberry dropped back to pass, but Palo Duro linebacker Kyron Brown, who’s developed as a pass rushing terror, sacked Mayberry and stripped the ball. Not only did Brown get the sack, he got the ball as well, and returned it 65 yards for a touchdown with 45 seconds left in the half to give the Dons a 21-10 halftime lead.
“During the week I was working on my skills and getting together with (assistant) coach (Ziggy) Hood,” said Brown, who also plays wide receiver. “I wasn’t expecting to come up as hard as I did but I just used what I know. By the time I got in we were kind of in a slump defensively and I knew I could exploit the weaknesses in (Plainview’s) line. I just ducked under and hit the quarterback and saw the ball was loose.
“It feels great. My first year here we were a first round exit and last year we didn’t make (the playoffs). This is a special group of kids and it’s really heartwarming for me.”
Palo Duro’s defense has been strong all season, although Plainview tested the Dons severely. Mayberry completed 22-of-36 passes for 296 yards and three touchdowns, two to Porter, who had nine catches for 138 yards.
The ability of Brown to put pressure on the quarterback is something future PD opponents seriously have to take into account.
“He makes a difference,” Mims said of Brown. “With that speed and his ability to lean and turn the corner is big. The key to beating Plainview is containing Mayberry. We had some great inside push as well and Kyron has really been a game changer.”
That represented some frustration for a Plainview squad which has been scoring points all season long but has struggled to stop people. Whatever momentum the Bulldogs had built evaporated in the final minute of the first half.
“We knew they were incredibly athletic,” Plainview coach Wyatt Martinez said of the Dons. “Coach Mims has been slowly turning things around. The game’s all about momentum and (Brown’s touchdown) certainly took some of that away. I’m really proud of the guys because they keep fighting no matter what.”
Palo Duro got the second half kickoff and moved in quickly for another score. Johnson reeled off a 47-yard run to set up his own 3-yard score 69 seconds into the second half for a 28-10 lead.
Oddly enough, Johnson didn’t touch the ball again but still led the Dons with 109 yards on only eight carries.
After a slow first half, Reese got hot in the second half, completing all seven of his passes for 117 yards and three touchdowns, including scores of 66 and 16 yards to Lewis in the fourth quarter to complete the scoring. For good measure, Reese scored on a 62-yard run in the third quarter to make it 41-17 and put the game away for good.
Lewis had five catches for 126 yards to lead the Dons.
The Bulldogs had an impressive offensive night as well, as Blake WIlliams ran for a game-high 138 yards on 21 carries. However, they couldn’t stop Palo Duro’s offense for most of the evening, despite controlling the clock.
“We’ve looked at it every week, and even giving up a lot of points we feel if we can get another stop during the game, especially early, that will help,” Martinez said. “Tonight we had some stops early. Our offense can put up some points numbers, but we’ve got to find a way to get some more stops and tackle better. That’s what it comes down to.”