TULIA — By the beginning of the postseason, the Panhandle football team had endured through it all. The Panthers breathed in their exhilarating highs, took their lows on the chin and dealt with everything and anything else in between.
Sometimes, the only way out is through.
In a clash between Panhandle’s high expectations and Post’s quest for magical replication, it was the former that prevailed.
Following a first quarter akin to a thrilling opening round of a high stakes boxing match, the Panthers dominated from the second stanza onward. This allowed Panhandle to notch a 35-18 victory over the Bold Gold Antelopes in a Class 2A Division I bi-district matchup held on Friday at Younger Field.
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Trailing by six at the end of the first, Panhandle scored 23 unanswered points to advance to the area round of the playoffs. According to Panthers’ head coach Dane Ashley, his team projected that fighter’s mentality.
“Whether we win or lose, we’re going to play as hard as we possibly can,” Ashley said, following the game. “When we get knocked down, we’re going to get back up and we’re going to fight — no matter what. From sixth grade through 12th, that’s the message of Panhandle. Don’t be soft, do the hard things.”
“This has been a year where we’ve been knocked down so many times,” added Ashley. “We’ve been punched in the face so many times and punched in the gut. We picked ourselves back up, each and every time. It’s a testament to the kids who live in Panhandle.”
Senior quarterback Broxton Robinson, bound for Army West Point next fall, delivered with his arm and with his legs. Robinson was an accurate 12-of-16 for 282 yards and four touchdowns, while adding 25 carries for 132 yards and another score.
According to Robinson, the Panthers made it a mission to make adjustments and take the Bold Gold out of the game.
“(At halftime) we said, ‘this is a playoff game,'” Robinson said. “We were up and we were right where we wanted to be. We just came out, took over the game, and our offensive line — hands down — moved the line of scrimmage. I personally believe we won the line of scrimmage in the second half.”
Panhandle improved to 9-2 overall. In the area round, the Panthers will take on Cisco at 7 p.m. next Friday at Jimmie Redman Memorial Stadium in Post.
The Loboes (10-1) eliminated Christoval, 62-0, on Thursday at Indian Stadium on the campus of Jim Ned High School in Tuscola.
For Robinson, it’s all about taking things one game at a time.
“We just have to take it week by week,” said Robinson. “The rest will take care of itself.”
In the first quarter, both Panhandle and Post traded haymakers.
The Bold Gold struck first, with junior running back Randon Curtis bursting through the Panhandle defense for a 60-yard touchdown. The PAT missed its mark, but the score provided Post with an early six-point lead at the 11:39 mark.
Panhandle replied quickly, with Robinson finding a wide open man in junior wideout Landen Andrews for a touchdown. With the successful point-after, the Panthers held a narrow 7-6 advantage with 10:48 on the clock.
Post answered, with junior quarterback Landyn Garcia connecting with senior receiver Sean Ramos in the back corner of the endzone for six. The Antelopes attempted a two-point conversion, which fell incomplete.
With 7:58 on the board, the Bold Gold were up five at 12-7.
The Panthers responded, as Robinson tossed a short pass to senior Landen Krogh. Krogh then weaved through blockers and defenders for a 65-yard touchdown. However, the PAT was no good.
Less than seven minutes left in the first period, Panhandle clutched onto a narrow 13-12 lead.
With five seconds remaining in the opening stanza, Post scored via an 11-yard touchdown pass from Landyn Garcia to junior wideout Aleck Garcia. Even though the two-point attempt was stopped short of the goal line, the Bold Gold presided over an 18-12 lead.
Then, Panhandle made adjustments. The Panthers knew that Post was going to go for the deep ball.
“We figured out where they were going to attack us,” said Ashley. “When they threw the bomb in the very first play, I’m thinking, ‘All right, they’re not sure they can run the ball on us.’ We are big up front, so we challenged our secondary. We’re going to stay in our coverage. We’re not going to adjust a bunch of things, and we’ll try to get you some help on third down. For first and second down, we told them that they’re on their own and to get it done. I thought they did.”
After trading possessions, the Panthers struck paydirt with 8:31 left until halftime. Robinson fired a short pass to Andrews. Andrews then spun free and tip-toed his way into the endzone for a 21-yard touchdown.
Andrews went on to finish the game with five catches for 88 yards and two touchdowns.
“(Andrews) is a special player,” Ashley said. “I really wish I could get (senior Caden Armes) 10 touches, I’d want (to give senior Tyler Wood) 10 touches, and I’d like to get (junior Lukas Purcell) 10 touches. I would like for Broxton to run it, but it’s not enough to go around. (Post) had two good corners, and they were going to take away Armes and Wood. Most schools our size don’t have a third option that can just shut down our slot receivers. Andrews stepped up, man, and he did an outstanding job.”
That 20-18 score would hold until intermission. When both squads returned to the turf, Panhandle pieced together methodical drives and tightened the noose on Post’s postseason hopes.
Facing a fourth down with 8:40 left in the third quarter, Robinson launched a 50-yard strike to Armes. Armes reeled in the pass, beat his defender and scored the touchdown. Followed up by the successful PAT, the Panthers stretched their lead to 27-18.
Armes led the Panhandle receiver corps with 121 yards and one TD on four catches, and also reeled in an interception on defense. Robinson gave praise to his teammate.
“I just wanted to give Armes the ball,” Robinson said. “He was telling me all game to ‘just give me the ball.’ We had a corner out there that probably was a little bit of a mismatch. We knew Armes had him, so I threw up the ball and he made a play, like he’s done all season.”
Post was unable to regain lost ground, before Panhandle chewed up yardage and clock at the tail end of the third quarter. With 11:54 left, Robinson bulldozed his way for a five-yard touchdown and connected with Armes for a two-point conversion.
“No matter what happened, I just wanted the clock to run,” said Ashley. “We just wanted to pound them. ‘Brox’ is one of the best football players in the state of Texas, and he runs like a freight train. We just kept feeding him, and the offensive line took over the longer we played.”
The 35-14 score would be enough to put a premature end to Post’s playoff campaign.
Complementing Robinson was Krogh, who rushed for 41 yards on seven carries while snagging his 65-yard touchdown pass. Overall, the Panthers compiled 469 total yards on offense.