Early in the season, Plano East is ready to work on some mistakes.

Heading to Eagle Stadium for the Tom Landry Classic on Aug. 27, the Panthers hurt themselves in their 56-30 loss against Allen.

Starting right off on the opening kickoff, Buzz Flabiano blasted the ball through the end zone for a touchback. Unfortunately for Plano East, one player was line up offsides and they needed a rekick.

Moving back five yards, Flabiano couldn’t quite make the distance and Allen took advantage. Jaylen Jenkins went 93 yards to the end zone for the Eagles, giving them the early lead.

Plano East showed resolve, however, as sophomore quarterback Drew DeVillier led the team on a 12-play, 75-yard touchdown drive capped off by an 18-yard pass to Brian Dyer. Coach Joey McCullough praised the kids’ ability to fight through a difficult road game.

“Our kids played hard for four quarters,” McCullough said. “Conditioning and depth is always something to look at, but I thought we did a good job of controlling the clock and running our offense. To be able to score 30 points and run the ball as we did I feel pretty good about it.”
Overall the Panthers made some plays in the first half, scoring 20 of the team’s 30 points early in the game. Ismail Mahdi tied the game with a 72-yard touchdown run and was the catalyst on offense the majority of the night. He ended the game with 233 yards and touchdown, led mostly by the guys upfront.

“Our kids did well to move the ball, control the chains and do some things against a great team up front,” McCullough said. “Ralee Jackson went up against the No. 1 defensive lineman in the country [David Hicks] and held his own. Other young guys stepped up and did the same thing.”

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By Kyle Grondin • [email protected]