The Plano East Panthers are confident heading into District 6-6A competition.

Getting healthy on their bye week after their first win in two years, Plano East (1-2) travels to Hebron (0-3) on Sept. 24. The Hawks are winless but played a competitive non-district schedule to prepare themselves for a playoff run.

As Plano East prepares itself for one of the most difficult district schedules in the area, here are the three keys to beating Hebron at 7 p.m. at Hawk Stadium.

1. Limit Takoda Bridges

The three-star receiver is the top playmaker for the Hawks. In three games, Bridges currently sits at 403 yards receiving and four touchdowns. Bridges is the kind of player that can line up either in the slot or out wide and can break the big play. He averages 21 yards per reception.

Meanwhile, Plano East’s pass defense has been solid but has surrendered 87 yards or more to their opposition’s leading receiver in each of their early contests. It’s safe to assume Bridges will have a good game, but the Panthers need to ensure he doesn’t have a great game that hurts the team.

For the complete story see this Thursday’s edition of the Murphy Monitor. Support your community newspaper for less than $40 a year.

By Kyle Grondin • [email protected]