Plano East (0-2, 1-4) could not overcome a 12-point halftime deficit, falling to Lewisville (2-0, 5-0) at the last second 29-24.

Thoughts from Coach Joey McCullough

“I saw a very resilient team,” McCullough said. “In the first half, we didn’t make them punt. Our defense came out in the second half and played lights out. I was very proud of how they performed. Offensively, we lost our quarterback early, and we’re drawing things on the sideline for [Ismail Mahdi]. Our kids responded well to that adversity.”

Impact player of the game: Mahdi

With Drew DeVillier sitting out most of the game with an injury, senior tailback Mahdi became the bell cow for the Panthers’ offense. Functioning as a wildcat quarterback, he kept Plano East going offensively, finishing with 190 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries. Mahdi also threw for a touchdown, hitting Bryan Dyer on a nine-yard pass in the end zone.

The Panthers face off against Plano West (0-2, 2-3) next Friday in a battle of winless district teams.

By Jackson King * [email protected]