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Don't Sweat the Smalls Stuff: Panthers rally, explode for 35 straight, rout Garland
BY Matt Welch, mwelch@starlocalnews.com
MURPHY -- The last time the Plano East football team won its season opener was in 2007 under the guise of alum Riko Smalls at quarterback.
Five years and four season-opening losses later, brother and East senior quarterback Mario Smalls helped snap the Panthers' Week 0 hex in a 35-20 victory over visiting Garland Thursday night at Kimbrough Stadium.
"I didn't realize it was that long but I guess that's the case," said Johnny Ringo, East head coach. "... It's huge and after the way we started the game, I'm so proud of the way our kids stepped up. It's a great win against a great program."
However, once those wheels began to creak, the Panthers were there to seize control by ripping off 35 straight points after a scoreless first quarter.
East's special teams unit got the ball rolling after senior Anthony Maioriello recovered a fumble on a botched punt attempt by Garland with nine seconds left in the first quarter.
After coming away empty-handed on its first three drives, East required just four plays to post its first touchdown of the season on a 27-yard hookup between Mario and senior Collin Shaw.
"We just had to get an opportunity to get the ball back," Mario said. "Once we got it back, we knew we could go score so after our first touchdown, we felt that momentum turn around."
The Shaw-Smalls connection would become a running theme all evening against the Garland secondary, with perhaps no instance more notable than East's next drive -- triggered off an interception by sophomore Austin Corbett -- when Mario and Co. dealt the Owls a flea flicker for a 50-yard touchdown catch by a wide-open Shaw for a 14-13 lead with 8:57 left in the first half.
The wide-out would punctuate the Panthers' next possession with a 20-yard touchdown catch, hauling in all three of his touchdowns alongside eight receptions for 174 yards in the opening half. Mario's 2012 debut ended with 212 yards, three touchdowns and one interception on 13-of-20 passing.
"It's great to have an experienced receiver with me," Mario said. "Me being a one-year starter and [Shaw] being a returning starter, it's great to have that on the field."
The Panthers' special teams extended the lead one series later, blocking a 33-yard field goal attempt by Emanuel Vertiz that was recovered by East junior Jameal Hampton and returned 77 yards for a 28-13 cushion that would be carried into halftime.
"It was a great second quarter," Ringo said. "The momentum began to swing and we really got our kids to believe we were in better shape and that we could be the tougher, more physical team and again, that's a tough team we just played."
Any effort by the staggering Owls to regroup went out the window one play into the third quarter after Joshua Jackson fumbled the ball away to the Panthers on the Garland 17-yard line -- an opportunity East would promptly cash in on with an 11-yard touchdown run by senior Ricky Ilodianya to go up, 35-13.
The 35 unanswered Panther points made for an unlikely reversal of fortunes after Garland barnstormed East in the first quarter.
Opening with a 38-yard completion to Vinson Cobb from Carvontez Gates, the Owls went up 6-0 in five plays time following a 7-yard bullet from Gates to Jalen Evans.
Jaharrad Haskins added a 4-yard touchdown run on Garland's next drive for a 13-0 lead before the Panthers flipped the switch.
It wasn't without a fight from the Owls rushing attack though, which amassed 363 yards on the night, including 151 from Elon Green and 89 from Gates. On the night, Garland outgained the Panthers, 496-273, and enjoyed plenty of time in East territory in the second half.
"We just had to get people to those backs," Ringo said. "They're so big and strong, you have a hard time getting them to the ground but in the second half, I think we wore them down."
But be it a myriad of poor snaps, miscues or timely stops by the Panther defense, East barricaded the end zone for 38 minutes before the Owls found the end zone with 54 seconds left in the game on a 47-yard touchdown pass to Steven Pierce.
The end result marked a 1-0 start for the Panthers, with a 7:30 p.m. kickoff Friday at Williams Stadium against Garland Naaman Forest next up.
"It's a great feeling," Mario said. "Five years of not having won that first game and to be able to do it today feels great."
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