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Sixty Second: Panthers break 60 again in blowout of Berkner
BY Matt Welch, mwelch@starlocalnews.com
DALLAS -- For the second consecutive game, the Plano East football team's offense was a model of efficiency.
No punts, no turnovers.
Ten drives, 10 scores.
"We've got some kids doing a great job right now," said Johnny Ringo, East head coach. "I'm proud of them, [offensive coordinator Mark Humble] and the offensive staff, plus the defensive staff."
The Panthers eclipsed 60 points for the second straight week, following their 60-38 pasting of Garland Naaman Forest on Sept. 7 to move to 3-0 for the first time since 2007.
It didn't come without a rough-and-tumble opening quarter, though.
With signs of a potential shootout in the making, the Rams looked to keep pace with the Panthers by eschewing a 29-yard field goal in favor of a 9-yard run by quarterback Yedidiah Louis to convert a 4th-and-1 inside the final two minutes of the first quarter -- a play Louis wound up injured on by its end.
The Rams still mustered a 1-yard touchdown run by backup signal caller Calvin Jones to snag a 14-10 lead.
That optimism was short-lived as East proceeded to rip off 42 unanswered points.
Scoring on 10 straight possessions, no Panthers drive during that stretch would exceed seven plays as points and yardage both came in rapid abundance for East.
Senior Ricky Ilodianya capped a six-play drive with a 2-yard touchdown run to put the Panthers back on top, 17-14, for the first of three touchdowns amassed by the running back. All of those came in the second quarter, with Ilodianya following up the aforementioned run with an 18-yard touchdown reception from senior quarterback Mario Smalls.
Ilodianya added an 8-yard touchdown run with 1:06 left in the half to cap a drive that saw him rattle off rushes of 17 and 19 yards en route to 103 yards on 10 carries by halftime for a 38-14 Panthers lead.
"Ricky is really starting to come into his own," Ringo said. "I think he was a bit sluggish that first game against Garland but has had that coming-out party these past two weeks and shown what he is capable of."
Those scores bookended a 26-yard touchdown catch by senior Collin Shaw from a scrambling Smalls, with the receiver snagging the ball over the back of Jotyar Safar.
Without Louis -- the Rams' leading passer and rusher -- Berkner countered with a paltry 10 yards of offense in the three series that followed the quarterback's injury, compared to the 156 yards amassed during the 10 and a half minutes Louis was healthy.
"[Louis] is a great player and what makes them go," Ringo said. "He had a great year last season and hopefully it's not a serious injury. He's done so much for that program."
Filling in, Jones finished with 137 rushing yards and a touchdown, despite fumbling the ball seven times on the night -- losing just one, to East senior Nimoy Tennison early in the second quarter.
The Panthers defense hampered the Louis-less Rams, while the East offense kept firing on all cylinders in the second half.
Just as Ilodianya set the table in the first two quarters, junior Lionel Wills feasted on the Berkner defense over the final two frames for 153 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries. Wills scored on runs of 5 and 9 yards, the former coming on a six-play, 72-yard drive that saw Wills carry the ball all six times and, at times, run the exact same play.
Smalls, who slung 192 yards and four touchdowns on 15-of-18 passing, rounded out his night in the second half with an 11-yard score to senior Brooks Roberts to put the Panthers up, 45-14, midway through the third.
Berkner mustered a pair of second-half scores, with Jones ripping off a 79-yard touchdown run and Hoan Nguyen eking out a 3-yard score with 38 seconds left.
The Panthers had a crack at dropping 69 points, but a 75-yard touchdown run by sophomore Taylor McGehee in the game's final moments was called back due to a block in the back.
Now 3-0, East looks to keep its momentum going Friday at 7:30 p.m. on the road against Flower Mound Marcus.
It'll be the Panthers' last game for a bit with two open weeks scheduled afterward leading up to the District 10-5A opener Oct. 12 against Allen.
"It's real important that we don't make these mistakes, and that's why we're so critical about getting these things corrected," Ringo said. "We're going to be off for a while and won't have that fifth non-district game to prepare for Allen."
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