Football postgame: Paetow 41, Cinco Ranch 31
Offense comes up clutch to help Panthers go to 5-1 overall, 4-0 in District 19-6A
Defense elevated Paetow to an undefeated mark in district play heading into this week against Cinco Ranch.
Offense kept the Panthers there Thursday.
Paetow built a 17-point lead early in the second half, watched Cinco Ranch storm back to within three points, and held on for a 41-31 win on senior receiver Ikenna Nwobu’s 10-yard catch on a go route on fourth down with 1:23 left at Legacy Stadium.
Paetow is 5-1 overall, winners of five straight, and improved to 4-0 in District 19-6A. Cinco Ranch fell to 2-5 overall, 2-3 in 19-6A.
The Panthers entered as the No. 2 defense in 19-6A, allowing 13.4 points on 237 yards per game. But when the defense was on its heels in the second half, it was the offense that secured the win.
After sophomore running back Brayden Gonzalez scored on a 5-yard run with 6:27 left to cut the Cougars’ deficit to 34-31, Paetow drove 74 yards in a little more than five minutes, relying on big plays from senior running back Terrence Johnson (runs of 15, 12 and 7 yards, respectively) and senior quarterback Jackson Farrar (11-yard run), culminating in Nwobu’s clutch snare in traffic on 4th-and-7 from the Cinco Ranch 10.
On the ensuing kickoff, Cinco Ranch fumbled and Paetow recovered for the Panthers’ second takeaway of the game.
Johnson was workmanlike all game, carrying the ball 28 times for 216 yards and four touchdowns. He is 19-6A’s top rusher with 963 yards and 13 touchdowns despite only four games as a starter.
As the Panthers have rolled through this middle stage of the regular season, the offense has matured considerably. Specifically, the passing game.
That was evident Thursday against Cinco Ranch as Farrar had his best outing of the season. He completed 15 of 20 passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns to no interceptions, adding 44 yards on six carries.
Farrar completed passes to six different receivers. Senior Daqualyn Lott had four catches for 31 yards and a touchdown. Johnson had 39 yards on two catches. Nwobu had 27 yards on three catches. Senior Jeremy McCullough had 16 yards on two catches. Senior Joshua Scott had 31 yards on three catches. Sophomore Tyler Washington had a catch for seven yards.
In all, Paetow compiled 412 yards of total offense, 289 rushing and 123 passing, and averaged 6.4 yards per play. The Panthers, considered a defensive-minded, run-oriented team entering the season, scored 40 or more points for the second straight game.
Cinco Ranch, No. 4 in 19-6A in total offense entering the game, had 272 total yards, 69 below its season average, and didn’t get going until it had dug itself a 27-10 deficit with 9:30 left in the third quarter.
The Cougars scored three touchdowns in the second half on runs from senior quarterback Charlie Adamoli, junior running back Marcus Gadlin III and Gonzalez.
After throwing for 134 yards in the first half, Cinco Ranch, typically a pass-happy team, only threw for 71 in the second half as Paetow’s secondary, led by senior defensive back and Texas A&M commit Deyjhon Pettaway and junior defensive back Jaeden Spelmon, thrived.
Adamoli completed 19 of 28 passes for 205 yards and a 14-yard touchdown to freshman Jacob Chevez in the first half.
Senior receiver Scott Eckel had six catches for 66 yards. Junior Drew Tureau had five catches for 55 yards. Chevez had four catches for 39 yards.
The Cougars, however, were deemed one-dimensional by a terrific Paetow front seven anchored by senior Carmello Brooks, a Houston commit who had UH coach Willie Fritz in attendance to watch.
Cinco Ranch had 67 yards on 25 carries, 2.7 yards per tote.
The game was marred by a plethora of penalties, most coming from Paetow’s side. The Panthers were flagged 14 times for 155 yards. The Cougars had nine penalties for 78 yards.
Paetow’s Johnson, Farrar and Nwobu spoke about the win, their season and more afterward.
A box score and summary from the game is further down the page.
Johnson:
Farrar:
Nwobu:
PAETOW 41 CINCO RANCH 31
SCORING:
First quarter
PHS: Terrence Johnson 39 run (2-point fail), 11:07
PHS: Terrence Johnson 43 run (Omar Yaghi kick good), 7:47
Second quarter
CRHS: Jacob Chevez 14 catch from Charlie Adamoli (Andrew Reagan kick good), 10:53
PHS: Terrence Johnson 5 run (Omar Yaghi kick good), 3:40
CRHS: Jesus Bravo 26 FG, 0:00
Third quarter
PHS: Daqualyn Lott 4 catch from Jackson Farrar (Omar Yaghi kick good), 9:30
CRHS: Charlie Adamoli 6 run (Scott Eckel 2-point conversion good), 7:28
PHS: Terrence Johnson 4 run (Omar Yaghi kick good), 2:10
Fourth quarter
CRHS: Marcus Gadlin III 3 run (2-point conversion fail), 9:17
CRHS: Brayden Gonzalez 5 run (Andrew Reagan kick good), 6:27
PHS: Ikenna Nwobu 10 catch from Jackson Farrar (Omar Yaghi kick good), 1:23
Team Statistics
Yards rushing: PHS 44-289, 4 TDs; CRHS 25-67, 3 TDs
Yards Passing: CRHS 205; PHS 123
Total Yards: PHS 412; CRHS 272
Passing: CRHS 19-28-0, 205 yards, TD; PHS 15-20-0, 123 yards, 2 TDs
Turnovers: CRHS 2; PHS 0
Penalty-Yards: PHS 14-155; CRHS 9-78
Individual Statistics
Rushing – PHS: Terrence Johnson 28-216, 4 TDs; Jackson Farrar 6-44; Jordan Bedford 9-24; Curtis Zeno 1-5. CRHS: Marcus Gadlin 12-50, TD; Brayden Gonzalez 8-32, TD; Charlie Adamoli 5-(-15), TD.
Passing – CRHS: Charlie Adamoli 19-28-0, 205 yards, TD. PHS: Jackson Farrar 15-20-0, 123 yards, 2 TDs.
Receiving – CRHS: Scott Eckel 6-66; Drew Tureau 5-55; Jacob Chevez 4-39, TD; Brayden Gonzalez 2-22; Matthew Courtois 1-14; Marcus Gadlin III 1-9. PHS: Terrence Johnson 2-39; Joshua Scott 3-31; Daqualyn Lott 4-31, TD; Ikenna Nwobu 3-27, TD; Jeremy McCullough 2-16; Tyler Washington 1-7.