Henrietta closed the lead to a single touchdown with 7:03 left in the game when Bearcats quarterback Seth Crumpton hit receiver Josh Sharp with a 45-yard touchdown pass. Kicker Blake Wiest was good on the extra point.
But the Panther defense was able to keep Henrietta out of the end zone for the rest of the game and preserve the win.
Paradise scored first on an 11-yard run by Michael Brown with 3:30 left in the first half.
The Panthers gave themselves a little bit of breathing room in the third quarter when Nick Pike scored from one yard out with 7:46 left in the frame. Quarterback PJ Fuller and receiver Conner Higgins connected on an 81-yard play to give Paradise its biggest lead and set up the fourth quarter drama. Thad Limke was a perfect 3 for 3 on point after tries for the game.
Fuller was the game's leading passer with 255 yards with 3 interceptions and 1 touchdown. Higgins caught 4 balls for 118 yards. Pike had a game-high 85-yards rushing on 11 carries.
Crumpton was Henrietta's leading passer and rusher with 181 yards and 84 yards, respectively. Sharp caught 3 passes for 95 yards.
With the win, Paradise improved to 2-0 going into next week's game against Aubrey.
