After observing a bye last week, the Boyd Yellowjackets hoped to find their first win of the season against in the District 4-3A Division I opener against the visiting Paradise Panthers.
Boyd’s defense shut down Paradise’s opening drive, while the offense quickly found the end zone.
But the Panthers were not deterred.
Paradise’s offense scored 35 consecutive points, while holding the Yellowjackets out of the end zone in several red zone situations.
The Panthers claimed the district-opening win against Boyd 38-19 — Paradise’s first win over Boyd since 2016.
“It’s been too long since our last win against Boyd,” Paradise quarterback Carter Stainton said. “The coaches told us it’s been 5 years. We’ve never beaten Boyd in this stadium. It’s a really great feeling to get the win tonight and start district play at 1-0. It’s just a big win for us.
“Last year we started 0-3 in district. This is a different year for our team. We’ve got all new personnel. We’re ready and we’re hungry for it.”
Paradise was unable to capitalize on their opening possession, as the Yellowjacket defense suffocated the Panthers.
Boyd marched down field quickly. Senior quarterback Rendyn Lamance amassed 55 rushing yards on Boyd’s first drive, capped off with a 7-yard run into the end zone.
Despite the early lead, Boyd’s offense went cold while Paradise heated up.
The Panthers scored seven consecutive touchdowns and a 35-yard field goal to take a commanding 38-6 lead into the final frame.
“This game was like a watershed moment for our program,” Paradise coach Joe Koch said. “Certain games really help the program make a turn in the right direction. Boyd’s really put it on us in the last four years. But this really feels good, to know we earned a win against our rival.
“With us being such a young team, I honestly didn’t know how we’d respond after the opening drive,” he continued. “Boyd forced a three-and-out and quickly scored. There were a lot of distractions — the large number of fans, the bigger stadium and the rivalry itself. But we held together and were able to do some really good things tonight.”
Koch believes the win over Boyd allows the Panthers to see they can compete against strong teams in the league.
“We cleared a huge mental hurdle in this game,” Koch said. “These kids love to compete and love the challenge. They were really pumped up for this game. It was a great opportunity to break out the measuring stick and see where we’re at.
”It’s nice to enter district playing from in front in stead of behind like we were last year when we started 0-3,” he continued. “There’s an old saying — you can’t win a championship without winning the first game. With such a young team, our growth is exponential every week. I expect to see a better version of ourselves next week.”
Paradise’s first two scores were touchdown passes thrown by Stainton to sophomore receiver Austin Iglesias (6, 69).
Stainton finished the game 18-for-23 passing for 214 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 58 yards and one score.
“It’s only getting better between me and all of my receivers,” Stainton said. “I threw the ball to a lot of guys tonight. Across the board, everyone’s doing their job, and we’re only going up from here.
“Having a receiver like Austin definitely helps,” he continued. “I think it’s that little quarterback that’s in both of our heads that allows us to have such a good connection. He played quarterback on JV last year, so I think we both know what to expect in the passing game.”
The Panthers also benefitted from strong rushed from running backs Will Johnson (7) and Jarrett Morris (1).
After a 35-yard field goal by Paradise’s Carlos Perez at the end of the third quarter, the Yellowjackets’ offense woke up.
Lamance added his second rushing score of the night with a 4-yard scamper.
Boyd sophomore quarterback Braden McIntire capped off the Yellowjackets’ offensive production with a 8-yard touchdown pass to receiver Aiden Lemasters.
“I was really proud of the way we came into the game,” Boyd coach Ian Ritchey said. “We had a great two weeks of practice to prepare. Unfortunately, we were unable to sustain it.
”Our biggest problem right now is that we’re allowing our mistakes to continue to affect us and not being able to move on to the next play,” he continued. “There were several times tonight where something went wrong, and it affected us on the next drive. It just kept stacking up. We need to focus on ourselves to get where we want to be. We’ve got to stop beating ourselves.”
In Week 6, Panthers (4-0) will host 3AI No. 2 Brock Oct. 1 at Panther Stadium, while Boyd (0-4) travels to Whitesboro. Both games are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Oct. 1.
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