Panthers face tough task against Muenster

After a second half rally to claim their first win of the season last week, the Paradise Panthers will battle one of the top teams in the state in Week 2.

Paradise (1-0) will square off against 2A Division II No. 3 Muenster (0-1) 7:30 p.m. Friday at Muenster’s Hornet Stadium.

“Muenster has an incredible winning tradition,” Paradise coach Joe Koch said. “They don’t look like a 2A school at all. They’ve got a lot of good athletes, and they know how to play.”

The Hornets come into Week 2 after a 38-17 loss to Bells last week.

Paradise quarterback Austin Iglesias rushed for 164 yards and five touchowns in the Panthers’ Week 1 win over Lindsay, 36-7.

“We got better throughout the game,” Koch said. “We didn’t play as well as we should have in the first half, but we were able to establish the running game late and pull out a win.

“I wish we would’ve came out of Week 1 a little more healthy than we did. The injury bug always seems to bite at inconvenient times, especially for smaller schools that have to play both ways. We’re a little banged up, but now it time for our backups to step in and fill in the gaps.”

Harris line: Muenster by 13

Bowie at Bridgeport

Following a tough Week 1 defeat, the Bridgeport Bulls are set for their home opener.

Bridgeport (0-1) will host Bowie (0-1) 7:30 p.m. Friday at Bull Memorial Stadium.

“Bowie’s new coach [Hugh Farmer] has come in, and he’s got them going good,” Bridgeport coach JD Martinez said. “They’ve got a good offensive system, and defensively they’re flying around making plays. They’re headed in the right direction, and we’re going to have to play well.”

In the teams’ 2021 meeting, Bowie edged Bridgeport in an 18-13 victory.

“We’ve got to get some defensive stops — that’s the most glaring thing from our first game,” Martinez said. “We’ve got to be able to get off the field, and make some turnovers happen.

“On offense, we’ve got to focus on ball security. I’d also like for us to get our run game started a little faster.”

Bowie suffered a 41-22 loss to Graham in Week 1.

Bridgeport amassed 554 yards of total offense in Week 1, but fell in a 62-34 loss to Burkburnett.

“We scored 96 points between the two of us, but unfortunately they scored more than we did,” Martinez said. “They just made a few more key defensive stops.”

Harris line: Bowie by 7