Paradise defensive lineman celebrates with Camden Walker after scoring a go-ahead touchdown off of Peaster’s fumble late in the game Friday. Walker sealed the 21-15 win a minute late with an interception. BRENDAN MARCHAND | WCMESSENGER

No. 2 Paradise rallied from a 15-13 deficit in crunch time against Peaster Friday to maintain the team’s undefeated District 4-3AI record.

Trailing by two with less than three minutes to play, Paradise defensive lineman Beau Chenevert gave the Panthers (7-1, 4-0) the breakthrough they’d been searching for in the second half.

After recovering a fumble by Peaster quarterback Luke Gray, Chenevert ran the ball 18-yards for a go-ahead touchdown.

“I gotta give the glory to God for that and for everything,” Chenevert said. “I saw the ball go up and my only thought was that back pylon. I told myself ‘I’m getting there,’ and sure enough, that’s where I ended.”

On the Greyhounds’ ensuing drive, Paradise safety Camden Walker put an end to the dramatic night with a game-sealing interception to help deliver the 21-15 win.

Walker’s pick was the fourth forced turnover by Paradise in the game — a matchup that he said may be the best he’s ever played in.

“We were playing zone and I had the middle of the field when I saw the ball go up. I told myself, ‘I’m picking this, I’m picking this.’ It was the best feeling ever when I came down with it,” Walker said. “When these two teams get together, you know it’s going to be something like this. This was some of the most fun I’ve had playing football.”

The game-altering stand reversed course on Peaster’s second-half performance, where the Greyhounds had gained control.

Paradise established a 13-0 lead with rushing touchdowns by Luke Brown (1 yard) and Chase Harmon (5 yards) midway through the second quarter, but Peaster cut into the lead before halftime on Gray’s 1-yard sneak and a 2-point conversion after.

After the two teams traded interceptions to start the third quarter, Peaster left its biggest mark on the game. The Greyhounds strip sacked Paradise quarterback Ayden Olalde, followed by Colt Turner reining in the ball off the turf and returning it for a touchdown to take a 15-13 lead at the 7:22 mark.

Gray got the Peaster offense back to form after both offenses were largely unsuccessful while the third and fourth quarters burned away. The Greyhounds’ offense started humming on a balanced run-pass approach, but Panthers shut it down.

“We were hanging our heads a little bit because of some of the calls, but coach [Koch] just said, ‘Hey, we gotta go. Keep your head up and run through them,'” Chenevert said. “We ended up doing just that.”

The linebacking corps sacked Gray twice to push Peaster back towards its own goal line inside of the three minute mark. Chenevert responded with his go-ahead score after.

Paradise linebacker Cash Watson attempts to track down Peaster quarterback Luke Gray Friday. Watson grabbed an interception off of the Greyhounds’ signal caller in Paradise’s 21-15 win. BRENDAN MARCHAND | WCMESSENGER

“Our defense just loves being on the field. It doesn’t matter where the ball is — the other team could have first-and-goal from the 1 — because our guys will always believe they can get a stop,” Paradise coach Tommy Koch said. “When we were down in the fourth quarter, I told them we were going to score and it would come down to the defense. We weren’t going to play conservative — we wanted to make [Peaster] work for every single yard.”

Peaster outgained Paradise in offensive output 254-196, but the Panthers’ ability to stay plus-two in the turnover battle proved to be the difference maker. Koch said that exemplified a gritty football team.

“We had to find a way to win ugly when we were down,” he said.

The Panthers remain the only unbeated team in District 4-3AI. Paradise will observe its bye in Week 9 and close out the 2025 campaign with a visit to Ponder (Oct. 31) and then host the Battle of 114 against Boyd.

Key takeaways

Paradise defense may be best in 3A

During Paradise’s summer workouts and fall camp, multiple players and coaches relayed the sentiment that the Panthers may have the best defense in class 3A. Each week, that message comes through a little louder.

The Paradise defense forced four Greyhound turnovers via interceptions by Wyatt Sanders, Cash Watson and Camden Walker, and Beau Chenevert’s game-changing fumble-six to lift Paradise to the win.

The Panthers held Peaster to 21 points, the lowest the Greyhounds have scored all season.

Chenevert makes play of the game and deserves it

Paradise defensive lineman Beau Chenevert put the Panthers on his back when it looked like the Peaster offense was going to be too much to handle down the stretch of the game.

After Watson, Teagan Lambert and Miles Godwin made second down stops to push the Greyhounds deep into their territory late in the fourth quarter, Chenevert put his signature on the game.

As Peaster quarterback Luke Gray dropped back on third and long, he was engulfed by the Paradise defense. While trying to get the ball out with several Panthers hanging onto him, Chenevert corralled Gray’s last ditch attempt at a pass, then sprinted to the pylon while shaking off a Greyhound for a defensive touchdown.

“That was not on anyone’s bingo card,” Paradise coach Tommy Koch said after the game.

Koch shared that Chenevert has battled a number of injuries in his career, but the senior’s perseverance showed out on the biggest stage of the season thus far.

History is being made, again

Short of a state championship, there are very few boxes Paradise football hasn’t checked off in the last few years. But one more is in store for the Panthers.

Paradise now sits in the driver’s seat of District 4-3AI after knocking off Peaster, a team that was expected to be Paradise’s real challenger for the district championship. The Panthers will visit Ponder Oct. 31 then close out the season with a home contest against Boyd Nov. 7.

This will be the first time Paradise has claimed back-to-back district championships in school history.

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