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#3 Euless Trinity @ #20 Odessa Permian
The Trinity Trojans travel to Ratliff Stadium to take on
Permian. Trinity pulled away in last year’s game to win big, but
the Panthers will not be easy to overtake at home. Permian is
steadily improving under the direction of head coach Darren Allman
and Trinity’s established itself as a state power this decade under
the guidance of Steve Lineweaver.
Both teams are off to winning starts. Permian is 2-0 with wins
over Lubbock (69-14) and Amarillo Tascosa (47-28). Trinity started
its 2007 journey with a 21-10 win at Tyler Lee.
Permian opened up into a multiple offense since the current
coaching staff took over three years ago, so they are just now
starting to work their first full class through the new system.
Senior QB Taylor Byrd and senior all-purpose player Melvis Pride are
a couple of the Panthers’ top players on offense. On defense,
senior DL Austin Shaffer and senior LB Andrew Amoyah are two of the
most experienced players on the roster.
Trinity is well known for their power play style, but will also
throw in a few surprises to keep opponents honest. The running game
is led by senior Samir Baker and junior Tray Robinson this year.
Both contributed on varsity last season. The Trojans are most
experienced on the defensive line and in the secondary on defense.
Senior DL-FB Mao Leota and senior safety Wayne Heimuli are two
leaders for the Trojans. Trinity’s biggest advantage in this
match-up will be overall size and strength. This is the case
against most teams they play.
Trinity is our favorite to win this game. Their road win at
Tyler Lee’s Rose Stadium last week should help prepare them to go on
the road at Permian and emerge 2-0. Permian is improving, so this
is definitely not a pushover game. However, their overall strength
should win out this year as it did when the two met a year ago.
Trinity needs to be careful and make sure they are completely
mentally prepared when the ball goes up. Permian has a golden
chance to revive itself in the Texas high school football landscape
if they do pull off the upset. A main key for Permian will be how
well they are able to hold their ground at the point of attack
against Trinity’s size, and find a way to get them off the field so
the Mojo offense can go to work. Trinity’s grinding offense should
keep Permian’s high powered attack on the sidelines. This game
will be televised live on Fox Sports Net. OUR PICK- TRINITY |
