Ellis County Sports Your source for Ellis County Sports News
By Travis M. Smith | KBEC Sports
The Midlothian Panthers continued their dominant start to the season with a 42-7 road victory Friday against Arlington Seguin.
Midlothian (4-0, 2-0 in District 5-5A) allowed just its second touchdown in the first three quarters during the win, as the Panthers have now outscored the opposition 188-34 on the season. Twenty-seven of those points allowed have come in the fourth quarter and well after the game was in hand.
The Panther defense limited the Cougars to 199 total yards of offense during the District 5-5A win, while the offense amassed 412 total yards and 29 first downs to the 12 of Seguin.
Ethan Hill led the way for the Midlothian offense, rushing 14 times for one touchdown and 102 of the team’s 342 rushing yards.
Laine Martin (13-74) scored two rushing touchdowns, while Jeremy McCoy (10-76) and quarterback Tate Corbin (9-22) each scored once on the ground.
Corbin also completed 4-of-his-8 passes for 70 yards and one touchdown, a 37-yard strike to McCoy (2-44) with 5:20 to play in the fourth quarter. The pitch-and-catch capped the scoring and sealed the 42-7 victory for the Panthers.
The lone Seguin score came with 5:26 to play in the second quarter when quarterback X’avion Brice scampered home from 25 yards out. He finished the game 4-of-11 passing for 50 yards while also adding a team-best 15 carries for 78 yards.
Takeaways from Tater and Todd
Tater Beard and Todd Hemphill serve as the play-by-play and color commentators for the Midlothian Panthers. The two will provide insider insight following each Panther football game this season.
1. The offensive line continues to look better and better. They are “Pounding The Stone” each game, each series and each play. Seniors Blake Cellars, Ian Pollard and Peter Brown are leading the way.
2. It’s all about pad level. Full backs Ethan Hill and Laine Martin have hit the holes fast, low and hard. The duo is consistently keeping the Panthers ahead of the chains by averaging about 10 yards-per-carry on the season.
3. One question mark after last season was who would fill in for Nolan Samek’s speed from the slot position. Senior wideout Jeremy McCoy answered that Friday with a breakout game. He showed an extra gear at times, scoring both rushing and receiving touchdowns.
4. The defensive line of the Panthers is relentless. Nick Pollard, Marshall Hodges and Kaleb Tompkins have something special going on. They attack on each down and are give opposing lines problems with great technique and skills that complement each other.
5. Panther linebackers have been on point. The play this far into the season from the group has been outstanding — whether out in coverage or stifling the run, the Panther linebackers are rallying to the ball.
6. Friday’s game was a team effort, as every member of the team contributed. The receivers and slot backs have blocked downfield allowing extra yards, while, defensively, very few tackles have been solo.
Be sure and follow Tater and Todd on Twitter @mhspantherradio and tune-in on Friday nights at http://mixlr.com/mhs-radio–2/.
UP NEXT
Midlothian returns to 5-5A action at 7:20 p.m. Friday at home against (3-1, 1-1) Burleson Centennial.
The Spartans opened 5-5A action with a 63-30 loss against state-ranked Aledo and then defeated Everman. 26-14.
