Pauls Valley ended its season with a 43-27 win over Purcell.
“It felt good to go out on a win,” said senior Skeet Jolly. “I wouldn’t want it with another group of boys.”
Purcell scored at the end of a 71-yard opening drive, putting the Dragons up 7-0.
The Panthers responded immediately with Jolly on the first down, finding a path up the left side for a 65-yard touchdown run and running for the 2-point conversion. Now up 8-7, Pauls Valley never trailed again in the game.
Panther defense forced the Dragons to punt on their next drive. Pauls Valley got down to fourthand-goal, but failed to reach the endzone.
Pauls Valley forced and recovered a Purcell fumble, but then Jolly’s 73-yard run into the endzone was called back due to penalties, ending the quarter with a score of 8-7.
Jolly found the endzone again three plays into the second quarter. The conversion failed due to an incomplete pass, putting the score at 14-7.
The Dragons reached the endzone again, but Mason Barahona blocked the extra point attempt to keep the Panther lead.
“On the first one, I saw an open gap,” Barahona said. “So on this one, I knew I was going to hit it. It was all natural.”
Three plays later, Jolly ran in a 67-yard touchdown. The halftime score was 20-13.
“The touchdowns wouldn’t be possible without my line,” Jolly said. “Our two H-backs block their tails off all the time. They are so good they make people mad.”
Brody Brown finished the Panthers’ second-half opening drive with a 23-yard touchdown.
“I hit it outside a little bit, and it was there,” Brown said.
Noah Galvan carried in the conversion to make the score 28-13.
On the kickoff, Pauls Valley’s Corbyn Jones recovered the Dragon fumble. Two plays later, Galvan ran in a 6-yard touchdown followed by a successful Barahona kick.
Purcell then went on a 6-minute scoring drive but failed the extra-point attempt, bringing the score to 35-19.
Three plays into the fourth quarter, Panthers’ Ryan Hammond recovered a Dragon fumble.
“I saw it on the ground and jumped on it. I had to jump over some people,” Hammond said.
Pauls Valley reached the 14-yard line but missed a field goal attempt. Purcell took advantage and scored again with a 2-point conversion, closing the gap to 35-27.
The Panthers responded with a scoring drive that ended with Brown running in a 1-yard touchdown.
“It felt good doing it one last time,” Brody Brown said. “We needed one more to seal it, and we got it done.”
Barahona was set to kick the extra point, but the snap was botched. He adjusted and ran it in for the conversion.
“I was about to kick it, and the ball wasn’t there, so by instinct, I picked it up,” Barahona said.
Konner Martin ended the Dragons’ final attempt to rally with an interception.
“I was just reading the defense and staying on my man,” Martin said. “I was just holding down and got the pick to win.”
This wraps up the Panthers’ football season.
“It wasn’t the year we wanted, but it’s definitely something we can build on and look back on,” said Brown, a junior.
