Written by Leland Acker – All things old will become new again. That concept was on full display at Longhorn Stadium in Early Friday night as the Paradise Panthers employed a wishbone offense to soak Early’s homecoming game by a score of 28-0.
The Panther offense utilized the three-back set, rarely seen since the 1990s, to pound the ball forward for 336 yards on 52 carries. Paradise only threw the ball three times, failing to complete a single pass.
The opening drive for Early was snuffed out prematurely. Rowdy Elkins ran the opening kickoff out of the end zone to the 13-yard line before being stopped. Hayden Barker broke open for a 13-yard run before quarterback Ryan Trompler completed a 6-yard pass to Ty Shafer.
A hard hit from a Paradise defender jarred the ball loose and the Panthers recovered the fumble at the Early 33-yard line.
That’s when Paradise employed the wishbone offense, putting together a drive that culminated in a 4-yard touchdown run by Jacob Robinson.
Early went three-and-out on the next series and punted. Paradise responded by scoring on a 53-yard run by Tucker Edwards.
Down 14-0, the Early offense buckled down and put together a drive that ended on the Paradise 24 yard line. Facing 4th down and 11 yards to go, the Longhorns attempted a pass play to continue the drive. The incomplete pass to Shafer was one of the only three incompletions Trompler threw all night.
Trompler completed 11 of 14 attempts for 106 yards.
Paradise scored again in the 2nd quarter on an option play to Angus Pace. The option play is another offensive play not seen much since the 1990s. Paradise’s final score came in the 3rd quarter on a six-yard run by Robinson.
Highlights for the Early Longhorns include a 4th quarter pass from Trompler to Elkins for a 30-yard gain. Trompler looked to throw to Jesson Tarrant in the flat, but when the defense came off of the down-field receivers to cover Tarrant, Trompler turned and connected to Elkins, who advanced the ball to the red zone before being brought down.
Other highlights included a 15-yard pass to Elkins, and a 19-yard pass to Jim Fowler, who danced down the sideline amidst a sea of Paradise defenders for the extra yardage.
“They’re physical and they run right at you,” Longhorn Head Football Coach and Athletic Director Blake Sandford told KXYL’s Bob James after the game. “They came off the ball well, and we didn’t do as well as we needed to.”
With the loss, the Early Longhorns fall to a record of 2-3 on the season. The Horns will have the bye week next week, and will travel to Brady to play the Bulldogs on Oct. 13.
The Brady Bulldogs are 0-5 on the season, coming off losses to Pecos, Lago Vista, Llano, Coleman and Comfort. The game against Brady will mark the first district game of the season.
The game will be played at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 13, at Bulldog Stadium in Brady and will be broadcast on News/Talk 102.3 KXYL, AM 1240, and streamed online at BrownwoodRadio.com.