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COLUMN: Wake Up Call: Panthers can't afford a lopsided setback against Allen
BY Matt Welch, mwelch@starlocalnews.com
On paper, Friday is merely the first of five District 10-5A ball games for the Plano East football team.
In actuality, that 7:30 p.m. kickoff from Kimbrough Stadium against Allen may well be the defining moment of the Panthers' 2012 season.
Not because a win or loss could heighten or bury East's playoff aspirations, but because how the Panthers perform against the Eagles will set the tone for the rest of the season.
"We've never been in this situation and we'll have to wait and see how we look against Allen."
It's unchartered waters for the Panthers, who last played an actual game Sept. 21 against Flower Mound Marcus before enduring two consecutive bye weeks -- leaving three weeks between that 38-17 win over the Marauders and the 10-5A opener. Ringo made the comparison of the Panthers preparing for a bowl game given the length of time off.
It's a fitting one, yet alarming in the sense that college teams have shown a bit of initial malaise after an extended layoff.
There's something to be said for maintaining that week-to-week continuity and in the Panthers' case, this is a team that can ill afford a three-week break between games because of the roll they've been on.
Through its first four games, East is putting up offensive numbers that rank among the Metroplex's best, currently slotted first in total offense (539.5 yards per game), first in scoring (48.8 points), sixth in passing (265.5 yards) and seventh in rushing (274). While it would be unreasonable to expect those figures to stay at that level given the uptick in competition in 10-5A, the Panthers are in such a groove that three weeks without a game could mean a bit of rust early on.
That's not something any team can afford against Allen.
And it's not like this was an East team laden in experience to begin with, returning only 15 lettermen from 2011 and just five starters.
Given the overall inexperience, it's hard to ask for a better entry to the varsity scene.
East is 4-0 with an average margin of victory of 23 points. In those four games, the Panthers have led by an average margin of 17 points at the half.
However, it should be noted that the Panthers' four opponents finished a whopping 2-14 in non-district play and the gap between the Garland Naaman Forests of the world and Allen is a significant one.
This non-district campaign has left the Panthers without is a wire-to-wire challenge.
That will be provided by a 4-1 Allen team that ranks No. 8 in the AP state poll and was top 15 in the USA Today and MaxPreps national polls before falling to Coppell in Week 4.
By all accounts, the Panthers are making the most out of the unorthodox hand they've been dealt.
"I think everyone understands the importance of the Allen game," said Jackson Garrey, senior linebacker. "And nobody is taking these weeks off; we're practicing and preparing like we're playing a game the next day."
Getting themselves motivated for a team that has won district six straight years and has a winning streak over the Panthers that spans longer than a decade should be no trouble. After all, East boasted an 0-2 district record entering last season's matchup and provided arguably the Eagles' toughest challenge of the regular season.
An effort akin to that 42-38 setback would be in the Panthers' best interests, should they fail to upset Allen.
A more lopsided outcome could set an ominous tone for the remainder of district.
For as big a roll as East has been on, the lopsided nature of their games also means this is a team yet to handle any serious adversity and there's no telling what a crushing defeat could do to them.
As much as it may pain the maroon and white, look no further than Plano Senior's 2011 season where they cruised through non-district only to suffer a 44-7 loss in the 8-5A opener to Allen and never recovered.
It's an unfamiliar spot for the Panthers and granted, there's no evidence that one bye week instead of two would alter East's chances, but it's a less than desirable scenario to be away from action for three weeks before the toughest game on the schedule.
Especially in a six-team district where a two-game losing streak can spell the difference between second and fifth place.
But the Panthers have battled those odds before, rallying from an 0-3 start to 8-5A last year to make the playoffs. And while only 15 players were on that team, Friday night will be their chance to overcome an entirely new set of odds.
"The intensity at practice has been the same," said Collin Shaw, senior receiver. "That fire and intensity is just going to keep building up and especially since this is our Homecoming Game, we'll be ready for it."
For continued news and coverage on the local sports scene, follow @MWelchSCN on Twitter.
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