CANYON — Palo Duro football had a strong start to its 2024 campaign, defeating all three of Amarillo’s other Class 5A programs in its non-district slate.
Following a bye in Week 5, Eric Mims Sr.’s team had a chance to carry its momentum into league play when the Dons faced Wichita Falls Memorial on Friday night in a District 2-5A Division II matchup at Bain–Schaeffer Buffalo Stadium.
Palo Duro took a lead into halftime, but ultimately couldn’t keep pace with the Mavericks, falling 44-27 in the Dons’ district opener.
Sophomore sensation dazzles in first half
Palo Duro sophomore quarterback Julian Reese II was exceptional in the first half, going 8-of-11 for 170 yards and two touchdowns.
Even aside from long catch-and-run touchdown passes by Reese to Raymond Johnson IV and Darien Lewis, the second-year signal caller was precise in the first half, delivering accurate strikes to his receivers and making smart decisions with the ball.
On a third down play from the 15-yard line, Reese waited patiently in the pocket and dropped a perfectly-timed pass to junior tailback Amariyea James, who got the ball down to the 1-yard line. Lewis scored on the next play to put the Dons ahead by one point in the second quarter.
Before halftime, Lewis took a screen pass from Reese 67 yards for a touchdown to give Palo Duro a four-point lead at the break. Reese continued his strong performance early in the third quarter, delivering a 41-yard bomb down the sideline followed by an 8-yard touchdown pass, both to sophomore wide receiver Kyron Brown.
Second half stall out
After Reese led the Dons on a three-play scoring drive during their second series of the third quarter, Palo Duro’s offense dried up for the rest of the game.
Memorial outscored Mims’ team 28-7 in the second half, with the Dons’ final points coming around the six-minute mark in the third quarter. After Reese and company beat the Mavericks through the air early on, Marc Bindel’s team bottled up Palo Duro’s aerial attack for the remainder of the contest, holding Reese to less than 100 passing yards in the second half.
“As far as quarterback play, (Reese) threw a couple of touchdowns, I think he threw three. Played a really good game and we’ve just got to keep building on that momentum for him as a sophomore. His reads and making plays,” Mims said. “Not good enough overall as a team. We left too many drives out there that we didn’t score on and we had some stops that we left on the field that we didn’t get.”
Mims’ team lost two fumbles in the first half alone, both times leading to Memorial touchdown passes from Joe Castles, who added another touchdown throw in the second half to help put the game away.
In addition to preventing any big plays through the air following Reese’s 41-yarder to Brown, Memorial grabbed an interception late in the game after taking a two-score lead. Once the Mavericks took control of the game, Palo Duro ‘ had to play from behind, and the Dons’ offense wasn’t as effective.
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Memorial offensive line in command
The Mavericks’ were able to build their lead behind strong performances from senior running back Kenji Johnson and junior tailback Eric Powell. Johnson finished with nearly 180 yards and a touchdown on the ground while Powell racked up more than 130 rushing yards and two touchdowns in addition to 28 receiving yards and another score through the air.
Paving the way for Johnson and Powell was an impressive Memorial offensive line that earned praise from both Mims and Bindel after the game.
“I think it starts with the offensive line and tight ends,” Bindel said. “You know, Palo Duro was doing some different stuff defensively than what we thought and we had trouble adjusting at first, but those guys kind of stuck with it. And the two backs are so special, that if we get time, we get things blocked up, we expect big things from those guys.”
The Mavericks sustained long, time-consuming drives with a consistent rushing attack that continually put Ben Nielsen’s offense ahead of the sticks and ripped off multiple big runs in in the second half. Johnson and Powell finished with a combined 49 carries for more than 300 yards in the contest.
Both players seemed to improve as the game progressed, with Johnson scoring the first touchdown of the second half and Powell running in the contest’s final two touchdowns. Memorial’s offensive line helped carve out running lanes for each back, especially as the Dons defenders began to get more tired towards the end of the game.
The Mavericks’ ground-and-pound offensive game plan also helped keep Reese and Palo Duro’s explosive offense off the field in the second half, causing the Dons to lose their rhythm and stall in the final 20 minutes of regulation.
“(Memorial’s) O-line blocked well. I mean, if running backs do good, then it means that the O-line played well,” Mims said. “We missed some tackles and lost some contain on some assignments. Our kids played hard, we just have to make some more plays.”
The Dons will have the chance to even their district record on Friday, Oct. 11, when Palo Duro travels to Abilene Wylie for another tough matchup. The Mavericks have a bye next week, but will meet the Bulldogs on Oct. 18.
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Palo Duro football starts fast, stalls late in loss to WF Memorial
