2026 GAME ARTICLES
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PERMIAN ROLLS PAST REBELS IN OPENER
AUGUST 28th- The Permian Panthers kicked off the 2026 season on a high note, rolling to a 38-7 victory over Amarillo Tascosa Friday night at Ratliff Stadium.
The Panthers raced out to a 28-7 halftime lead, and kept the visiting Rebels out of the endzone in the second half.
MOJO opened the game with a halfback pass to a wide-open Daebreon McDowell for a 52-yard touchdown reception. Iker Munoz kicked the PAT to give Permian the early 7-0 lead with a mere 15 seconds off the clock.
Tascosa answered with a nice 75-yard drive to tie things up at 7-7 with 5:13 remaining in the first quarter.
That would be the highlight of the night for the Rebels. Permian bounced back with nine-play, 78-yard drive that ended with a two-yard touchdown run by Vickers, giving MOJO a 14-7 lead with 10:12 remaining in the second quarter.
After forcing a Tascosa fumble on their ensuing possession, Mark Herrera scored on a one-yard touchdown to make it 21-7 Permian at the 9:18 mark.
The Panthers scored again right before the half with a 20-yard touchdown run by Jace Thompson, giving the Panthers a 28-7 lead going into the break.
The Rebels received the second half kickoff but could do nothing against the MOJO defense, and were forced to punt.
Cayden Taylor scored on the ensuing possession on a two-yard run, extending the Permian advantage to 35-7 with 6:28 remaining in the third quarter.
Things didn’t get any better for the Rebels on their following possession, as Nata Cardoza picked off a Tascosa pass to end a scoring threat with 2:20 remaining in the third period.
The Panthers would add a 34-yard field goal by Munoz late in the fourth quarter to make the final score 38-7 in favor of Permian.
Quarterback Kayden Vickers completed five passes for 104 yards, with wide receiver Daebreon McDowell snagging two receptions for 74 yards and a touchdown. Running back Cayden Taylor had 10 carries for 53 yards and one touchdown. Nata Cardoza had an interception, and Malachi Mendoza recovered a fumble for the defense. The win gives the Panthers a 1-0 record.
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PERMIAN HOLDS OFF HARKER HEIGHTS
SEPTEMBER 4th- The Permian Panthers jumped out to a 31-14 halftime lead and then held off a second-half rally by the Harker Heights Knights in a 45-38 victory on Friday at Leo Buckley Stadium in Killeen.
After giving up a 75 touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage, MOJO would regroup to take control of the game. The Panthers struck back with a 10-play drive capped by a 27 yard touchdown run by Malachi Mendoza.
On the next Permian possession, senior quarterback Kayden Vickers hooked up with sophomore wideout Debreon "Dae Dae" McDowell for a 49-yard touchdown pass to make the score 14-7 Permian.
The Knights answered with a 48 yard touchdown run to tie the score at 14-14 at the end of one quarter of play.
In the second quarter MOJO started to take control. A long run by Mark Herrera got the Panthers in scoring position. Cayden Taylor cashed it in on the next play with a short run to give Permian the lead at 21-14.
On the next Permian possession Iker Munoz hit a 31-yard field goal. Taylor would later score on a 29-yard scamper to give the Panthers a 31-14 lead going into the break.
Most of the third quarter was a defensive stalemate. Late in the period the Knights finally scored on a long pass play for a touchdown, and then were successful on a two-point conversion. The third quarter ended with MOJO on top 31-22.
Both teams traded scores in the fourth quarter. Harker Heights managed to pull to within a touchdown with 1:32 remaining in the game. But their onside kick attempt would ultimately roll out of bounds, and from there the Panthers were able to run out the clock to secure the 45-38 victory and move to 2-0 on the season.
Cayden Taylor ended the evening with 161 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Mark Herrera added 73 yards on the ground. Quarterback Kayden Vickers threw for 175 yards and a touchdown. Malachi Mendoza had an MVP performance, with 51 yards and a score on the ground. Mendoza also made a clutch reception to keep a drive alive in the second half, and intercepted a pass on defense.
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PERMIAN PLUCKS THE ABILENE EAGLES
SEPTEMBER 11th- The Permian Panthers remained undefeated after a 41-29 victory over the Abilene High Eagles at Shotwell Stadium.
The Panthers got on the board first with an11-play drive that ended with an eight-yard touchdown run by Josh Curry. Iker Munoz hit the PAT to give MOJO a 7-0 lead.
After forcing the Eagles to punt on their first possession, the Panthers would increase their lead to 14 points in the second quarter when Kayden Vickers connected with Daebreon McDowell on a 62-yard touchdown pass play.
Abilene High got on the board in the second quarter with a long touchdown pass. The PAT was no good, making the score 14-6 MOJO.
The Panthers added to their total when Curry scored his second touchdown of the game, this time from six yards out. Abilene answered with another touchdown pass to make it 21-13.
Iker Munoz kicked a 41-yard field goal late in the period to give the Panthers a 24-13 advantage going into the break.
Munoz connected on another field goal from 37 yards out in the third quarter. Abilene would respond with their third touchdown pass of the game, making the score 27-20 in favor of Permian at the end of the third quarter.
Cayden Taylor got into the endzone in the fourth quarter, giving MOJO a 34-20 lead with 9:47 remaining.
Abilene did not go quietly however, scoring on a safety after a bad Permian snap and then adding another long touchdown pass to pull the Eagles to within five points in the 4th quarter.
But Permian would dash Abilene's comeback hopes by scoring on a 13-yard pass from Vickers to Zephaniah Deleon with 2:01 remaining in the game. The Eagles got one more possession but could not produce a score, and from there MOJO ran out the clock to secure the 41-29 victory.
Kayden Vickers threw two touchdown passes. Josh Curry rushed for two touchdowns, and Cayden Taylor added one. Daebreon Mcdowell and Zephaniah Deleon grabbed touchdown passes. Iker Munoz hit on field goals of 41 and 37 yards. With the victory the Panthers move to 3-0 on the season.
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