Observations from a beat down in Farmersville

Quinlan Ford Panthers rip the Farmers, 45-7

Juggernaut.

That's the best word I have to describe what I saw Friday night in Farmersville, where I watched the undefeated Quinlan Ford Panthers plant the Farmers, 45-7.

The Panthers were an offensive juggernaut, which was good because I was there to watch one of Quinlan's tackles, my nephew Brandon James.

Even though I was off duty, I still had my notebook with me. So, here are some observations from a night in Farmers Stadium.

-- The score does not accurately reflect the game. The score at halftime was 45-7 and the clock ran faster than Usain Bolt in the second half. Even then, it took a couple of Panther fumbles in Farmer territory to stop Quinlan from breaking 50.

-- The Panthers ate up 416 yards of offense in the first half alone. They scored on every possession of the half. They had two running backs go over 100 yards before halftime: Kaiden Roden with 137 and Ja'Donavan Williams with 136. They had five running backs with carries of 10 or more yards in the half.

-- Again, that was JUST the first half.

-- Quinlan did all but 25 yards of its damage on the ground so I'm giving the Furrow Award to the Panther's offensive line. Those guys were plowing holes open for the running backs. Hey, Brandon, give the line a high five for me. Great job!

-- The game was encapsulated in a short series of possessions late in the second quarter. With the score 31-7, Farmersville punted the ball down to the Panther 2. The first play, Kaiden Roden went 98 yards for a touchdown. On the first play of the ensuing drive, the Farmers tried to go deep and got picked off. Four plays later, Ja'donavan Williams broke free for a 31-yard touchdown run. In a span of 1:14, the Panthers gained 164 yards, scored two touchdowns, and forced a turnover. You could put that sequence in the dictionary under domination.

-- The Panthers were one 58-yard Farmersville option play away from a shutout.

-- October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which means there is plenty of pink in sight at football games. My new favorite take on this important issue is the pink-shirted Quinlan cheerleaders, or the Pink Panthers.

-- Thumbs up to the Farmersville band for mixing things up. I'm pretty sure that's the first time I've heard the Flintstone's theme at a football game.

-- I'm not sure why it happened and I'm going to give Farmersville the benefit of the doubt during the pandemic ... but I've never been a fan of scheduling homecoming against a district opponent. That comes back to bite you.

-- Thank you to my family. I'm pretty sure that's the first time in more than 20 years that I watched a high school football game like a fan. I can't wait for the next time. Go, Panthers!