THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
LD Bell High School Athletics

MURPHY – The Plano East football team got its quest to avenge a 3-7 2017 off to a quick start Friday, riding a 26-0 halftime lead to a 42-14 week-one victory over Hurst L.D. Bell at Kimbrough Stadium. “It feels good, man,” said Joey McCullough, East head coach. “I’m so excited for this team and what our capabilities are. We’ve got a lot of senior guys and a lot of playmakers, so that offensive side of the ball is pretty dangerous.” The Panther passing attack was as advertised, with senior quarterback Brandon Mallory throwing for 238 yards and three scores in the first half alone. The yardage often came in bursts – fellow senior Josh Allison had touchdown receptions for 70 and 57 yards in the half, while senior wideout Braylon Henderson hauled in a 46-yard score to back up a solid punt return to begin East’s final drive of the period. Mallory would finish 17-25 for 332 yards, an interception and four touchdowns, connecting with senior Jaelen Anderson in the second half for a 47-yard strike to round out his scoring on the night. Anderson would finish with 115 yards on seven catches and a pair of highlight-reel grabs for successful two-point conversions, but Allison and his two long-distance hauls would pace the air attack with 131 yards (on just three grabs). Prior to the matchup, McCullough outlined an East goal to balance its offensive effort and attack from two fronts. His team followed through, using an effective, two-score night from junior Trey Scott-Jones to both work off and set up the passing game. “They kind of got us in a bind,” said Mike Glaze, L.D. Bell head coach. “If you’re keeping those two safeties high, they’re going to run the ball. If we’re rolling people down and blitzing and stuff like that, then we’re going to be on an island. They took advantage of it.” Scott-Jones finished with 77 yards on 13 attempts. The Blue Raiders came out of the locker room strong to begin the second frame, converting the lone interception thrown by Mallory into a lengthy drive. Senior quarterback Mason Ornelas, who completed just one pass for a single yard in the first half behind a backup center, threw for 18 on the drive to help set up a 6-yard touchdown run from senior back Zion Hardy that cut the East lead to 26-7. On the ensuing kickoff, the Blue Raiders attempted an onside kick that went the required 10 yards. However, it slipped out of bounds before they could cover it up, and East was off to the races again – Mallory’s bomb to Anderson came on the drive’s second play. “We went down and scored, and then we got the onside kick right there, and we missed it. There’s no telling what could have happened,” Glaze said. “Our kids played hard, and they fought. If we don’t give up those deep balls, the scoreboard’s a different story.” Ornelas would cut the East lead to 40-14 with a 36-yard pass to wideout Christian Gadison, but East would tack on a safety on a botched punt attempt in the fourth quarter and bleed out the clock to ice the 28-point victory. McCullough said he was pleased with the East defensive effort on the night, something he harped on throughout the Panther offseason. “I think we’re flying to the ball,” he said. “I think our kids have come to play. They have a little bit of a chip on their shoulder. … It’s been a long time since I’ve seen that kind of defense played at Plano East. That right there is going to help me sleep a little bit better, tonight.” Heading into next week’s matchup with Lake Highlands, which will take place Saturday at the Cotton Bowl as part of the Cotton Bowl Stadium Prep Showcase, McCullough highlighted a need to clean up his program’s penalties – the Panthers were docked 78 yards on eight infractions, including for some chippy extracurricular activity. The Panther head coach added that his team’s special teams aren’t yet up to snuff, as they’ll need to get better production out of non-starters on those units moving forward. While those goals will be laid out for his players as they prep for Lake Highlands, McCullough said East’s overall goal heading into the matchup is the same as the Panthers’ during preparation for L.D. Bell – find a way to win. “[The goal is to] be 2-0. Really, to be 1-0 next Saturday at the Cotton Bowl,” he said.

THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
LD Bell High School Athletics

EAST PASSING GAME BURIES L.D. BELL, 42-14

TAYLOR RAGLIN

Plano Star Courier | 9/5/2018

PHOTO CREDIT: TX Action Photo