Late TD run helps Pantego Christian win Battle for Interstate 20 over rival Grace Prep
Trailing 24-21 with 2 1/2 minutes left in Saturday’s game, Pantego Christian was facing a fourth-and-7 at its own 37.
Quarterback Kaden Paladini dropped back to pass, but sprinted off to the right when pressure came from Arlington Grace Prep. A defender was about to hit the QB at the 40, which would’ve gave the Lions the ball on downs, but Paladini hurdled over the missed tackle attempt and got to the first-down marker.
The Panthers picked up another fourth-down conversion when the Lions were called for defensive pass interference.
Three plays later, Paladini took a designed QB draw up the middle and scored the game-winning 26-yard touchdown with 46 seconds left as Pantego beat Grace Prep, 28-24, in a TAPPS Division 3 District 2 showdown.
“All I saw was the end zone and I had to get there,” said Paladini, who had a game-high 114 yards rushing. “This has been a rivalry for over 10 years and we always want to come out with a win.”
GP (4-2 overall, 0-1 district) crossed midfield on the ensuing drive and got near the red zone, but with 7.5 seconds left, the Lions were penalized for a false start, which ended in a 10-second run off.
“I think there were a lot of plays Grace Prep out-played us and I kept challenging the kids to keep playing hard,” PC coach Drew Sells said. “Ultimately our quarterback found a way to win and that’s who he is. He’s a winner, he never comes off the field and he finds a way to win.”
The two teams missed field goals to remain scoreless after the first quarter.
Grace Prep took an 8-0 lead with 8:18 left in the second quarter when Audie Isbell ran the snap from the wildcat formation into the end zone from a yard out. Kaden Lehew caught a pass for the 2-point conversion.
On the ensuing drive, Pantego (5-0, 3-0) drove 68 yards on six plays, capped off by a 19-yard TD run by Myion Hicks. Paladini hit Reisse Vickers for 22 yards one play before to pull within 8-7 midway through the second.
Two plays later, PC grabbed a 14-8 lead when Stanford baseball commit Cort MacDonald returned an interception for a 31-yard TD. On Pantego’s next possession, however, the Panthers were forced to punt from their 5 and the snap went high and sailed out of the end zone for a safety to make it 14-10 with 1:51 before halftime.
MacDonald returned the second-half kickoff 90 yards for a TD to extend the lead to 21-10.
“Been watching film all week,” MacDonald said. “I could see him coming up for a stop-and-go so I read it, ran up and caught it. We got a good reverse [on the kickoff] and once I turned, I knew I was taking it to the house.”
“He’s our punter, he’s on kick return, he’s our holder, he’s our corner, he’s our everything,” Sells added. “He’s come a long way this year in his growth and physicality and I’m real proud of him.”
GP scored 14 unanswered points to take a 24-21 lead late in the fourth quarter.
Following MacDonald’s TD, the Lions dug into their trick bag on a fourth-and-4 at the Pantego 37. QB Jaylon Talton tossed the snap to RB Alex St. Julien, who gave it to Daryn Carruthers II on the reverse.
Carruthers tossed it back to Talton, who heaved a TD pass to Isbell with 7:25 left in the third quarter.
Both offenses stalled until four minutes left to play as the Lions led by three following Talton’s 20-yard TD pass to Caleb Lloyd to cap off a 6-play, 60-yard drive. Talton picked up 17 yards on a third-and-12.
Hicks had 15 carries for 70 yards and Paladini threw for 83 yards. Talton led GP with 145 yards passing and 27 yards rushing.
Pantego, which is 5-0 for the first time since 2010, can clinch the district title on Friday with a home game against Tyler Bishop Gorman. Grace Prep hosts Dallas Covenant.
“The hardest part, with corona now, is to keep everyone together,” Paladini said. “We have to stay as one and if we can keep our whole team strong, there’s is no one better.”
This story was originally published November 8, 2020 at 8:16 AM.
