Fossil Ridge rallies by Flower Mound

Overcoming a 13-0 deficit, the Panthers used a stiff defense and the running of Anthony Smith and both the running and passing of quarterback Max Akins to build a 16-13 halftime lead and then grind out an impressive 23-16 at victory over the Jaguars Friday night at Neal Wilson Stadium. Smith sandwiched a safety with scoring runs of 51 and 9 yards in an evenly contested first half. In the second half, Fossil Ridge’s defense continued to be stingy, limiting Flower Mound to just a field goal while Akins scored on a 9-yard run.

Key players: Fossil Ridge: Akins completed 19 of 24 passes for 191 yards and rushed for 109 yards on 16 carries with a touchdown and punted four times for an average of 44 yards; Smith rushed 20 times for 130 yards and 2 TDs. Flower Mound: Quarterback Jackson Averitt completed 19 of 29 passes for 153 yards and a touchdown.

Key stat: Fossil Ridge controlled the ball in the second half with 34 plays to only 24 for Flower Mound. The Panthers’ defense limited Flower Mound to only 4 second half first downs.

Records: Keller Fossil Ridge 2-0, Flower Mound 1-1.

This story was originally published September 3, 2016 at 1:27 AM with the headline "Fossil Ridge rallies by Flower Mound."