PANTHERS VOYAGE INTO UNCHARTED WATERS — STATE SEMIFINALS

The Burton Panthers will be making school history Friday night when they face the Bremond Tigers in the U.I.L. 2A State Semifinals.

The game continues the most-successful season in school history as the Panthers (13-1) make a bid for their first-ever trip to the State Championship game.

In the Panthers’ way stands the two-time defending State Champion Tigers (14-0) and their staggering 45-game winning streak.

Two of those wins have come against the Panthers, when the teams were district foes in 2014 and 2015.

Panthers’ Head Coach Jason Hodde says the familiarity of the Panthers with the Tigers is helping the Panthers keep their minds focused on the game at hand…

The Tigers are led by All-State quarterback and Texas A&M commit, Roshauud Paul, who has passed for 2018 yards and 22 touchdowns, while rushing for 2285 yards and 45 touchdowns.

Coach Hodde says it’s obvious…for the Panthers to beat Bremond, they must contain the explosive Paul…

Throughout their impressive playoff run, the Panthers have been able to complement their high-powered running game by throwing the football for big yardage.

Sophomore Quarterback Caleb Harmel has thrown for 1608 yards and 24 touchdowns on the season – 795 yards and 10 touchdowns in four playoff games.  He’s also rushed for 1842 yards and 25 touchdowns, while senior tailback Jamon Bradley has run for 1569 yards and 23 touchdowns.

Harmel’s top target has been sophomore De’Monderick Winters, who has caught 47 passes for 1070 yards and 17 touchdowns.  Winters has also provided a huge boost on special teams, returning seven kicks and punts for touchdowns.

The Panthers’ defense, led in part by seniors Cole Eckermann, Derek Fisher and Donnell Patteson, has yielded just 17 points and less than 200 yards offense per game to the opposition, throughout the season.

Hodde says the atmosphere around this record-breaking season has been something truly magical…

Friday’s game at Merrill Green Stadium in Bryan is set to kick off at 7:00.  The game can be heard live on KWHI and www.kwhi.com beginning with the pre-game show at 6:30.