A standing room only crowd, an electric playoff atmosphere that could be felt driving in on Farm Road 119, and a game garnering state-wide attention between two of the best at the Class 2A Division I level.
The best thing about it?
The Bobcats and Panthers delivered in every way possible with Sunray taking control late in the second quarter that led to a going away 59-41 victory over Panhandle on Friday night at Bobcats Stadium that gave Sunray control of the District 1-2A Division I lead.
The hype was definitely real with a track meet type start and never let up with the two teams combining for 100 points with 68 of those coming in the first half.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- The two teams combined for 1,012 total yards.
- The first half saw five lead changes.
- Sunray scored 27 unanswered points between the second and third quarters.
- Sunray scored 21 points off Panhandle turnovers.
- Sunray Quarterback Armando Lujan totaled eight touchdowns.
Panhandle suffers its first loss on the year falling to 7-1 overall and 2-1 in the league. Sunray remains unbeaten at 8-0 and takes command of the district lead at 3-0 while the Bobcats look to be on their way to a first district title since 2011.
“I think the entire town was here,” Sunray head coach Wes Boatman said. “What an atmosphere, but this was the type of win we needed. We have been building to this game and we know last year we let this slip away against Gruver. We talked at halftime that we have been in this situation before. We talked about staying focus in the second half and this team did that and played an amazing all four quarters.”
Entering Friday, senior quarterback Armando Lujan needed five touchdowns to break Aledo running back Jonathan Gray’s all-time touchdown record of 205.
Lujan did that in the first half with an incredible performance.
Lujan threw five touchdown passes in the first half and returned an interception 78-yards giving him six total in the opening two quarters for the record of 206. He’d finish the game with eight total TDs giving him 208 for his illustrious career.
“It means a lot to get that record, but I don’t even focus on that,” Lujan said. “It’s cool to get that record but we got that win and that’s all that matters. Panhandle was a dang good team and a team we could see again. This was the win we needed and I’m glad I got to do it with my brothers.”
Boatmun echoed Lujan’s comments.
“I’m happy for Armando,” Boatmun said. “Armando is a special story. His freshman year I think he threw 25 touchdowns to 20 interceptions, but you could see a future with so much potential. Each year he has gotten better. It’s hard to think we coached a player that has the most touchdowns in the entire state of Texas. That’s a big deal. I’m just so proud of Armando and the leader he is on this team.”
Lujan, who has thrown for 2,185 yards this season, is also inching closer to the state’s all-time UIL passing record currently held by Booker’s Hunter Lile (14,408) with 13,322 career yards.
On the Panthers third play of the game, quarterback Broxton Robinson connected on a slip screen to Caden Armes who sprinted 44-yards for a touchdown giving Panhandle a 7-0 lead not three minutes in.
Both teams went back and forth with the game tied 14-14.
That’s when Sunray took the first wave of momentum. Lujan threw a dart to Kagan Davis that put the Bobcats on top 20-14 early in the second quarter. On the ensuing drive, Lujan then picked off a Robinson pass going 78-yards for a pick six giving Sunray a 26-14 advantage.
Then, it was Panhandle’s turn to swing the momentum thanks to 13 unanswered points capped off by a Robinson one-yard keeper putting the Panthers back on top 27-26 with 4:38 to play in the half.
However, that was Panhandle’s final lead.
Before the half, a costly Robinson fumble at midfield led to a Lujan scoring pass to Dawson Bennett that set the new all-time record and put Sunray in control 41-27 heading into halftime.
“You always see games come down to certain plays,” Boatmun said. “The ball bounced are way and we took advantage of that. Those turnovers were key.”
Sunray kept on the gas in the second half with Lujan using his feet to open the third quarter breaking loose for a 41-yard scamper giving the Bobcats their biggest lead at that point 47-27 as Sunray put the game on ice from that point forward.
Lujan finished his record-setting night picking apart Panhandle completing 29-of-39 passes for 409 yards with five touchdowns. Lujan tacked on 71 yards rushing with two more scores.
On top of his pick six, Lujan added three tackles. Ty McDowell was clutch on defense with 14 tackles, 11 of those solo with an interception and Julio Villado made 12 tackles with a sack.
Wide receiver Dawson Bennett was a huge factor for the Bobcats giving the Panthers fits in the secondary snagging 13 catches for 154 yards with two touchdowns while Davis caught eight passes for a game-high 176 yards with three TDs.
“We played really well on offense,” Bennett said. “Armando has such a good connection with us receivers. We all communicate, and he knows where we’re going to be and he can trust us. It feels great to get this win.”
Robinson led Panhandle throwing for 204 yards with a pair of touchdowns while rushing for 73 yards and another score. Rush Walterscheid added 80 yards on the ground with two touchdowns.