LPanther

1 hour ago, PackAttack said:

Sorry, Lufkin really got screwed in this deal for the 200 mile plus mile travel trips in 7-5A DI, when they could have easily placed Lufkin South in district 9-5A DI or 11-5A DI, and traveled just 90-130 miles instead. Not great for Tyler either, but they are much closer to DFW than Lufkin, and Cleburne, Joshua and Burleson are all directly South of Ft Worth.  No where close to Lufkin, anyone checked a map on that one?, someone at the UIL has a misconception of time and space between Lufkin and those schools. You can bet your bottom dollar too, that HP, Cleburne, Joshua and Burleson, even Midlothian, don't want to travel to Lufkin to play.

I know this isn’t ideal for fans/parents living in Lufkin with the travel, but I like it since I live in the Metroplex 😁. As for the players, I recall enjoying the three hour jaunt to Texarkana when they were in our district because it got me out of school earlier. 😃

2 minutes ago, Pack13 said:

They better provide a neutral site for that Sherman game. 

Kinda what I was thinking. It’s almost a four hour drive to Sherman. I’ll be VERY surprised if DMN is right on this.

DMNews projection:

District 7-5A: Highland Park, Lufkin, McKinney North, North Mesquite, Sherman, Tyler, West Mesquite

Lancaster secondary can be had. They are not going to let Young beat them, but there are plays to be made in the passing game. Pre snap penalties are killing the Panthers. 

Two things I notice here at Lancaster. They need about four times as many light banks as they have-extremely dark. Also, they have a HUGE police presence-guess that’s a good thing.

17 hours ago, PackAttack said:

 

You are correct.

Is tonight’s game at 7 or 7:30? Schedule says 7:30. Is that correct?

Don’t really like to single kids out because they are giving it their best; but Lufkin’s center looks undersized for the position and seems to get over powered by larger opponents. Looks like Young had little room to run last night, and the bulk of his yards came on his long run where he ran through 4/5 guys.

Kedren Young carries vs. McKinney North

McKinney North knocks off previously unbeaten Tyler, 31-26.

Lufkin is not on Longview's level by any means, but they didn't catch any breaks last night either. Would not have affected the outcome much, but would've at least been nice to see them put their best foot forward. A few new wrinkles on offense would be nice. Longview knows the Panthers plays as well as they do; nothing seems to change game-to-game, year-to-year.

That being said; it's ONE district game. The Panthers are still capable of making the playoffs if they play to their talent level. Even though Forney hasn't played anyone this year, I do believe they are for real. Chalk that game up as a probable loss. Assuming they beat the bottom dwelling teams, their playoff chances will be determined by how they fair against Lancaster/McKinney North/Tyler. They're capable of beating all three, but also capable of losing to all three. They probably have more athletic ability and talent than all three of those teams, but we all know there is more to it. I do believe if they can improve their passing game and limit the penalties at CRITICAL times, they can have a successful season. One game at a time.

Lancaster's early struggles are outlined in the Dallas Morning News article below: 

Lancaster down two stars in loss

Lancaster was expected to be one of the best teams in Texas, and it started the season ranked No. 4 in the state in Class 5A Division I. This was a program that was 40-9 over the last four years, including 9-3 last season, and it returned four-star cornerback Corian Gipson (committed to Clemson) and three-star running back Kewan Lacy (committed to Nebraska).

But four weeks into the season, Lancaster has already matched its loss total from last season, falling to 1-3 with a 28-21 loss to McKinney North in its district opener Thursday. This was a team that Lancaster beat 74-7 last season.

Lancaster played the fourth quarter without Lacy, who was having an extraordinary game before he rolled his ankle late in the third quarter and was held out the rest of the game as a precaution. Lacy ran for 179 yards on 20 carries, had a 70-yard touchdown catch and returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown to help Lancaster rally from a 21-0 deficit to tie the score 21-21.

Lancaster coach Leon Paul said Friday that Lacy will be able to play next week when his team hosts Longview, ranked No. 2 in the state. Whether Lancaster will have Gipson in that game remains to be seen.

Gipson didn’t play Thursday, and Paul said it wasn’t the first game he has missed this season. Paul declined to say why Gipson is out and said he is questionable for next week’s game.