There goes Dennis Chester scoring on the quarterback keepers, Isaiah Jones on the 48-yard dash, Austin Hefner on the cutback runs into the end zone, and Lalo Nevarez on the deep route and big return. And, the best sign of all that the Porterville Panthers are back? They hung half-a-hundred – and then some – on a quality opponent, proving they are the team to beat in the Division III football tournament, after all. Five players scored and everybody played as the second-seeded Porterville High football team throttled visiting Madera 61-12 to open the Central Section playoffs with a decisive quarterfinal victory Friday at Rankin Stadium. It’s been a long time since Porterville (9-2) looked this good. But then, it’s been a long time since the Panthers were this healthy and back to full-speed. “Since Week 5,” Panthers coach Carl Scudder said. “It was like old times.” Porterville fans remember those good-old days, when the Panthers slapped 60-plus points on three of their first five opponents in a 5-0 nonleague campaign. Then, injuries tore through both sides of the ball, a two-game losing streak happened, and the Panthers had to fight their way through the East Yosemite League schedule. Now, with top-seeded Tulare Western eliminated from the bracket, the Panthers are the team to beat in Division III, after all. If they win Friday’s semifinal against visiting Ridgeview, they’ll be hosting the championship game – and get through the playoffs without a single out-of-town bus ride. “It’s ours to lose,” quarterback Dennis Chester said after scoring on two quarterback option runs. Porterville could do nothing but win, the way it played against the Coyotes. The Panthers scored touchdowns on their first eight possessions before settling for a punt late in the third quarter. Chester opened the boat race with a 35-yard touchdown pass to Lalo Nevarez on a fourth-and-14 play. When the Panthers recovered the ensuing pooch kick, Hefner punched in a 2-yard touchdown run. One play later, Nevarez jumped a route for a 30-yard interception return for a 20-0 Panthers lead less than 8 minutes into the game. This, against a Madera team that posted 73 points in last week’s playoff opener against Hanford. “When we saw how many points they scored, we knew this was a big team we were up against,” Nevarez said. Only, Madera was no match for the Panthers. Hefner added two more touchdowns and 87 rushing yards on 12 carries. Jones marked his return from a serious ankle sprain with 12 rushes for 113 yards and an all-is-well 48-yard touchdown sprint just before halftime for a 41-6 lead. “It felt great to be back,” said Jones, who got a monster block from Nevarez on his score on the right sideline. “Everybody’s healthy, everybody’s happy out there.” Juan Cordova didn’t score, but was strong with 95 rushing yards. Even little-used Kawi Mohsen found the end zone with a 34-yard touchdown run to cap the scoring at the end of the third quarter. “If we keep playing how we’re playing, I think we can win the whole thing,” Chester said.
Posted on: Sat, 23 Nov 2013 07:44:14 +0000
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