Frisco Panther Creek Opens The Season with 55-10 win over Lake Worth

Written By Jay Pace

Class 4A favorite Panther Creek shrugged off a sloppy start before pulling away for an easy 55-10 win on the road vs. Lake Worth in week one of the 2024 high school football season.

The Panthers high powered offense, led by junior wide receiver Jalen Lott, had trouble getting out of its own way in the early going as the Panthers repeatedly shot themselves in the foot with turnovers and costly penalties.

Down 3-0 early to Lake Worth, Panther Creek looked to be hitting its stride before Lott fumbled the ball away deep in Lake Worth territory. However, the Panther Creek defense, a unit often overshadowed by its high octane offense, did its part holding Lake Worth in check until it’s offense finally got rolling.

It took a little while to get things going for Panther Creek, but when it did the Panthers certainly looked the part as one of the favorites in Class 4A.

They forced a turnover on the Bullfrogs ensuing possession, giving its offense a short field to work with.

Making his first start, junior QB Graylyn Fry took full advantage of the Bullfrogs miscue, connecting on a short touchdown pass, lifting the Panthers to a 7-3 lead with 5:03 left in the first quarter. “He did a really good job for us tonight,” said Panther Creek Head Coach Clint Surrat. “He got better throughout the game. I’m happy with the way he played.”

Lake Worth would scratch back and get in the game with some offensive production. The Bullfrogs tied things up at 10-10 after deep touchdown pass from junior quarterback Kevin Pointer Jr. with 9:10 remaining in the first half. This score also came via a Panther Creek turnover near midfield.

Panther Creek promptly responded with a touchdown drive of its own, reclaiming the lead at 17-10 with 6:43 remaining in the first half.

The Panthers would score on their next six possessions, tallying 45 unanswered points en route to a convincing week one win. “We struggled some in the first half,” admitted Surrat. “We had some costly turnovers and some penalties that really hurt us early on.”

Surrat said his team must do a better job of cleaning those things up moving forward if it hopes to make a run in the postseason. Once the offense got in gear, the Panthers had six different players who scored touchdowns for an offense loaded with firepower at all the key positions. Things only get tougher for Panther Creek as it hosts perennial powerhouse Carter next week in its home opener. While Lake Worth takes on Brock at Bullfrog Stadium.