Paradise Dominates the Battle of 114

PARADISE, Texas — No. 2 Paradise made Senior Night feel like a celebration from the opening minutes and never looked back, defeating rival Boyd 41–7 in The Battle of 114. The Panthers struck fast with an 80-yard touchdown pass to go up 7–0, then tacked on a short score to lead 14–0 after one. They doubled the margin by halftime, 28–0, after senior running back Luke Brown (#11) powered two long touchdown runs, including a 40-yard burst, and quarterback Ayden Olalde (#5) continued to pick apart the secondary with efficient, on-schedule throws .

Paradise’s start was fueled by opportunistic defense and Boyd penalties that repeatedly flipped the field. The Panthers intercepted the Jackets on Boyd’s first series, then capitalized on back-to-back face-mask flags to punch in a short touchdown for the 14–0 cushion midway through the first quarter . “I was kind of hard on our guys at halftime because I am always finding little details to get better at, but in general I was really happy with them,” head coach Tommy Koch said. “Tonight was about our seniors. They have dreamt about this since they were little kids, and they worked hard to put themselves in this position.”

The Panthers’ ground game controlled the second quarter. Brown ripped the 40-yard score to make it 21–0, then added a 24-yard touchdown to close the half with the Panthers up four scores. The defense helped set the tone, forcing punts and limiting Boyd’s chunk plays before the break .

Paradise kept coming after halftime. Olalde opened the third with a swing pass to Chase Harmon (#6) for a red-zone touchdown and a 34–0 lead after the kick sailed wide. Later in the quarter, Olalde hit Logan Lampley (#1) on a 44-yard catch-and-run to make it 41–0 with 3:50 left in the third. Boyd finally answered when Aiden Young (#0) found Hunter Etter (#4) for a 45-yard strike in the final minute of the quarter, but that was the Jackets’ lone touchdown. The fourth quarter was mostly clock management, with Paradise rotating in personnel and taking victory formation to close out the rivalry win.

Koch kept the postgame focus squarely on the near future. “We have Breckenridge at Mineral Wells Friday at 7 o’clock,” he said. “We will be laser focused on Breckenridge, that is all that matters, and we just have to win on Friday. One week at a time.”

By the numbers (live in-game estimates):

Olalde finished around 12-of-19 for ~220 yards and 3 TDs, adding several chain-moving scrambles. Brown produced ~110 rushing yards and 2 TDs on about 13 carries, plus a short early score. Lampley caught 2 passes for ~60 yards and a TD, while Harmon added the third-quarter receiving touchdown. Defensively, Paradise logged an early interception and a blocked punt that set up a first-and-goal. Boyd’s Young was ~10-of-22 for ~110 yards and 1 TD, with Etter hauling in ~3 receptions for ~70 yards and the TD. Maddox Parks (#3) carried often for Boyd, totaling ~48 rushing yards on roughly 16 attempts, but Paradise’s front seven repeatedly won first down and forced long fields.

Special teams and discipline swung momentum, especially early. Boyd was flagged multiple times for personal fouls, targeting, and illegal participation during the decisive first half, which helped Paradise create short fields and two-score separation before the Jackets could settle in .

Koch again credited his upperclassmen for the night’s tone. “Really, really happy for our seniors,” he said. “We said all week we were going to come out and play a game for our seniors, and they did a great job.”

With the win, Paradise improves to 9–1 overall, 6–0 in district, having already locked up the District 3-4A championship and a first-round date with Breckenridge. Boyd ends the regular season 5–5, 2–4, and will look to the district’s tiebreakers to see if the Jackets extend their year. The two towns may be separated by a 10-minute drive, but on this Senior Night the gap was much wider on the field.

BOX SCORE

TEAM STAT BOX (live, in-game estimates)

PLAYER STATISTICS (live, in-game estimates)

Stats and play-by-play are live, in-game estimates compiled from on-site tracking.