NORTH RICHLAND HILLS, Texas — Jon Anthony Lardizabal refused to slow down and Springtown needed every bit of his final push to keep its season perfect.

The senior running back ripped off 292 rushing yards and scored five touchdowns on 32 carries, powering Springtown to a 49–41 win over Frisco Panther Creek in a Class 4A Division I area-round thriller Friday night. The Porcupines advanced to the regional quarterfinals, where they will face Alvarado on Nov. 28 at Knight Stadium in Fort Worth.

“I’m in utter shock, man. I’m amazed. I’m just very thankful,” Lardizabal said.

The teams went to halftime tied 21–21, but Springtown (12–0) blew the game open coming out of the locker room. Head coach Hulett said he reminded his team of an earlier comeback at Fort Worth Southwest and challenged the Porcupines to finally play to their standard.

“We talked about the Fort Worth Southwest game when we were down at half 14–7 and felt like we were the better team and didn’t play good,” Hulett said. “We just talked about how we’re in a game right here, it’s 21–21, and we honestly hadn’t played good. And so that’s a good position to be in when you haven’t played well and you’re tied up. So let’s go be who we are, you know? And then you pop one… 87, first play… and it just kind of rolls from there.”

That “pop” came from junior quarterback Kaine Hill and senior receiver Christian Mendoza. Hill hit Mendoza on an 87-yard strike, part of a 248-yard, two-touchdown passing performance in which he completed 16 of 23 attempts with no interceptions. Mendoza finished with 144 yards and a touchdown on four catches, averaging 36.0 yards per reception.

Springtown stacked three straight touchdowns after the break to build a 42–21 lead by the eight-minute mark of the fourth quarter. Lardizabal did most of that damage between the tackles and on stretch plays, consistently turning small creases into explosive gains behind a line anchored by Aaron Street, Colton Phelps and Trent Owens.

“He gives me space, I give him space,” Lardizabal said of his backfield chemistry with Hill. “That read option, he gives me space, I give him space.”

Panther Creek (9–3) would not go away. Senior quarterback Graylyn Fry delivered a stellar night, completing 28 of 32 passes for 319 yards and four touchdowns without an interception. Senior receiver Parker Ord hauled in 11 passes for 143 yards and a score, while Jalen Lott caught 11 passes for 76 yards and a touchdown.

With 6:53 left, Fry found Ord for a 10-yard completion and then hit him again on a 10-yard scoring strike, trimming the deficit to 42–28 after the PAT.

Springtown answered the surge the way it had all night: by leaning on No. 2.

Starting near midfield, Hill handed to Lardizabal on a stretch to the right. Lardizabal bounced outside, turned the corner and sprinted 28 yards down the sideline to set Springtown up inside the 15. A few plays later, he sliced in from 5 yards out for his fifth rushing touchdown, restoring a three-score cushion at 49–28 with 4:13 remaining after Brennan Smith’sseventh extra point.

Lardizabal finished with 292 of Springtown’s 349 rushing yards. Hill added 49 yards on 11 carries and senior receiver Riley Jackson chipped in an 8-yard run, helping the Porcupines average 7.9 yards per carry as a team.

On the other side, Panther Creek junior running back Shawn White carried 14 times for 72 yards and two touchdowns and added three receptions for 42 yards and another score, accounting for 114 all-purpose yards. Lott and Ord combined for 219 receiving yards, and senior Logan Menudiado added a 15-yard touchdown grab, including a late score on the final snap of the game to bring the Panthers within eight at 49–41.

“It feels great,” Hill said about advancing. “We came out here and competed and it ended up working out.”

At halftime, Hill said the message stayed simple.

“I think just at halftime, he told us to just keep working. We’re doing our jobs. Just keep competing,” Hill said.

Hill totaled 297 yards of offense (248 passing, 49 rushing) while distributing the ball to multiple targets. Senior receiver Karson Ferguson caught nine passes for 71 yards and a touchdown, and junior Pilot Grubis added a 23-yard grab.

Hulett credited that balance and unselfishness across the offense.

“Kaine’s gone off before, John’s gone off in games, Pilot’s gone off in games, Ferg has gone off in games, and Christian’s gone off in games,” Hulett said. “So then that’s hard to stop. We really, really try to take pride in that.”

Defensively, Springtown relied on volume tackling and timely pressure. Junior linebacker Rome Ewell led the way with 14 total tackles, while junior Kasen Beaman added nine stops and a sack. Senior Jaden Dean recorded the other sack, and junior safety Aiden Adams came up with the game’s lone interception. The Porcupines finished with 64 total tackles and two sacks.

Coach Hulett said the win felt especially meaningful because of the quality of the opponent.

“I’m pumped, happy,” he said. “It’s different in the playoffs, and it’s different when you beat good people. And of course, Panther Creek’s really good.”

For Lardizabal, the night was as much about faith and family as football.

“This past week, I’ve been giving everything back to God,” he said. “Reading my Bible about David and Goliath and reminding myself I’m David and I got God’s armor on. Same thing next week.”

“We’re better than them, flat out we’re better than them and let’s come out swinging,” he recalled Hulett telling the team at halftime. “We were all hyped and he said y’all are going to turn up the intensity if y’all love each other, and I know I’d die for these people. I love these people, so that’s what it was about. We’re just playing for each other.”

Next week, Springtown will take its 12–0 overall record and 6–0 District mark into a regional quarterfinal matchup against the Alvarado Indians. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. Friday, Nov. 28, at Knight Stadium, located at 3451 Bonds Ranch Road in Fort Worth.

“We’re going to go to work,” Hulett said. “We’re going to get some treatment and we’re going to get in the weight room and then we’re going to watch video and try to clean up mistakes from this one, and then we’re going to Alvarado.”

Hill said he is ready for the next challenge.

“I feel great, confident about it and just ready to roll,” he said.

Box Score

Individual leaders

• Frisco Panther Creek

  • Passing: Fry 28–32, 319 yards, 4 TD, 0 INT; Menudiado 1–1, 3 yards.

  • Rushing: White 14–72, 2 TD; Fry 3–(-11).

  • Receiving: Ord 11–143, TD; Lott 11–76, TD; White 3–42, TD; Surratt 1–27; Menudiado 1–15, TD.

•  

  Springtown

  • Passing: Hill 16–23, 248 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT; Mendoza 1–1, 5 yards.

  • Rushing: Lardizabal 32–292, 5 TD; Hill 11–49; Jackson 1–8.

  • Receiving: Mendoza 4–144, TD; Ferguson 9–71, TD; Grubis 1–23; Jackson 2–10.

  • Defense: Ewell 14 tackles; Beaman 9 tackles, 1 sack; Adams 8 tackles, 1 INT; Dean 1 sack.

     

All statistics and play-by-play information are based on live in-game estimates.