Pregame show at 6:45 p.m. — Kickoff at 7 p.m. from Panther Stadium
Paradise Panthers football is back tonight, and an old district rival is coming to town for the opener. Follow every snap live right here as Paradise hosts the Ponder Lions at Panther Stadium.
The pregame show, presented by Barefoot Pools, starts at 6:45 p.m., with kickoff set for 7 p.m. Thomas Brown has the play-by-play call tonight, with Brody Gates on production. Prefer to listen on the go? The full broadcast is also available on the NTX Varsity Sports app. Download it free and take Panther football with you wherever Friday night finds you.
A Rivalry Renewed With a Twist
Paradise and Ponder know each other well. The two spent the past two seasons battling, and their meetings have had teeth. None more so than last October’s Week 10 finale, when Paradise edged Ponder 20-14, sealing the win with a late strip sack to lock up the Panthers’ second consecutive district championship.
Tonight’s rematch comes with a new wrinkle: Ponder is no longer a 3A program. The Lions made the jump to Class 4A in February’s UIL realignment, meaning Paradise opens its season against a bigger school with a bigger roster, and against a team with every reason to remember how last year’s meeting ended.
The Panthers’ Standard
Few programs in Class 3A have set a higher bar over the past two seasons than Paradise. In head coach Tommy Koch’s first two years, the Panthers reached a state semifinal and then a regional final, going 12-2 a season ago with a perfect 6-0 run through district play.
That 2025 campaign ended one win short of a return trip to the state semifinals. It was not Ponder that ended the run, but Peaster, another old district foe, which knocked off Paradise in the 3A Division I Region I Final. The Panthers have made no secret that the sting of that finish is fuel for this fall, and the pieces are in place to make another run.
Senior quarterback Ayden Olalde, an All-Wise County honoree a year ago, returns to lead the offense, and fall camp produced a surprise in sophomore Sawyer Murphy, who played his way from a projected JV spot onto the varsity, where he’s expected to contribute on both sides of the ball.
Scouting the Lions
Ponder went 5-4 a season ago and showed it can put points on the board in a hurry, opening the year with two blowout wins by a combined 159-7 before running into a gauntlet of a district schedule. The Lions pushed Paradise to the final minutes in last year’s meeting, and they arrive tonight with the added size and depth that comes with a 4A roster.
For Paradise, that makes this opener the perfect measuring stick: a familiar opponent, a bigger classification, and a Senior Night crowd at Panther Stadium ready to send the 2026 team off on the right foot.
What to Watch
When two teams know each other this well, the edge usually goes to the defenses, so expect a physical, field-position battle early. If Olalde and the Paradise offense can find rhythm against Ponder’s bigger front, the Panthers can turn familiarity into an advantage. If the Lions land the first punch, this one could come down to the fourth quarter, just like last year.
Game Information
Who: Ponder Lions at Paradise Panthers When: Tonight. Pregame at 6:45 p.m., kickoff at 7 p.m. Where: Panther Stadium
How to listen: Live right here on NTXVarsitySports.com, on the NTX Varsity Sports YouTube channel, or on the NTX Varsity Sports app, with Thomas Brown on the call and Brody Gates on production, presented by Barefoot Pools
Tune In Tonight
A new season, an old rival, and a team with unfinished business. Week 1 doesn’t get much better than this. Join us at 6:45 p.m. for the pregame show presented by Barefoot Pools, stick around for kickoff at 7, and follow the Panthers all season long right here on NTXVarsitySports.com and the NTX Varsity Sports app.