Paradise crushes adversity, and No. 5 Jim Ned

ABILENE, Texas — On a wet, windy Black Friday in Abilene, the Panthers proved they can take a punch and keep rolling toward December.

Junior quarterback Ayden Olalde threw for 227 yards and three touchdowns and No. 2 Paradise locked down No. 5 Tuscola Jim Ned 27-7 in the Class 3A Division I Region I championship at Hugh Sandifer Stadium. The win sends the Panthers (12-1) to the UIL 3A Division I state quarterfinals, where they will face a familiar foe in district rival Peaster on Dec. 5 in Springtown.

Paradise had not allowed a point in the postseason until Friday, posting back-to-back shutouts of Breckenridge and Dalhart. Jim Ned (11-2) briefly broke through in the first quarter, but the Panthers answered with 20 straight points and held the Indians scoreless over the final three quarters.

“We’ve been talking all week about being ‘tough like Jesus,’ and I feel like our team really showed that,” Olalde said. “We played tough, played hard against a good team. We showed our resilience.”

Air attack in the wind

On a night where light rain and a 15-mph wind made routine throws feel anything but, Olalde finished 16-of-26 for 227 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Paradise totaled 264 yards of offense, averaging 4.8 yards per snap. Jim Ned managed 228 total yards and 3.7 yards per play behind senior quarterback Cash Gwinn, who went 14-of-30 for 143 yards with two interceptions.

The teams ended the first quarter tied 7-7 before Paradise struck first in the second. Working with the wind at his back, Olalde dropped a 30-yard touchdown pass into the hands of junior receiver Elijah Jennings to put the Panthers ahead for good. Paradise missed the point-after attempt, sending the game to halftime with the Panthers up 13-7 despite outgaining the Indians and controlling field position. The wet ball and gusts showed up on both sides.

“It is 50 degrees outside and feels like 42, we’ve got really strong winds,” a NTX Varsity Sports sideline reporter noted as the second quarter wore on, with multiple deep balls sailing long or slipping through hands.

Olalde said the conditions felt familiar.

“Usually we practice when you see weather like this, so I’m kind of used to it,” he said. “It’s really just about adjusting and playing through it.”

Paradise defense flips the game

Paradise’s defense, which had carried two straight shutouts into the regional round, delivered the game’s biggest swing early in the third quarter.

Facing a heavy rush deep in their own territory, Jim Ned punted into the teeth of the wind. The Panthers blocked it, giving their offense a short field at the Indians’ 37. A personal foul face mask on the first play moved the ball to the 17, and senior utility back Chase Harmon soon cashed in on the ground from 14 yards out to give Paradise a 20-7 lead after the extra point with 8:14 left in the third.

Harmon finished with 29 all-purpose yards, including 18 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown.

Senior running back and linebacker Luke Brown churned out tough yards between the tackles, finishing with 12 carries for 14 yards and adding 4 catches for 50 yards. He totaled 64 yards from scrimmage in the grind-it-out win.

“Jim Ned’s a good team, pretty big up front, and our defense really showed up tonight,” Brown said. “Our coaching is on another level. They’ve got us out there almost five days a week, even on weekends. I’m thankful for how much time they put in, and it shows through us.”

The Panthers’ defense limited Jim Ned to 85 rushing yards on 31 carries. Senior running back Aiden Ellis led the Indians with 18 carries for 62 yards and added a 9-yard reception.

Up front for Jim Ned, senior linebacker Mason Miller and senior lineman Michaiah Powell combined for two sacks. Miller finished with 12 total tackles, including three tackles for loss, while Powell added nine stops and a tackle for loss. Senior linebacker Nick Wright chipped in 10 tackles and a tackle for loss.

Paradise, meanwhile, came up with the only takeaways of the night. Sophomore defensive back Camden Walker and junior Wyatt Sanders each intercepted Gwinn, the latter coming in the end zone with just over two minutes remaining to snuff out the Indians’ last serious threat.

Closing it out through the air

Paradise stretched its lead late in the third quarter with another big strike.

With the Panthers already up 20-7, Olalde stepped into a deep shot from the Jim Ned 28 and found sophomore receiver Layne Smith in the end zone for a 40-yard touchdown that pushed the margin to 27-7 after the extra point.

Olalde’s distribution mirrored the season-long balance in Paradise’s passing game. Senior receiver Logan Lampleycaught six passes for 53 yards and a touchdown. Jennings added three grabs for 77 yards and a score, Smith hauled in two catches for 36 yards and a touchdown, and Brown’s four catches helped the Panthers stay ahead of the chains.

For Jim Ned, senior receiver Breck Lawson finished with six receptions for 40 yards and added an 11-yard punt return. Senior Garon Beasley caught three passes for 55 yards, including a long 27-yarder, and senior Braxton Powell chipped in two catches for 20 yards.

The Indians started the fourth quarter going with the wind at their backs and mounted a drive to the Paradise 24. But three straight overthrows with the wind pushing the ball long led to a turnover on downs, and later Walker’s interception in the end zone sealed the result.

“I thought our kids did a really good job handling the wind and the rain,” Paradise head coach Tommy Koch said. “In the kicking game and in the passing game, it really did have a big impact, but I think our kids handled it and did a really good job. I’m really proud of the way they responded.”

Koch praised his quarterback’s poise and his team’s preparation during Thanksgiving week.

“Ayden does a really good job, he’s the center of the game, really coachable, good young man,” Koch said. “We had a great week of preparation, had a lot of fun over Thanksgiving break, and beat a really, really good football team.”

Senior linebacker and receiver Teagan Lambert echoed that the work behind the scenes is fueling Paradise’s deep playoff run.

“We worked, just practicing and putting our all into it, and these coaches push us to our limit making us better,” Lambert said. “Ultimately we’re giving the glory to Jesus Christ.”

Lambert said the Panthers will not spend long celebrating the regional title.

“We’re in the film room tomorrow, we’ve got to get ready for this next game,” he said. “Just showing up early and putting all in that work.”

Koch said the staff will quickly flip to a familiar chess match against Peaster, a team Paradise beat 21-15 in district play earlier this season on a late defensive score.

“Both teams have phenomenal defenses,” Koch said of Peaster and Vernon before the Greyhounds advanced on the other side of the bracket. “We’ve obviously seen them in district, which kind of presents a new challenge. Ultimately, teams are going to say we’re going to try and play great defense, run the football and make the kicking game really important.”

Paradise will carry a 12-1 record and a No. 2 state ranking into the quarterfinal, while Jim Ned closes at 11-2 after a perfect 5-0 district run and a season that saw the Indians ranked No. 5 in the state.

For Paradise, the regional title is another step in a run they hope ends at AT&T Stadium. For now, they are content to enjoy a long bus ride home and one more week of practice.

Individual Leaders

Paradise Panthers

Passing
• Ayden Olalde — 16/26, 227 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT

Rushing
• Chase Harmon — 7 carries, 18 yards, 1 TD
• Luke Brown — 12 carries, 14 yards
• Ayden Olalde — 9 carries, 4 yards

Receiving
• Elijah Jennings — 3 receptions, 77 yards, 1 TD
• Logan Lampley — 6 receptions, 53 yards, 1 TD
• Luke Brown — 4 receptions, 50 yards
• Layne Smith — 2 receptions, 36 yards, 1 TD

Jim Ned Indians

Passing
• Cash Gwinn — 14/30, 143 yards, 0 TD, 2 INT

Rushing
• Aiden Ellis — 18 carries, 62 yards
• Cash Gwinn — 10 carries, 19 yards
• Cole Chittum — 1 carry, 5 yards, 1 TD

Receiving
• Garon Beasley — 3 receptions, 55 yards
• Breck Lawson — 6 receptions, 40 yards
• Braxton Powell — 2 receptions, 20 yards
• Camden Lewis — 1 reception, 16 yards

Box Score

Total Team Stats

Stats and play-by-play are based on live in-game estimates from an on-site reporter.