PARADISE, Texas — Paradise turned a fourth-quarter takeaway into the game-winner, returning a fumble for a touchdown and adding a two-point conversion to beat Peaster 21-15 on Friday night in Wise County.
The win moves the Panthers to 7-1 overall and 4-0 in district play (1st place) and affirms their DCTF high school ranking at No. 2.
Peaster falls to 6-1 overall and 2-1 in district (2nd place).
Paradise set the tone early. No. 11 broke loose for a first-quarter rushing touchdown, and the Panthers pushed the lead to 13-0 with a short plunge midway through the second before the PAT sailed wide.
Peaster refused to blink. The Greyhounds pieced together a late second-quarter march to the Paradise 1 and punched it in with about a minute left, then dialed up a successful two-point pass to trim the halftime deficit to 13-8. Coming out of the break, Peaster flipped momentum with a defensive score and extra point to grab a 15-13 lead.
Paradise didn’t panic. The Panthers’ defense stiffened, forcing multiple stops before breaking through late. “We ended up scoring on defense, which wasn’t part of the plan, but sometimes that’s what you gotta do,” Paradise head coach Tommy Koch said. “Credit to their defense… one of the best in the region.” Koch added that Paradise leaned into between-the-tackles runs after Peaster “did a good job setting the edge,” and mixed in sprint-out passing to move the sticks in the second half.
Koch said his halftime talk focused on resetting expectations and embracing a four-quarter finish. “I told them, hey, pick your heads up… We’re going to win this game. It’s going to come down to the fourth quarter,” he said. “Stay confident, believe in each other.”
Peaster head coach Trevor Owens called it a “dogfight” and praised his team’s resilience. “We knew it was going to be one play here or there… We fought to get back in it, take the lead for the majority of the game,” he said. Owens lauded his quarterback’s poise, “he stood in there tall and played really good,” and a tackling effort he called “a lot better… in space” against what he described as the fastest team Peaster may see all year.
Paradise’s defense produced two interceptions, one early in the fourth to halt a Peaster push and another in the final minute to end it, bracketing the decisive fumble return with about two minutes left. “We just try to be laser-focused week in and week out,” Koch said. “We love winning… We’ve got a bye week, but after that, we’ll come right for Ponder.”
Owens, meanwhile, pointed to culture and buy-in despite the sting. “People say culture, but it’s… finishing plays in practice, no excuses,” he said. “I know what kind of team I have now.”
Box Score
| Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peaster | 0 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 15 |
| Paradise | 7 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 21 |
Stats and play-by-play are live in-game estimates.