Sunday, September 8, 1996

North Mesquite, Odessa Permian win; set up 1-2 showdown

By JAIME ARON
Associated Press

Get ready for No. 1 vs. No. 2.

North Mesquite, the top-ranked team in Class 5A, and second-ranked Odessa Permian each won their season openers Friday night, ensuring their upcoming clash this weekend will be the first headline matchup of the fall.

North Mesquite ran for 373 yards in a 45-7 victory over Arlington, while Odessa Permian rushed for 383 in a 36-7 victory over El Paso Irvin.

Elsewhere, the first Friday night of the season saw 3A's second-ranked Sealy win its 33rd straight, although only 14-13 over Waller, while Thorndale saw its 32-game winning streak snapped 44-24 by Crawford.

Also, 4A's fifth-ranked Corpus Christi Calallen beat 3A's fourth-ranked Cuero 28-14, 4A's second-ranked Stephenville tied Denton 14-14 and 3A's third-ranked Columbus tied Sweeny 20-20. The new tie-breaking system is prohibited in non-district play.

North Mesquite and Permian are virtual mirror images. Both use a Wing-T offense that relies on a strong rushing attack, while their defenses are incredibly stingy.

Jason Coffey starred for North Mesquite as he scored on runs of 66 and 62 yards. He surpassed 100 yards on his fifth carry and finished with 172 yards.

The defense, meanwhile, held Arlington to minus-1 yard rushing in the first half. The Colts' only score game in the waning minutes.

Permian's defense had a tougher challenge: El Paso Irvin's highly touted quarterback Edmund Stansbury.

They rattled him early, forcing incompletions on his first two attempts and intercepting his third try. After a 2-for-11 start, Stansbury rebounded to finish 17 of 37 for 196 yards and a touchdown. He ended flat, though, missing his last six attempts.

But the big story was Permian's offense, which sent three runners over 100 yards for only the third time in school history.

Sophomore Koefie Powell led the way with 151 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries, but he may have broken his left arm when he was knocked onto concrete at the end of his final carry - a 65-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter.

Permian's other top rushers were Ja'Quay Wilburn with 115 yards on 11 carries, and Patrick Strambler with 107 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries.

The other times the Panthers had three 100-yard rushers in one game were in 1970 and 1973 - several years before any current players were born.

Third-ranked Converse Judson began defending its 5A Division I title by thrashing Corpus Christi Carroll 63-14. District rival San Antonio Roosevelt, ranked No. 8 and the defending Division II champ, beat San Antonio East Central 17-6.

The only ranked 5A team to lose was San Antonio Marshall, which fell 10-0 to Pflugerville.

La Marque began its 4A title defense by stopping Galveston Ball 12-0. It was the Cougars' third shutout of Ball in their last four meetings. La Marque opened last season with six straight defensive shutouts and had 10 overall.

The Cougars have won their last 48 straight regular-season games.

Stephenville was forced to settle for the tie with Denton after blowing a possible chance to win with about four minutes left.

The Yellow Jackets set up for a 38-yard field goal, but consecutive offsides penalties moved them back 10 yards and Jarrett Schouten's 48-yard kick fell short.

Third-ranked Waxahachie held off Greenville 20-10.

Calallen had trouble shaking Cuero, especially after losing four fumbles in the first three quarters. But the Gobblers led only 7-0 and had several players injured. Calallen's offense eventually kicked into gear and scored on four of its final six possessions.

Elsewhere in 3A, top-ranked Atlanta beat Paris 14-12, but No. 9 Tatum was shut out 17-0 by Gilmer and No. 10 Newton fell 12-6 to West Orange-Stark.

Alto, ranked No. 1 in 2A, beat Center 32-19. The only ranked 2A teams that lost were No. 7 Elysian Fields, beaten 28-6 by Omaha Paul Pewitt, and No. 9 Arp, which was edged 15-14 by Eustace.

Granger defeated Lexington 30-26 in its debut atop 1A. Sudan, ranked eighth, lost 13-12 to Shallowater and No. 9 Overton was wiped out 27-0 by New Diana.