Celina maintained its dominance over Frisco Panther Creek with a 48-14 win on Friday night, marking the first time both programs have competed against each other in Class 5A. The victory keeps Celina undefeated at 4-0 overall and 2-0 in District 4-5A Division II as it navigates its first season in the larger classification.
The Panthers established control early, leading 17-0 at halftime. Celina relied on a traditional ground game, rushing for 248 yards while utilizing formations such as the single wing and the straight T. Evan Koehne carried the load for the offense, gaining 179 yards on 16 attempts and scoring two touchdowns.
Quarterback Zane Lacrue completed seven of 12 passes for 194 yards and three scores, all thrown to wide receiver Lamar Taylor. Two of those touchdown strikes occurred in the second half. One came on a 92-yard slant pass with 3:29 remaining in the third quarter, extending the lead to 24-7. Lacrue connected with Taylor again for a 42-yard score late in the fourth quarter.
Celina’s offensive line, featuring Ethan Harris, Dylan Williamson, Grayson Owen, Cole Vest, and Dylan Goodson, provided the necessary protection and push for the running game. Harris noted that the unit’s mentality focused on physicality at the line of scrimmage.
On defense, Celina held Panther Creek to just 225 total yards, a significant drop from the Frisco school’s average of 443 yards per game through its first four contests. The secondary, including Sutton Hurst, Oliver Curtis, Lucas Engle, Jeremiah Coger, Legend Dangerfield, and Cotton Crumpley, pressured Panther Creek quarterback Tristin Schramm, limiting him to 167 passing yards.
Curtis sealed the defensive effort by returning an interception 25 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. The Celina front seven, led by Elijah Vaughn, Alex Barrera, and Braylon McDaniel, restricted Panther Creek’s rushing attack to just 58 yards, while linebackers Carter Place and Sumner Nickel contributed significantly to stopping the run.