By Todd Jorgenson
Regardless of what happens early in the season, Parish Episcopal always seems to round into form as the playoffs draw closer.
The defending TAPPS Division I state champions remained unbeaten in district play with a dominating 48-13 win over Frisco Legacy on Friday at Snyder Stadium.
The Panthers will carry plenty of momentum into a showdown next week with Argyle Liberty — the only opponent to deny Parish a state title in the past seven years.
Their latest victory saw the Panthers (5-2, 3-0) showcase their talent on both offense and defense. They made a statement after two non-district defeats and a close-call win over Bishop Lynch a week ago.
“We needed that one in the worst kind of way. We’re getting there, but we have to keep working,“ said Parish head coach Daniel Novakov. “It was good to come out here and show everybody that rumors of our demise have been exaggerated.”
Sophomore quarterback Logan Lucero led the offense with four touchdowns — two rushing, one passing and one receiving. Meanwhile, the Parish defense turned three interceptions into quick touchdowns in stifling a Legacy offense that had averaged 46 points in its past three games.
The Panthers pulled away early with three scores in a span of 1:13 in the second quarter, starting with a slashing 17-yard Jaxon McKinney touchdown run.
Parish’s Davis Martin intercepted a tipped pass on the ensuing Legacy snap, setting up a trick play that Parish executed to perfection. Johnathon Phillips connected with a wide-open Lucero for a 22-yard score.
Two plays later, another tipped Legacy pass was picked off by Luke Robbins, who scampered 25 yards into the end zone. Just like that, the Panthers led 28-0 when the Eagles had run only eight offensive plays.
Parish crossed the goal line on its first five possessions, the first two of which were efficient and time-consuming marches. For example, the opening 12-play drive consumed 75 yards and took almost seven minutes off the clock, culminating in a 2-yard pass from Lucero to Dorian Vaughn.
“That was our best offensive game,” Novakov said. “We were really able to run the ball. Our backs did a great job and Logan did a great job.”
The Panthers controlled time of possession and field position while the Eagles (3-3, 2-1) struggled to gain momentum. They had more interceptions (two) than completed passes (one) in the first half.
Legacy got on the board with a 25-yard touchdown scamper by Cade Lynch late in the second quarter. However, Parish responded with a Lucero scoring plunge on the final play before halftime to balloon the margin to 35-7.
The other big play for the Parish defense came in the fourth quarter, when Northwestern commit Kingston Thornton snagged an interception near midfield and sprinted to the end zone.
McKinney finished with 120 rushing yards on 16 carries for the Panthers. The junior outgained the entire Legacy offense in the first half.
Their balanced attack wasn’t explosive but was consistently effective, as Parish didn’t have a gain longer than 23 yards all night. Lucero completed 12 of 18 throws for a modest 105 yards.
The Panthers have earned 10 consecutive district victories dating back to October 2024. Legacy’s three-game winning streak was snapped.
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