Parish Episcopal isn’t ready to relinquish its reputation as the state’s private-school football powerhouse.
After having a string of five consecutive TAPPS Division I championships snapped a year ago, the Panthers have been eager to reclaim the top spot. They’ll have their chance, 363 days later, on Friday against district rival Plano Prestonwood at Waco ISD Stadium.
The Panthers (11-1) have won 11 straight games after a season-opening defeat against Fort Worth All Saints. And the offense has looked as high-powered as ever, averaging 49.4 points during that span.
After record-setting quarterbacks Preston Stone (now at Northwestern) and Sawyer Anderson (now at Arizona) started the run of dominance for Parish, freshman Logan Lucero looks primed to inherit the mantle.
He’s thrown for 2,377 yards through 12 games, with 27 touchdowns and just three interceptions. That includes 249 yards and three scores during a 49-14 win over Tomball Concordia last week in the semifinals.
Lucero might not have experience playing on the biggest stage in TAPPS, but many of his teammates do, including top receiver Jaylen Pile (1,186 yards, 15 touchdowns) — who signed with Michigan on Wednesday — and running back Marcus Hanish (1,480 yards, 18 touchdowns).
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Then there’s Johnathon Phillips, a versatile utility player in the backfield who has accounted for a remarkable 24 scores. Defensive standouts include Benjamin Rich, Trip Brown, Nile Cail, Connor Corwin, and Brooks Lloyd.
Prestonwood is a familiar foe for the Panthers in both the regular season and playoffs. Parish has won nine of the 10 meetings since 2020, including a 38-35 Parish victory on Oct. 23.
The Lions (7-4) have won four straight games since then — including a 44-0 shutout of Frisco Legacy in the semifinals — to make their first championship game appearance since falling to Parish in 2022. Prestonwood also eliminated defending champion Argyle Liberty two weeks ago in the quarterfinals.
The explosive Prestonwood offense averages 43.5 points, led by 6-foot-5 quarterback Luke Glass (2,768 passing yards, 30 touchdowns) and running back William Taylor (1,662 yards, 12 scores), an Episcopal School of Dallas transfer.
Last year, the teams split their two clashes, as the Panthers avenged a regular-season defeat in postseason play before eventually falling to Liberty 45-24 in the title showdown.
