Live Updates: Permian vs. Midland High

FINAL -- PERMIAN 35, MIDLAND HIGH 31

4TH QUARTER

-- 1:29 -- Facing third-and-three at the Midland High 49, Morris carries for seven yards and the game-sealing first down.

-- 2:05 -- Bolger swings the ball out in the flat to Middleton, who tries to cut back against the grain and gets brought down by Ruben Johnson to give Permian the ball on its own 44.

-- 2:16 -- After Carson Brown hits Tyler Middleton for a 2-yard loss and Bolger throws incomplete, Midland High faces fourth-and-12 at the Permian 48.

-- 3:25 -- On the first play of the Bulldogs drive, Bolger hits Antwan Goodley for 18 yards and a first down in Panthers territory.

-- 3:52 -- Steven Pipes hits Talon Smith on an 11-yard slant to put Permian ahead again with the touchdown pass.

-- 4:34 -- Tommey Morris carries for 12 yards to the Midland High 15 for another Permian first down.

-- 4:57 -- Facing a fourth-and-1, Tommey Morris bangs for 6 yards behind Fay and Baeza for a first down at the Panthers 36.

-- 6:29 -- Danny Aguilar sacks Steven Pipes for a 5-yard loss to force third-and-13.

-- 7:24 -- Antwan Goodley takes a quick out from Bolger, breaks a tackle and races 32 yards for a score to put the Bulldogs right back on top.

-- 7:47 -- Tyler Middleton darts out to the left for a 31-yard gain to the Permian 32.

-- 8:15 -- Running the ball out of Permian's Tandem formation -- defensive ends Jesse Baeza and Tra Fay as lead blockers -- Tommey Morris carries it in from 10 yards for the touchdown.

-- 8:32 -- DeAnthony Fay decides to get into the act. Two carries, 28 yards and two first downs put Permian on the 10-yard line.

-- 9:42 -- Pipes carries twice more, for 12 yards and 14 yards, to put the Panthers on the Midland High 40.

-- 10:34 -- On the first play of the drive from the 18, Pipes carries for 16 yards and a first down.

-- 10:46 -- Two plays later, Jack Bolger leaps into the end zone for Midland High's go-ahead touchdown.

-- 11:44 -- Craig Yenzer continues to roll the dice. On fourth-and-2, Woods takes an option 13 yards for the first down, Midland High's second fourth-down conversion of the game.

3RD QUARTER

End of quarter -- Tyler Middleton carries for 8 yards to the Permian 18 to set up a fourth-and-2 to begin the final quarter.

-- 1:02 -- Corey Street takes an option 3 yards for another first down to the Permian 26.

-- 2:37 -- On a fake punt, Erick Collier carries around the right side after a direct snap for 9 yards and a first down.

-- 4:12 -- On third-and-seven at his own 34, Bolger hits Jake Malone up the seam for 15 yards and a first down at the 49.

-- 5:05 -- A screen pass to Fay gets broken up by a reaching deflection by Bulldogs sophomore Dutton Watson, and Pyron gets off a 42-yard punt.

-- 6:07 -- DeAnthony Fay picks up 14 on the first play from scrimmage for another Permian first down.

-- 6:31 -- Lambert Riley dives to break up a third-and-4 throw by Bolger at midfield, and a 35-yard punt by Blair Beck gives Permian the ball at its own 15.

-- 7:09 -- Goodley breaks two tackles on a bubble screen and picks up a 9-yard first down to the Midland High 44.

-- 8:12 -- A Midland High hold erases an 18-yard Corey Street run on an option and puts the Bulldogs in 2nd-and-20 at the Midland High 20.

-- 8:24 -- Taking the handoff on a wide receiver reverse, Felix Neboh hits the hole, cuts back to his right and outraces Midland High for a 36-yard touchdown run to give Permian its first lead of the game.

-- 8:34 -- Facing a second-and-18 at his own 41, Pipes hits Tommey Morris open across the middle for 23 yards and a first down at the Midland High 36.

-- 9:37 -- On a pass that Bolger tries to swing into the flat, Jamaal Sanders tips it into the air, and Colby Pyron makes a falling interception at the Permian 38 to take the ball back.

-- 10:21 -- Jerome Ellis bangs over on third-and-1 at the Permian 46 for 2 yards and a first down.

-- 11:51 -- Despite a pooch kick by Colby Pyron, Woods takes the kickoff at his own 26 and returns it to the 45 to start the drive.

HALFTIME -- MIDLAND HIGH 17, PERMIAN 14

2ND QUARTER

End of half -- Bolger scrambles for 18 yards, but can't get in to end the half.

-- 11.1 -- Trying to get out of bounds, Kendahl Johnson slips, and Midland High burns their final timeout of the half at the Permian 40.

-- 47.0 -- Permian's drive stalls, and a 39-yard punt by Pyron is returned 13 yards by Kierre Woods to the Midland High 33 to start the drive.

-- 1:48 -- After a 40-yard punt by Blair Beck gives the Panthers the ball on their own 26, Tommey Morris rumbles for 11 yards and a first down.

-- 2:22 -- Facing a third-and-13, Bolger tries to scramble away from the pressure for a first down, but Wood chases him down long enough to combine with Santiago Leija for a hard tackle that should force a Bulldogs punt.

-- 2:36 -- On the first play of the Midland High drive, Haesten Wood gets blocked on first rush, stays with the pass rush and drills Jack Bolger for a 3-yard sack, his team-leading 4.5 sack of the season.

-- 3:25 -- But the Panthers come right back with a draw play, and DeAnthony Fay gets out into the open field, makes a tackler miss and scores from 31 yards out.

-- 3:47 -- Tyler Tatum breaks through to sack Pipes on the next play for a 6-yard loss.

-- 4:14 -- Another 13-yard carry by Pipes puts the Panthers on the Midland High 25.

-- 5:17 -- Steven Pipes takes a quarterback keeper up the middle, makes three Bulldogs miss and rumbles 15 yards to the Midland High 44.

-- 5:56 -- For the first time all game, Tra Fay finds Kierre Woods and wrestles him to the ground to force Midland High to punt its first drive away.

-- 7:12 -- Pipes gets sacked by Conner Wilbanks on third-and-8, and Permian has to punt it away again. Colby Pyron gets away a 47-yard beauty, and Midland High takes over at its own 28.

-- 8:54 -- On his third Wildcat snap, Woods cuts up the middle on an option, bursts past the Panthers middle linebacker and races for a 15-yard score. Grant Sirgo drills the extra point.

-- 10:15 -- Taking the snap out of the Wildcat, Kierre Woods runs for 19 yards to the Permian 32.

-- 11:17 -- A third-down pass is dropped by Permian, and Colby Pyron punts the ball away. Midland High takes over at its own 41 after the ball bounces off a Bulldog, and the Bulldogs get it back in a scramble. 

1ST QUARTER

End of quarter -- After another kickoff goes through Neboh's hands to trap Permian at its own 8, Pipes carries for 2 yards on first down to end the quarter.

-- 41.9 -- Facing third-and-goal at the 3, Permian defensive ends Jesse Baeza and Tra Fay stuff Jack Bolger cold, and Grant Sirgo kicks a 21-yard field goal to give the Bulldogs back the lead.

-- 2:03 -- On the next play, Tyler Middleton breaks past two Panthers in the backfield and sprints to the Permian 10.

-- 2:22 -- With time to throw, Jack Bolger finds Jamal Sanders over the middle for 21 yards and a first down at the Permian 30.

-- 3:48 -- On the next play, Tommey Morris takes a pitch around the left side and rumbles untouched into the end zone.

-- 4:07 -- Felix Neboh breaks up the seam on third-and-2 at the Midland High 32, finds himself wide-open and catches a 24-yard pass to the Bulldogs 8.

-- 5:27 -- Pipes takes a keeper up the middle, breaks to the left, stiff-arms a Bulldog and rolls 28 yards into Midland High territory.

-- 5:43 -- Facing a second-and-9, Pipes hits Alfonso Zubiate on a slant for 11 yards and the Panthers' first down.

-- 6:31 -- Corey Street plunges over from the 1 on second down for a touchdown to put Midland High on the board first.

-- 7:21 -- Facing a third-and-two at the Permian 1, Tyler Middleton slips a tackle in the backfield for 10 yards and a first down at the Permian 3.

-- 8:29 -- After Brennan Welch trips up Goodley on a bubble for a 3-yard loss, Midland High quarterback Jack Bolger swings it out to Goodley for 15 yards and a first down at the Permian 21.

-- 10:43 -- On an option, Corey Street takes the Bulldogs first play for 12 yards and a first down.

-- 10:59 -- Two incomplete passes by Steven Pipes and a run for DeAnthony Fay nets no yards, and Colby Pyron gets away a 43-yard punt. Midland High takes over at its own 42.

-- 11:55 -- The opening kickoff goes through Felix Neboh's hands, and Brennan Welch pounces on the ball right before Midland High recovers the fumble.

COIN TOSS

Midland High wins the toss and defers. Permian receives, defending the north end.

PREGAME

Looks like the end has finally come.

At least to the regular season. And arguably no place in District 2-5A faces a bigger game than the one taking place out here at Ratliff Stadium between Midland High (5-4, 5-3) and Permian (6-3, 6-2). The Bulldogs face a playoff-type situation. Beat Permian, and the Bulldogs go to the playoffs. Lose, and Midland Lee gets the nod.

And the Midland High faithful should make the visitors stands more than a bunch of empty seats for the first time this season.

Three Quick Slants...

1. Seems like an anomaly at the end of a long season, but the Bulldogs are almost completely healthy heading into this one. A backup wideout, Matt Reyes, is out for the game, but he's not one of Midland High's big guns in the passing game. Those guys -- Antwan Goodley, Kendahl Johnson and Tyler Middleton -- looked fit and fast in practice on Wednesday.

2. For the first time since the fifth week of the season, Permian won't have junior speedster Greg George at running back. According to OA photographer Kevin Buehler, George might be out for the season. Senior guard Andrew Wright is back, although Aaron Voss is expected to start on the left side, and some combination of Zach Fox and Paul Gore should hold down the right side of the offensive line.

3. Weather shouldn't be a problem tonight. Although the flags on top of the scoreboard say the wind is blowing in from the south, it's not a harsh wind, and it shouldn't be enough to affect the passing or kicking games for either team.

Kevin and Joel's Meal of the Week: The Texan Buffet

For the past couple of weeks, Kevin and I have tried to mix up the poll a little bit for the Odessa games in an attempt to give as many local restaurants as possible a chance to host the Meal of the Week.

This time, we had a battle that went right down to the wire between the Texan Buffet and China-Mex, a battle that the Texan Buffet won with a late push Thursday by about five votes or so.

By now, faithful readers of the Meal of the Week know the rules.

You guys vote.

And we eat.

Finding places in the Permian Basin that we haven't eaten before is supposed to be a difficult task, but the voters came through this time. Neither OA photographer Kevin Buehler and I have been to the Texan Buffet before.

So we were headed in as newbies. For the record, it's been a long time since I've been to a buffet-style restaurant anywhere. Back in my home state of Wisconsin, the Old Country Buffet used to be a frequent stop for the football team after road trips, and the buffet filled me up a time or two.

Buffets always pose a serious problem. Don't know what to pick. For my first plate, I put together a salad (always a first choice), fried chicken, barbecue brisket, mashed potatoes with brown gravy and a little bit of the noodle salad.

Guess I don't know how to pick my food correctly.

The fried chicken got disqualified on the first bite. By the time I got my teeth through the breading, I realized that the rest of the chicken was so dry that the first thing that popped into my head was the turkey Chevy Chase had to eat in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Poor choice on my part. And the brisket, although it looked like it was covered in barbecue sauce, had the same problem. A little too dry for my tastes, and that brisket had plenty of fat draped around the edges. A couple of sweet onions and too much celery disqualified the noodle salad, too, in my tastes, although the mashed potatoes were serviceable. Could have used a little more spice in the brown gravy.

Kevin, on the other hand, made better choices than I did, opting for a taco and the fried shrimp on his first trip through the line. The taco went down without complaint, and Kevin was a huge fan of the fried shrimp. "The fried shrimp was definitely good," Kevin said. "I could have eaten two plates full of that."

Normally, a poor opening experience would scare me away from a second trip, but I decided to give the Texan Buffet one more chance at redemption, taking the grilled chicken on a second plate. That was good, juicy, and there was just enough spice in the skin to add a little something to the flavor.

But Kevin wasn't as happy with his next two choices, although the barbecued sausage wasn't bad. It simply didn't stand out. On the other hand, he didn't finish the meatloaf, which is a sure sign that Kevin wasn't happy. I can count the number of times he hasn't finished his full meal on both thumbs.

Kevin's Dessert of the Week

Buffets offer plenty of choices for dessert, although I usually opt for the soft-serve vanilla ice cream and a few toppings.

Kevin, on the other hand, branched out and headed for the bread pudding, which knocked his socks off and totally made him forget about his unpleasant meatloaf experience. Covered in cinnamon, the bread pudding found the only way to the OA photographer and dessert aficionado's heart other than apples. "The only thing that makes me nearly as happy as apples is cinnamon," Kevin said. "And there is plenty of cinnamon on that bread pudding."

We were both a little concerned about the vanilla soft serve, which looked a little darker than the average vanilla ice cream. Shouldn't it be pearly white? But after dipping the spoon into the mix, it tasted as solid as any other vanilla soft-serve, so I didn't leave disappointed after dessert.

Final Analysis

Guess it depends.

To some degree, a buffet is going to struggle to produce truly top-shelf food, because most of it sits for awhile before somebody comes to pick it up. But that might be the driest fried chicken I've ever had, and like I said, it's not every day that Kevin doesn't like any meatloaf.

Dessert, on the other hand, worked out just fine.

Just don't head into the Texan Buffet with any hopes for fine cuisine.