Montwood Rams Topple Odessa Permian 34-30 to Give El Paso its First Win Over Permian Since 1960

Fifty-two years is a long time.  That's how long it has been since an El Paso area team defeated Odessa Permian.  Because of the success of "Friday Night Lights" in book, movie, and television from, Odessa Permian may be the most well known high school program in the country.  Mighty 'mojo' may not have the roar they once did, but they don't come to El Paso expecting to lose.

Chuck Veliz's Montwood Rams don't back down to anybody, and they don't have any quit in them.  The Rams took an early 7-0 lead when Wesley Myers found Warren Redix from 21 yards out.

The Panthers scored 23 unanswered to take a 23-7 lead late in the second quarter.  Montwood salvaged a sloppy, turnover laden first half when Jacob Aguilar hit Warren Redix.  Despite being thoroughly outplayed, Montwood went into the locker room trailing 23-14.

The second half belonged to the Rams.  Montwood outscored Permian 20-7 in the second stanza and walked off the field with an improbable 34-30 victory.  Montwood became the first El Paso team since Ysleta in 1960 to defeat the Permian Panthers.

With quarterback Angel Garcia serving the first of his two game suspension, there were a lot of question marks surrounding the position.  Wesley Myers threw the first touchdown, but like Garcia last year, Jacob Aguilar was the breakout star for Montwood last night.  The junior was 15-25 for 207 yards and four touchdowns.  He had one pick on the night, but nobody's perfect.

If there was one black mark on the night it was the penalty disparity.  Permian committed 16 penalties for 139 yards, while Montwood had just one penalty for five yards.  Neither coach had an official comment about the officiating, but it will be a sore subject in the Permain Basin.

We know many penalties are subjective, but unless the Oakland Raiders are playing, a penalty disparity that large never looks or sits well with fans.  The penalty debate will rage on, but it won't change the final score, and the kids on the field ultimately had to execute.