By Terry Carter
The Paetow football team played championship defense on Friday as the Panthers defeated Conroe 14-3 at Legacy Stadium with a dominating nine sacks and more than 20 pressures on visiting Tiger quarterback.
For much of the non-district, season opener, this game featured two intense, standout players despite the fact that both teams are filled with talent and playoff potential. And the Paetow standouts took turns building a highlight reel worthy of ESPN.
Known for their defensive skills, Panthers LB Alex Kilgore and DE DJ Hicks made their presence known as both scored touchdowns to power the Paetow offense. Kilgore scored the game’s first touchdown — and Paetow’s first 6A score — and celebrated by racing to the Panther sidelines.
“I’ve learned from my past that you put your best players in the game, and that’s how you win games,” Paetow head coach Lonnie Teague said after the game. “I was happy with our effort.”
His scoring burst was the first of many as Kilgore, highly recruited as a linebacker, led Paetow in rushing. Kilgore’s biggest gain, a 48-yard ramble in the fourth quarter, set up the final touchdown. That score came on an 8-yard reception when Hicks lined up as a TE.
Besides a receiving touchdown, Hicks recovered a fumble that led to Kilgore’s touchdown. He also recorded three sacks and at least five opportunities to create havoc in the Conroe backfield. Fellow DL Jarra Anderson also led the defensive front seven with three sacks and pressure. Kilgore made his mark on defense as the Panthers’ leading tackler, a trademark of his aggressive style.
“Our guys are resilient. Our offensive line played great,” Teague explained. “We trust in our defense… and they were amazing. They do a lot of good things to help us. “We need to generate some things on offense. Sometimes things didn’t work out the way we wanted, but our defense stepped up.”
Offensively Paetow used two QBs Koby Truehill and Brock Nichols. The Conroe defense came up with two interceptions, which stopped Panther drives. But RB Damyrion Phillips found positive yardage, and the offensive line protected both QBs.
Friday’s game ball was presented to Coach Teague, who transferred to Paetow this spring, and helped the Panthers notch their first 6A football victory in history after the Panthers’ historic 2021 state championship season.
This weekend, Paetow plays Cy Ranch on Saturday at 6 p.m. in a final non-district contest in CFISD. After that it’s all District 19-6A play, and Paetow opens with Morton Ranch on Sept. 9, and the Mavericks have speed in their backfield.
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- Paetow RB/LB Alex Kilgore (46) celebrates his first rushing touchdown to lead the Panthers to a 14-3 win on Friday. Kilgore also led a fierce defensive squad. (Photo by Terry Carter/UDPhotos)
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- Paetow senior D.J. Hicks (0) registered three sacks against Conroe on Friday, and he caught a touchdown pass as a TE. (Photo by Terry Carter/UDPhotos)
