Panhandle and Floydada locked in 3A Division II playoff matchup

by Arthur · November 11, 2022

The recent history of the Panhandle Panthers and Floydada Whirlwinds has been quite different from each other.

Since head coach Dane Ashley took over in 2015, the Panhandle has been to the playoffs every year while also finishing with a winning record every year but one – the Panthers were 6-6 last season.

Floydada is in its second year and playoff appearance under JR Compton, but last year’s team went just 3-8 and this year’s team is just the second winning Whirlwind squad since 2003 – they went 8-3 in 2018.

So the two find themselves in different spots when they meet in the bidistrict round of the playoffs Friday night at Happy State Bank Stadium in Canyon. The Panthers (8-2 overall) are looking for another run in the postseason, while the Whirlwinds (6-4 overall) are trying to prove they belong.

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“It’s been an interesting experience because we’re building here and hopefully we’re building off of last year when we pulled it out and made the playoffs,” Compton said. “This year we won a couple more games. It’s a good experience for the kids, but now we have to learn what to do when we get into these situations.”

While the Panthers are likely heavy favorites to win the opening round, they know well that no one can be overlooked once you get to the postseason.

“I’ve been reminding (the players) that my first year here we were a four (seed) and we beat one,” Ashley said. “I’ve been a two (seed) twice and lost to a three, I’ve been a three and beaten a two. It’s anybody on Friday. It’s just a whole different level of intensity when it comes to the playoffs.”

Everyone knew how much quarterback Landyn Hack would mean to the Panhandle entering the season. He was the AGN preseason Player of the Year and lived up to that title. The senior, in the AGN statistical rankings for surplus area, is eighth in passing (1,793 yards, 26 touchdowns, four interceptions) and eighth in rushing (1,143 yards, 21 TDs).

It hasn’t just been the Landyn Hack show, though.

Wyatt Brookshire is ninth in AGN’s statistical rankings in rushing with 1,091 yards and 15 TDs. Cuyler Mize (34 catches, 653 yards, 7 TDs) and Cooper Neil (19 catches, 611 yards, 10 TDs) have been called “statistically two of the best outside receivers” the Panhandle has had, according to Ashley.

Brayson Choate has led the defense with 112 tackles and Ashley says he is one of the best defenders he has seen in his time with the Panthers.

For Floydada, Andres Mendoza has led the way with 1,229 yards and 15 touchdowns on offense. The Whirlwind defense has been exceptional as Hagan Hinsley has collected nine sacks on the year, while Saul Reyes has hauled in seven interceptions.

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Compton knows the task is difficult, and that Whirlwinds has exceeded many outside expectations. The biggest thing for them, he says, is to believe in their own expectations.

“The Panhandle has such a strong tradition,” Compton said. “Coach Ashley does a great job with them and they’re a perennial playoff team year in and year out. So just the belief and the expectation that you can be in that category with them is huge. It’s a tough category and an elite category. … To believe and expect that we can be here and play with anybody will be huge.”

Ashley has already said he and the Panthers won’t take Whirlwinds lightly. This is the end game after all. It’s a brand new season.

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“Everyone is back to 0-0 and you have to take it one game at a time,” Ashley said. “I think the players are fine with what’s going on and where they are … We’ve got to keep getting better at the little things and on Friday night we’ve got to play our best game of football.”