Plano East had a remarkable season in 2023, becoming a playoff team in 6-6A, one of the most competitive districts in the Dallas area, after going 3-7 the previous year. The turnaround was led mostly by the 18 seniors who started for Plano East last season.
But there’s been no drop-off for the Panthers in 2024. In fact, first-time starters have turned Plano East (6-1, 4-1 6-6A) into a team that believes it can go even further.
“I think a lot of them had a chip on their shoulder,” said Plano East head coach Tony Benedetto, describing how his players approached this season. “They’ve heard a lot about how last year’s team had a bunch of seniors, and they weren’t going to be as good. But they’re the one’s playing now, and they’re the ones who have gotten us to this position late in the year.”
Heading into its matchup with Plano on Friday at John Clark Stadium, Plano East can surpass its win total from 2023, even though most of its starting lineup was sitting last year. Benedetto believes for some of the leaders of his team, watching and learning has put them in a better position for success.
Senior quarterback Jackson Hays has taken the reins of the offense after backing up Drew Devillier, who is now at Rice. So far, he’s played like a seasoned veteran, leading a game-winning drive against McKinney Boyd and a game-tying drive against Prosper Rock Hill in the last two weeks.
“He wasn’t over confident, and he wasn’t underprepared. He’s done a really good job leading this team this year,” Benedetto said. “He’s not a kid who’s going to yell and scream. That’s not who he is. But his demeanor has been stepping up in big moments, and that makes you a leader automatically.”
On defense, junior safety Judah Thompson is having a breakout season, making his presence felt all over the field. He’s tied for the team lead in interceptions with four and has 47 tackles, which is second-best on the team. Benedetto said he was the third safety in the defensive rotation last year and played sparingly, which made him hungry to prove himself this season.
“He was humbled a little bit last year being on the varsity for the first time, after dominating lower level football. He understood how serious he needed to be coming into this year, and he’s gone out and had a great season,” Benedetto said. “It’s great to see when kids can push through that adversity.”
Against Plano, the Panthers are going to rely on their fighter’s mentality as they try to win seven games for the first time since 2018. The Wildcats (4-4, 3-3 6-6A) likely won’t be an easy opponent for Plano East, as they only lost to district-leading Allen by 17 points, closer than any team has played the powerhouse all season.
“The thing is, they’re aggressive. They have an in your face, no nonsense mentality,” Benedetto said of Plano. “That’s a great way for a team to be successful. So we have to be able to match their intensity and their aggression.”
Entering the toughest stretch of its season, Benedetto said this team has bigger aspirations than his 2023 squad. After watching their seniors clinch a postseason berth, the 2024 Panthers want to advance past the bi-district round.
“The hardest games for us are towards the end of the year this year,” Benedetto said. “Last year’s goal was to have a winning season, make the playoffs. Well now, this year’s goal is to compete with some of the best teams in the state.”
