BELLS — The Panthers earned their fourth straight district victory to lock up the second seed for the playoffs as Bells defeated the Leonard Tigers, 49-28, in the 8-3A (II) finale.
The winner of this contest would get that coveted second slot while the loser was guaranteed to drop down to the third seed.
And the Panthers made sure they would find themselves in the enviable position by building a 28-0 lead by the opening minutes of the third quarter.
Easton Helgren had 16 carries for 231 yards and three touchdowns to go with a 15-yard TD catch, Hayden Allen totaled 163 yards and two scores on 18 carries and Bryson Thompson chipped in seven carries for 28 yards and a touchdown for Bells (8-1, 4-1), which ran for 466 yards on 50 carries.
The Panthers will face the third seed out of District 7-3A (II) at 7 p.m. on Thursday at Royse City.
Leonard (5-5, 2-3) clinched a playoff spot despite the loss.
Bryson Thompson opened the scoring with a one-yard touchdown plunge late in the first quarter for a 7-0 lead after the opening 12 minutes.
Easton Branam rolled to his right and found Helgren for a 15-yard TD pass right after the start of the second quarter for a 14-0 advantage. It was the lone throw by Branam in the game.
After Leonard turned the ball over on downs at the Bells 36, the Panthers headed the other way and right before half-time Allen scored on a six-yard run to make it 21-0 at the break.
The margin got pushed to 28-0 when Bells scored on the opening drive of the third quarter with Helgren’s first touchdown on the ground.
The Tigers finally got on the scoreboard in the middle of the third quarter when Jacoby LaCook connected with Jordan Barlagne on a 15-yard touchdown pass to make it a 28-7 margin.
Bells responded on the ensuing drive as Allen notched his second TD of the game.
Late in the quarter LaCook found Barlagne again, this time for 40 yards, and Leonard was down 34-14 going to the fourth quarter.
The Panthers restored their 28-point lead early in the final period as Helgren did the honors with another TD run.
The back-and-forth second half continued as LaCook followed with a 20-yard TD keeper and he then had a final hookup with Barlagne, this time for a 70-yard touchdown pass, and Bells’ lead was down to 42-28 in the closing minutes.
But the Panthers had a final answer on the ensuing drive as Helgren found the end zone for the final time to seal the victory. Lana Newton / For The Herald Democrat
Herald Democrat BELLS — The Panthers earned their fourth straight district victory to lock up the second seed for the playoffs as Bells defeated the…
