Farmersville senior wide receiver Amare Warren is aided by a convoy of players on a run. Warren caught two touchdown passes and finished with 170 yards receiving during Friday’s game at Bells. Photo by Victor Tapia / C&S Media
By David Wolman
BELLS — Bells attempted just one pass during Friday night’s game.
Given that the Panthers had attempted only five passes all season, with just one completion, the Farmersville Fightin’ Farmers expected that nearly every play Bells ran would be of the running variety.
However, as much as Farmersville worked in practice last week to replicate and prepare for stopping Bells’ version of the Slot-T offense, stopping it in person during a 62-49 road loss proved to be a different challenge.
Bells (2-2) finished with 562 rushing yards and scored on all but two possessions.
The first quarter featured a heavy dose of passing plays between Farmersville senior wide receiver Amare Warren and senior quarterback Levi McAbee.
Warren used his breakaway speed to capitalize on several one-on-one matchups on the outside.
McAbee used a pump fake to hold up a Bells defensive back long enough to fit a 28-yard pass over a Panthers defender and into Warren’s arms for a touchdown with 9:46 remaining in the opening quarter. Felix Maldonado’s subsequent PAT gave the Farmers a 7-0 lead.
After Bells answered with a 13-yard touchdown run by Asa Curtis, Farmersville retook the lead on its third possession. Warren hauled in a short pass before turning past a Panthers defender and outrunning the defense for a 50-yard touchdown and a 14-7 lead on the first play of the second quarter.
Warren finished with 10 receptions for 170 yards. Junior Sebastian Redwine had eight catches for 134 yards. McAbee threw for 379 yards on 24-of-43 passing with five total touchdowns.
Farmersville (2-2) outgained Bells 581-567 in total yardage, but the Panthers executed with better efficiency.
Bells churned out several long runs as part of a 20-0 scoring flurry to end the half.
Bells increased its lead to 35-14 following Hicks’ 71-yard touchdown early in the third quarter, but Farmersville continued to show plenty of fight, especially on offense.
The Fightin’ Farmers got two 1-yard touchdown runs from McAbee, running scores of 12 and 1 yard by junior Brandt Martinez, and a 29-yard touchdown reception by junior Jaxson Ward in the second half.
Martinez finished with 175 yards rushing.
Farmersville appeared to have a chance to make it a one-possession game after Warren recovered an onside kick with just over three minutes left in the contest. However, what was initially ruled a recovery for the Fightin’ Farmers was overturned because of an illegal touch, and the Panthers were awarded possession at the 50-yard line.
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