The football program started in 2022 …
Two seasons ago, Panther Creek fielded its first football team. That untested team was initiated into the world of Texas football with a 3-8 season. That would be expected in a rookie season but it was followed with an 11-2 record last year that included a three-deep playoff run. Anna defeated the Panthers 42-38 to end the season.
Panther Creek is in one of the most competitive districts in Class 4A/DI. District 7/4A includes Aubrey (2-1), Celina (3-0), Sulphur Springs (3-0), Lake Dallas (3-0), and Paris (3-0). All of those schools are in the 4A Top 20 per MaxPreps. Dave Campbell Texas High School Football also lists the Panthers at #3 in Class 4A.
Panther Creek’s head coach is Clint Surratt. Before the Panther Creek job, Surrat was head coach at Princeton for 4 years. Last year Panther Creek High School reported an enrollment of 1,160 for realignment purposes.
It’s an aerial game, the likes that Kennedale has not seen so far …
In their first three games, the Panthers have defeated Lake Worth 55-10, Dallas Carter 48-13, and FtW Southwest 44-7. The wins have been delivered by air, with 13 TDs compared to 6 TDs by runs. The Panther offense is averaging 348 passing yards per game while rushing for 156 yards.
The captain of the air attack is Graylyn Fry (Jr) who has passed for 11 TDs and 941 yards with no interceptions. He is considered one of the top QBs in the state. Fry is a transfer student this year, coming in from 6A Braswell High School in the Denton ISD. The Wildcats defensive backfield will have the experience of being airbombed at least every other if not on every play this week while Fry is in the game.
Part of the fastest growing district in the nation …
There is quite a story here. Panther Creek (3-0) is a new school like most schools in Frisco. The original Frisco High School (5A/DI) was the Raccoons that fielded a team in 1917. Eighty-seven years later, the suddenly fast-growing area opened Frisco Centennial 5A/DI in 2004 quickly followed by Frisco Wakeland (5A/DI) in 2006 and 2008 Frisco Liberty (5A/DI). Two high schools were birthed in 2010, Lone Star (5A/DI) and Heritage (5A/DI). Frisco Independence (5A/DI) opened 4 years later in 2014 followed by Frisco Reedy (5A/DI) in 2016. Are you losing count? There is more to come.
Frisco Memorial (5A/DII) followed in 2018 along with Frisco Lebanon Trail (5A/DI). Finally, came Frisco Emerson (5A/DII) and Frisco Panther Creek (4A/DI) in 2022. Frisco ISD has 12 high schools, eleven built in the past 20 years, seven of those in the last 10 years. All except Panther Creek are in Class 5A.
How did this happen? …
Frisco ISD by land size is 75 square miles and includes part of Collin and Denton counties. It also includes portions of the cities of Plano, Little Elem, and McKinney, all supercharged expanding cities. From 1991 to 2011 Frisco ISD was considered the fastest growing school district in the country. The total enrollment for the district is listed as 67,226 students. Growth like this is another reason that the North Texas region (DFW Greater Metropolitan Area) has been listed as either 1, 2, or 3, depending on the year, on the list of the fastest-growing areas in the United States.
Game time is at 7 pm on Friday, September 20 at David Kuykendall Stadium, Frisco, TX
