PEORIA — On the final offensive drive of Peoria’s home playoff game, which started at their opponent’s 46-yard line, Panthers junior running back Jamarion McClurge carried the ball seven times for 45 yards including his second touchdown of the evening. 

With 1:34 remaining in the fourth quarter, McClurge’s touchdown put the No. 8 Panthers (8-3) ahead 30-13 and sealed their victory over No. 9 Arcadia (8-4). This Nov. 13 victory marked Peoria’s first playoff win since 2019. 

Peoria earns a trip to Snowflake next Friday night to take on the top-seeded Lobos in the 4A quarterfinals. 

“We're going to rest up, take this next step even more seriously, stop shooting ourselves in the foot and get back to work,” senior quarterback Seth Galligan said. “Whoever we play, our goal is to get to state. That's our mission. That's our goal.” 

After a scoreless first quarter, the offenses started to wake up slightly in the second. Peoria started the scoring with a 24-yard field goal from senior Carlos Nunez. 

The Titans then punched back with a six-minute, nine-play drive that ended in a 3-yard touchdown by senior running back Malakai Wilder. 

With three minutes left in the first half and after a handful of missed opportunities, the Panthers trailed by four. 

“I thought we handled ourselves really well in the first quarter,” Peoria Coach Jason Golden said. “We just didn't capitalize. We missed some throws that we normally make early in games. We overthrew some touchdowns, and before we knew it, we were in a ballgame and they had taken the lead.” 

That lead didn’t last long, however. McClurge took a 23-yard run into the end zone and Peoria went to the locker room up 9-7. 

The third quarter became the true turning point of the victory. The Panther defense forced an interception, a fumble recovery and a turnover on downs. 

“I just want to shout out our defensive coaches,” said Nunez, who came up with the interception. “They showed us film and walked us through everything we were going to do. We just went out there and executed.” 

Each offensive possession for the Panthers in the third quarter started inside Arcadia’s territory. After starting their first drive of the half at the Titans’ 17-yard line, Galligan found junior receiver Ryan Henderson in the end zone for a touchdown pass. 

“In the second half, our defense thrived on turnovers,” Golden said. “Once we started getting those turnovers, that's when the momentum shifted a little bit.”

Galligan finished the night with 128 yards on 11 of 21 passing with one touchdown and one interception. His partner in the backfield, McClurge, ended the game with 26 carries for 131 yards and two touchdowns. 

It was a far-from-perfect night for the Panther offense, but Galligan is ready for their next challenge. 

“We did what we had to do to get out of here with the win,” he said, “We had a lot of mess-ups and did a lot of things that shot ourselves in the foot. But we're ready to come back and work and be ready for our next shot.” 

As for the Titans, the Arcadia offense struggled all night to find a consistent rhythm. Some of that was due to self-inflicted wounds, but Peoria’s defense also did its part, holding the Titans to just 170 total yards. 

Arcadia senior quarterback Carter Lampe completed 14 of 28 pass attempts while throwing for one touchdown and an interception. 

“We ran into a good football team and came up short, but I love how we competed,” Titans Coach B.J. Pasquel said. “I'm extremely proud of the guys. We just couldn't do enough offensively.” 

Arcadia’s season comes to an end after a regular season that included a seven-game winning streak and a home playoff victory over Pueblo in the first round.

Despite the loss, Pasquel was eager to praise the team’s journey. 

“We've come a long way,” he said. "The kids just kept fighting and kept believing…the farther we get away from it, the more they can reflect on what they've accomplished. I'm extremely proud of these guys.” 

For the Panthers, their run at a state championship continues for at least another week. They’ll have their work cut out for them when they take on Snowflake, the top-seeded team in 4A. 

And they will have to do it without Henderson, who has formed a lethal duo with senior Dontay Tyson. Henderson badly injured his leg in the third quarter, having an air cast put on and getting wheeled off the field .

“We've got to get back to the drawing board,” Golden said. “We're going to be playing a really physical team. For us, it's about staying together and playing Peoria football.”