The Plano High School Wildcats and the Plano East High School Panthers look to carry on their over 30 year old rivalry this week. This rivalry has brought many firsts, like a rare tie between the schools in 1992 and a matchup of coaches in 2014 that didn’t just know one another – they were brothers. Those two brothers still lead the Wildcats and the Panthers today, proving that civility can come from a house divided. The Wildcats enter the game with a 2-4 record, while the Panthers, remembering a close 44-41 loss to Plano last season, come to the field with a 5-1 record and an overall state ranking of 21. Look for a close and fierce matchup between the teams this Friday.
MVP
Kyron Cumby
Plano
SCHOLAR ATHLETES
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Chase Cotton
Plano East
Chase is a 3-year starter at the right tackle position for the panthers and first basemen/pitcher for the baseball team. Chase is an outstanding student athlete who competes on the field and in the classroom. Chase Cotton exemplifies a model student-athlete on and off the field, taking pride in all that he is associated with.
Evan Bogoslavsky
Plano
Evan is a letterman on the varsity football team. He is also a member of the National Honors Society and Young Men’s Service League. Evan stays active in the community by participating in community service and he is on the leadership panel of his church’s youth choir. Evan is interested in majoring in business and plans to work in the sport industry.
HALL OF FAME
Justin Blalock
Plano East
Justin Blalock is a product of Plano East Senior High School, graduating in 2002. During his tenure at Plano East he was named second team All -District as a sophomore after recording 151 pancake blocks helping East to an 11-3 record and the state quarterfinals. Blalock went on to earn all district and all area recognition. One of Blalock's best games was a 21-pancake performance vs. Plano Senior High school. Blalock went on to play for Mack Brown at the University of Texas from 2002-2006, starting all 13 games as a redshirt freshman and was named Freshman All-American. Blalock's collegiate accolades earned are consensus All-American, Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the year, 4x First team All- Big 12, 2005 National Champion. Blalock was the first person in longhorn history to start 50 consecutive games. Blalock went on to be drafted by the Atlanta Falcons where he started for 125 games before retiring in 2015. Blalock was recently inducted into the U.T. Hall of Honor on September 7th of this year.
Rex Burkhead
Plano
Rex competed in the Plano-Plano East rivalry all four years of his high school career, playing a pivotal role in each of the rivalry games he competed in. Specifically, in 2007 and 2008, Burkhead accounted for a total of six touchdowns between the two final years of his time as a Wildcat playing the Panthers of Plano East. In 2OO7, Rex touched the ball a total of 32 times, sealing the victory with a six-yard rushing touchdown carrying the Wildcats to a victory that turned the momentum of the rivalry in Plano's favor. Following his career at Plano, Rex went on to be a four-year letterman at the University of Nebraska, competing for two Conference Championships during his tenure there. Rex was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals, spending 4 years there before signing with his current team, the New England Patriots. Rex has been heavily involved in philanthropic work in his community, widely known for the creation of his non-profit organization known as the Team Jack Foundation, which focuses on research and development for pediatric brain cancer.
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