Peoria survived its toughest test yet, beating the Buckeye Hawks  41-27 in a Class 4A non-region game at Jantzen Field in Peoria.

The Panthers (4-0) opened the fourth quarter down for the first time all season, with the score at 21-20.

“In practice I’m on them, and they know that,” Peoria coach William Babb said. “We are always talking about the next big thing. They have risen to the occasion.”

Junior running back Juwaun Price and senior Sonatane Zabala carried the team as it opened up the scoring in the first quarter and ended Buckeyes’ hopes of a comeback in the fourth quarter. Price finished with 176 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. Zabala finished with 76 rushing yards, three rushing touchdowns and a two-point conversion.

The Panthers came into the game giving up 21 points total in their first three games. Buckeye’s senior quarterback, Joseph Perez, accounted for 75 percent of the Hawks' yardage in the first four games leading up to the Panthers. Perez finished the game with 306 all-purpose yards and four touchdowns.

“He’s mister competitor,” Buckeye coach Kelley Moore said. “He’s the one that has to run the show.”

Perez and the Hawks (2-3) could not keep control of the ball, as they turned it over four times, giving Peoria’s defense a season total of 11 turnovers recovered.

“Tonight, we grew up,” Babb said. “When you face a good Buckeye team, you’re going to grow up.”

Early in the third quarter, Price fumbled the ball in the end zone giving Buckeye the chance to cut into the 20-14 halftime deficit.

Babb said he was most proud of Price’s mind-set after his fumble into the end zone early in the third quarter.

“Last year as a sophomore, he might have carried that,” Babb said. “The kid (Price) is a huge burst on the football field.”

The comeback for the Hawks seemed out of reach with 6:12 left in the game when Price raced past the defense and scored a 76-yard touchdown, widening Peoria’s lead to 34-21.

“We call it fish, which means go outside,” Price said. “It wasn’t at first, but when I saw the outside work, I just took off.”

Next week, the Panthers head to the Dysart Demons (0-4), and the Hawks will face the Washington Rams (0-4) on Sept. 22.