You can look at the numbers, but they’re not pretty.

Five passing touchdowns. 10 interceptions. 53.6 yards/game. Only 37 percent of passes completed. Only seven passing first downs in seven games.

All rank in the bottom three within Wyoming’s Class 3A.

But PHS head coach Chanler Buck sees the potential past the statistics, and for good reason.

“That’s one thing we intended to do early in the season, but now that kids have more confidence in this offense, we have the ability to do that,” Buck said.

Despite the league-low passing numbers, the Powell Panthers are on the cusp of qualifying for their seventh straight postseason behind the fourth-ranked rushing attack in the state.

A win in Cody on Friday night, plus a Worland loss against Green River, would give the Panthers the fourth seed.

The ground game, led by junior T.J. Abraham (113 yards/game), has taken them this far. But Buck has said time and time again if the Panthers want to reach the next level as a team, the air attack must catch up.

Now would be a pretty good time for that.

Recent weeks have seen Powell’s opponents sell out against the run, which resulted in Abraham’s lowest rushing total of the season last week in Jackson. The prospective all-state player was held to just 39 yards on 21 carries, and for the first time all season was not the Panthers’ leading rusher.

That’s what happens when defense ignores the passing game and stack eight defenders in the box.

“We’ve got to be able to put the ball in the air, and we haven’t been able to throw the ball effectively,” Buck said.

But Buck has stood strong behind junior quarterback Mason Olsen, whose exhibited growing pains are not unexpected of a first-year signal caller.

The plan was to bring Olsen along slowly. He threw just eight times in week 1’s win over Douglas, and has thrown more than 15 passes in just three games — all while Powell trailed late in the second half.

Now, with eight games (seven regular season games and week 0) under Olsen’s belt, Buck believes the offense can take a step forward.

“We’ll continue to express our confidence in our kids and let them know that we believe in them,” Buck said.

The late-season improvement, if it is to happen, won’t come from new plays or a more complex scheme. Olsen and the offense have gotten the reps, and now the element of speed may tilt the final pre-snap moment in the Panthers’ favor.

“We can’t draw stuff in the dirt, we need to do what we do, but at a faster tempo,” Buck said.

The Panthers aren’t going to look like Chip Kelly’s Eagles (and that might be a good thing), but a fast-paced offense that keeps defenses on their toes could be the difference between a playoff game or a finished season, a deep playoff run or a one-and-done showing.

“That’s going to help us, and hopefully that slows down the defense and their communication too,” Buck said.

If the Panthers win, they will ultimately do so with their run game and stout defense. Buck isn’t trying to change the identity of his whole program.

However, for the run game to thrive, and for the defense to stay off the field, Olsen and the passing game must make those timely plays — third-down conversions, play-action passes — that keep defenses honest.

Whether it’s this week in Cody, the first round of the playoffs, or beyond, Powell’s season will come down to a final test.

And Buck is confident they will pass.