Thursday’s games
District 2-5A Division I
Amarillo High (3-4, 1-2) at Lubbock Coronado (1-5, 0-2), 7 p.m., Lowrey Field at Plains Capital Park
Figuring out these Sandies is like figuring out the roughing the passer call in the NFL. Nearly impossible. Great one week. A struggle the next. Add in a desperate Lubbock Coronado squad which can’t afford to go 0-3 in district if a playoff berth is in its future and this game is just impossible to analyze. It’s coin flip time. Heads AHS. Tails Coronado. (He flips a nickel). It’s heads. … AHS 21 Coronado 20
District 2-4A Division II
Levelland (1-6, 0-1) at West Plains (3-4, 0-1), 7 p.m.
This will be the first district home game in West Plains history, which should provide plenty of incentive for the Wolves. They’ve looked like anything but a new school the last four weeks, and even when their three-game winning streak was broken against district favorite Seminole last week, they still performed respectably. Running back Jordi Hernandez has established himself as a reliable workhorse. Levelland has struggled offensively this season and should get a good dose of Hernandez, a recipe which works for the Wolves. … West Plains 31, Levelland 16
District 1-1A Division II
Groom (2-5, 1-0) at Silverton (5-2, 1-0), 7 p.m.
This game is likely for the district title. The Tigers won’t go down without a fight, but Sawyer Francis will just be too much for Groom’s defense. … Silverton 52 Groom 36
Friday’s games
District 2-5A Division I
Lubbock Monterey (0-6, 0-2) at Caprock (4-3, 1-2), 7 p.m., Dick Bivins Stadium
Monterey is the best 0-fer team in the state. Just ask Tascosa. Caprock is coming off a real road struggle not scoring against Abilene. The Rock offense won’t go crazy against this big Monterey team. So, it’s up to the Caprock defense. The Rock loves playing at home. … Caprock 17, Lubbock Monterey 14
Abilene High (3-4, 2-1) at Lubbock Cooper (5-1, 2-0), 7:00 p.m., Pirate Stadium at First United Park
Man, this is one interesting matchup. Cooper win and it takes a huge step toward district title game in the future with Tascosa. Abilene is legit. Close but no upset special. … Cooper 31, Abilene 28 (OT)
District 2-5A Division II
Palo Duro (2-4, 1-0) at Abilene Cooper (2-4, 0-1), 7 p.m., Shotwell Stadium
Last week PD hung 70 on Lubbock High, while Cooper had a half hundred hung on it by Wichita Falls Rider. I look for points as no problem in this one. I just think the long road trip leaves the Dons on the losing end. … Cooper 45, Palo Duro 35
– Lance Lahnert
– Last week: 2-2 (.500)
– Season: 15-7 (.681)
District 3-4A Division I
Hereford (0-7, 0-1) at Canyon (6-0, 0-0), 7 p.m.
It’s a huge mismatch on paper between unbeaten Canyon and winless Hereford, especially considering that Canyon had a week off to get ready for this one. A mitigating factor might be that the Eagles are missing quarterback Derrek Clements with a shoulder injury, although Javin Cash was more than effective running the wildcat two weeks ago against Andrews. Hereford has a productive offense, but the Eagles have too much balance and the Whitefaces too many problems stopping anybody for that to make much of a difference. … Canyon 52, Hereford 21
Randall (5-2, 1-0) at Pampa (5-2, 1-0), 7 p.m.
This one’s for the outright district lead and perhaps the inside track to a district championship. Randall made a major statement to open district by beating Dumas with a dominant defensive performance in the second half to end a 19-game district winning streak by Dumas. The Raiders will be challenged by Pampa’s running game led by freshman sensation Max Neff. Games like these are usually determined by defense, where both teams are fairly strong. Randall’s looks to be just a little bit stronger. … Randall 20, Pampa 17
District 2-4A Division II
Seminole (6-1, 1-0) at Borger (2-4, 0-0), 7 p.m.
There are some good signs for Borger, who’s had an extra week to prepare for Seminole’s powerful offense and should also have some juice from opening district at home. The Bulldogs have shown steady offensive improvement throughout the season. They’ll need every bit of that to have a fighting chance against the Indians. A shootout looks possible, but Seminole has more than enough ammunition to get out of town and stay unbeaten atop the district. … Seminole 45, Borger 27
– Lee Passmore
– Last week: 3-1 (.750)
– Season: 31-8 (.794)
District 2-3A Division I
Bushland (7-0, 1-0) at River Road (2-5, 0-1), 7 p.m.
River Road will have to play its best game yet to try and stay with the flying Falcons who look unstoppable at the moment. … Bushland 48, River Road 14
Dalhart (4-2, 1-0) at Shallowater (5-1, 0-0), 7 p.m.
The Golden Wolves have been a feel-good story this season for multiple reasons. One of those reasons is how they continue to win football games. However, a trip to the South Plains to face the talented Mustangs is a bit much to overcome. … Shallowater 35, Dalhart 20
District 3-3A Division II
Canadian (4-2, 1-0) at Spearman (2-4, 1-0), 7 p.m.
Canadian has been on a flat-out tear averaging 58 points and over 500 yards of offense over the last three games. Spearman’s best bet is to slow the game down as much as possible. That may be easier said than done. … Canadian 45, Spearman 16
Childress (2-4, 0-1) at Tulia (2-4, 0-1), 7 p.m.
From Week 1 to Week 8 the Childress Bobcats have come a long way. Childress is just now starting to play its best football and the wins are about to start paying off. … Childress 34, Tulia 21
Dimmitt (0-6, 0-1) at Friona (3-3, 1-0), 7 p.m.
The Chieftains make it back-to-back district wins. … Friona 34, Dimmitt 9
District 1-2A Division I
Panhandle (5-1, 1-0) at Stratford (6-0, 1-0), 7 p.m.
The Elks put their 18-game win streak dating back to last season on the line against Stratford graduate and Panhandle head coach Dane Ashley. The Elks are a little banged up, but their defense gets the job done in this district showdown. … Stratford 37, Panhandle 16
Highland Park (1-5, 0-1) at West Texas High (3-3, 0-1), 7 p.m.
This is a game where the winner stays in the playoff hunt and the loser can start prepping for basketball. … Highland Park 29, WT High 26
Sanford-Fritch (1-5, 1-0) at Farwell (5-1, 0-1), 7 p.m.
After suffering their first loss of 2022 there’s nothing better for the Steers than to get back on the field and play. Farwell rebounds from last week in a big way. … Farwell 37, Fritch 12
District 1-2A Division II
Gruver (6-1, 1-0) at Vega (3-4, 1-0), 7 p.m.
This is one of the bigger games around the Texas Panhandle with district title implications involved. Gruver has been hot finding ways to win while the Longhorns are much better than their record indicates. … Vega 27, Gruver 22
Boys Ranch (4-3, 1-0) at Sunray (5-1, 0-0), 7 p.m.
The Bobcats are ready to open district play and throw their names into the mix of the championship chase. … Sunray 39, Boys Ranch 23
District 2-2A Division II
Quanah (1-5, 0-1) at Clarendon (4-2, 1-0), 7 p.m.
It will be five straight wins and a huge game from Clarendon running back Jmaury Davis by the time the night ends. … Clarendon 47, Quanah 6
Memphis (4-2, 1-0) at Wellington (5-1, 1-0), 7 p.m.
On paper this looks like it should be a very competitive matchup, but the Skyrockets are playing at an explosive level on defense right now giving up nine points a game. … Wellington 36, Memphis 8
Wheeler (1-5, 0-1) at Shamrock (4-2, 0-1), 7 p.m.
The Irish offense finds its groove after getting blanked last week at Wellington. Shamrock makes it two years in a row as the Wheeler County champions. … Shamrock 40, Wheeler 16
District 3-2A Division II
Bovina (1-5, 0-1) at Crosbyton (1-5, 0-1), 7 p.m.
The winner of this game keeps their playoff hopes alive for another week. … Bovina 42, Crosbyton 15
– Kale Steed
– Last Week: 11-2 (.846)
– Season 74-23 (.762)
District 1-1A Division II
Lefors (0-6, 0-1) at Hedley (2-4, 0-0), 7:30 p.m.
To have a chance at a playoff spot the Owls need to take care of business against the Pirates and they do that on their home field. … Hedley 48 Lefors 12
Class 1A non-district
Follett (5-1) at Wildorado (1-5), 7 p.m.
The Panthers have their sights set on a district title and they use this game as a tune up in their quest for the gold ball. … Follett 54 Wildorado 13
Lubbock Kingdom Prep (4-2) at Happy (5-1), 7 p.m.
Will the Cowboys be looking ahead to next week for their matchup with Nazareth? If so, this could be a close one, but I expect Happy to take care of the Warriors. … Happy 62 Lubbock Kingdom Prep 16
– Craig Sperry
– Last Week: 6-0 (1.000)
– Season: 53-12 (.815)
