Thursday’s games

District 2-5A
Division I

Lubbock Monterey (2-3, 0-1) at Tascosa (1-4, 0-2), 7 p.m.
The Desperation Bowl. If these two teams want a playoff berth, I believe this is the game and win to ignite that playoff mission. Even though Tascosa lost to Abilene 42-20 it showed some life we hadn’t seen against Hereford or Amarillo High. Monterey? The Plainsmen arrive at Dick Bivins with three straight losses to Frenship, Midland High and Abilene High which would be the same result this year for a bunch of 2-5A D-I teams. … Tascosa 28, Monterey 24

District 2-5A 
Division II

Wichita Falls Rider (3-2, 0-0) at Abilene Cooper (1-4, 0-0), 7 p.m.
If Rider can play Stephenville within a point, it can beat Cooper when its district time. … Rider 35, Cooper 14

Class 2A

Gruver (4-2) at Guymon, Okla. (4-2), 7 p.m.
The Greyhounds close out the non-district schedule in a big way. … Gruver 39, Guymon 16

Class 1A

District 1-1A 
Division II 

Lefors (1-5, 0-0) at Silverton (4-2, 0-0), 7:30 p.m.
The island of Madagascar was once a popular place for Pirates from 1690-1721 and is also home to the rare Madagascar Red Owl which closely resembles the native barn owl. As for the game. …Silverton 60, Lefors 13  

Non-district 

Lubbock Kingdom Prep (3-3) at Wildorado (1-5), 7 p.m.
District play is looming, and the Mustangs are trying to build momentum and get healthy. The Warriors won’t help their cause, but this might be closer than expected. …Lubbock Kingdom Prep 58, Wildorado 28

Friday’s games 

District 2-5A 
Division I

Amarillo High (3-3, 2-0) at Lubbock Cooper (3-2, 1-0), 7 p.m.
Game of the night in 2-5A DI with the winner earning an eventual showdown vs. Abilene for the district title. AHS coach Chad Dunnam has his team playing its best right now and the O found a groove the past two weeks averaging 40 points. Won’t be easy but AHS will win its first road game of the year.  …. AHS 42, Cooper 38

Abilene High (4-2, 2-0) at Caprock (1-5, 0-2), 7 p.m.
Abilene High is not the team Caprock needs to play to get well. Abilene has too much offense for The Rock to keep pace. … Abilene 42, Caprock 7

District 2-5A 
Division II

Palo Duro (2-3, 0-0) at Lubbock High (2-3, 0-0), 7 p.m.
Palo Duro is trending up with the strong finish to beat Randall then an off week to prepare for this district opener. Lubbock can put up points, but PD’s defense continues to improve and QB Darien Lewis will give Lubbock fits all game. … Palo Duro 42, Lubbock High 21

Abilene Wylie (3-2, 0-0) at Plainview (4-1, 0-0), 7 p.m.
I love what’s happening in Plainview this year. But Wylie rolls into Plainview having consecutive wins over Lubbock Cooper, Stephenville and San Angelo Central. … Wylie 35, Plainview 17

– Lance Lahnert 
Last week: 3-0 (1.000)
Season: 14-5 (.736)

Class 4A

District 3-4A
Division I

Randall (3-3, 0-0) at Dumas (2-4, 0-0), 7 p.m.
These two teams both last played last Thursday with wildly different results heading into district play. Randall got run over by Class 3A No. 2 Canadian at home and Dumas got some momentum going by soundly beating El Paso Austin. That would seem to bode well for the Demons, especially since Randall has lost two straight and struggled defensively in both games. The question is if Dumas has a dynamic enough offense to challenge the Raiders, who can score points. That will make this entertaining, giving the edge to Randall. … Randall 28, Dumas 24

Hereford (5-1, 0-0) at Pampa (2-4, 0-0), 7 p.m.
Like Randall and Dumas, these two teams come into district from opposite directions, as Hereford suffered its first loss against West Plains last week and Pampa rallied for a much-needed victory over arch-rival Borger last week. Those results don’t mean much this week, as Hereford’s early success and Pampa’s early struggles have been well-documented. Pampa could benefit from the return of running back Max Neff from injury, but Hereford’s passing game has soared over opponents so far. … Hereford 38, Pampa 20

District 2-4A
Division II

Seminole (6-0, 0-0) at West Plains (5-1, 0-0), 7 p.m.
Is this the de facto district championship game between two teams who have been the most impressive in non-district play? It’s easy to consider West Plains an upstart, but in their second year as a program the Wolves are showing last year’s playoff appearance was no fluke. They look like the favorite going into district. Seminole will provide a stiff test in a game which should feature a lot of offense. But with King Tallant emerging as a big-time offensive playmaker for West Plains, the Wolves get the edge. … West Plains 45, Seminole 27

Levelland (2-4, 0-0) at Perryton (1-5, 0-0), 7 p.m.
Both teams head into this game with losses in their final non-district games, so any kind of momentum to carry through the rest of the season needs to be established Friday night. Perryton has shown flashes offensively under first-year coach Cole Underwood, but the Rangers need some consistency. This will be a good chance to find it against a questionable Levelland defense. Add homefield advantage in the district opener, and Perryton should get off on the right foot to make a statement off the bat. … Perryton 30, Levelland 13

– Lee Passmore
Last week: 5-0 (1.000)
Season: 25-8 (.758)

Class 3A

District 2-3A 
Division I

Bushland (5-1, 0-0) at Muleshoe (6-0, 0-0), 7 p.m.
Expect a packed house at Benny Douglass Stadium as one of the marquee games across the Texas Panhandle and South Plains takes place. This is the biggest test to date for the Mules to prove that they belong against the very intimidating Falcon squad. … Bushland 42, Muleshoe 26 

Dalhart (5-1, 0-0) at River Road (1-5, 0-0), 7 p.m. 
The Wildcats can hang but, in the end, QB Kyler Read, and the Golden Wolves are just much too physical. … Dalhart 35, River Road 22

District 3-3A 
Division II 

Childress (3-2, 0-0) at Canadian (5-0, 0-0), 7 p.m.
There is no love loss when these two rivals’ clashes. Will the Bobcats have what it takes to slow down a tremendous Wildcat offense is the question. … Canadian 42, Childress 8 

Dimmitt (1-4, 0-0) at Spearman (2-3, 0-0), 7 p.m.
Take away a season-opening loss to Stratford, and the Lynx have been in every game they’ve played to this point. To me, they are much better than their record indicates. … Spearman 45, Dimmitt 13

Tulia (1-4, 0-0) at Friona (2-3, 0-0), 7 p.m.
The Chieftains have found a groove after an 0-3 start. A victory against Tulia not only gives Friona three in a row but puts them in a great position toward a playoff spot. … Friona 36, Tulia 16

– Kale Steed
Last week: 5-0 (1.000)
Season: 31-5 (.861)

Class 2A 

District 1-2A 
Division I

Stratford (5-0, 0-0) at Farwell (4-1, 0-0), 7 p.m.
For this sportswriter, Bryce Braden vs. Corey Stancell is the price of admission alone. Look for the Elks to wear down the Steers in the end to stay unbeaten. … Stratford 39, Farwell 21

Panhandle (5-0, 0-0) at Highland Park (4-1, 0-0), 7 p.m.
Yes, the Hornets are improved but is their run defense ready for what’s coming with QB Broxton Robinson and company. Take the Panthers to stay undefeated. … Panhandle 46, Highland Park 21

Sanford-Fritch (0-5, 0-0) at West Texas High (2-3, 0-0), 7 p.m.
The winner of this clash between Hutchinson County rivals will stay in the hunt for the postseason while the loser will have major work to do. … WT High 35, Fritch 23

District 1-2A
Division II

Boys Ranch (2-4, 0-0) at Vega (1-5, 0-0), 7 p.m.
This is the best chance the Roughriders have had at beating the Longhorns in the Oldham County championship since Boys Ranch did it in 2014. Vega leads this series between the arch-rivals 32-24-1, but this year it’s a toss-up. Let’s take the Ranch. … Boys Ranch 27, Vega 21

District 2-2A 
Division II 

Wheeler (1-4, 0-0) at Clarendon (2-3, 0-0), 7 p.m.
This is a battle of the Mustangs size up front and strong running game against the Broncos workhorse Lyric Smith. Smith touching the ball over 30 times and his speed is the difference. … Clarendon 29, Wheeler 22

Wellington (3-2, 0-0) at Shamrock (3-2, 0-0), 7 p.m. 
The Skyrockets are a heavy district favorite as well as a strong Region I contender. Shamrock has turned some heads, but the Irish will have to wait till next week for their first district W. … Wellington 40, Shamrock 14

Memphis (0-4, 0-0) at Quanah (0-5, 0-0), 7 p.m.
One team is getting their first win of the season on Friday night and one team is staying alive in the playoff hunt. … Memphis 30, Quanah 20

District 3-2A
Division II

Bovina (1-4, 0-0) at Ralls (4-1, 0-0), 7 p.m.
Don’t look at the records and immediately count out the Mustangs. Bovina is much better than its record looks and will be a contender in this district. … Ralls 33, Bovina 23 

Non-district

Sunray (5-1) at Lubbock Christian (5-0), 7 p.m.
The Bobcats get a really good test to end their non-district schedule. The Eagles are one of the best TAPPS teams around. … Sunray 27, LCHS 21

– Kale Steed
Last week: 3-1 (.750)
Season: 41-16 (.719)

Class 1A

District 1-1A
Division II

Groom (2-4, 0-0) at Darrouzett (0-6, 0-0), 7 p.m. 
It looks like the Tigers are starting to put things together at the expense of the
Longhorns. …Groom 60, Darrouzett 6

Non-district

Follett (4-2) at Claude (2-4), 7 p.m.
This looked like it would be a pretty solid matchup before the season started but the Panthers are playing really well while the Mustangs are struggling for consistency. …Follett 60, Claude 14

McLean (5-1) at Happy (4-1), 7 p.m. 
We are in Week 7, and this is only the second home game for Happy on the year. The Tigers are quietly playing solid ball and would love nothing more than to pull the upset, but the Cowboys in the Corral just have too much firepower to pull that off. …Happy 58, McLean 22

White Deer (3-3) at Valley (2-4), 7 p.m. 
A healthy Bucks’ squad might make this game closer, but the Patriots are stinging from a one-point loss last Friday night and will be in no mood to feel sorry for the undermanned road team. …Valley 48, White Deer 22

Hedley (2-3) at Booker (4-2), 7 p.m.
Kiowa country is enjoying their first season in Six-Man land as the taste of success has been very sweet. That winning feeling continues at home in grand style. …Booker 62, Hedley 13

Miami (6-0) at Nazareth (2-4), 7:30 p.m.
On the surface this looks like a quality matchup between the only undefeated Six-Man team in the Amarillo-area and a Swifts squad that is better than their record might indicate. However, Nazareth is dealing with the injury bug, and they will need all hands-on deck to take out the Warriors. …Miami 52, Nazareth 22

– Craig Sperry
Last Week: 9-0 (1.000)
Season: 49-10 (.853)