Groom flies by Silverton
Coaches often talk about trying to score right before half when they receive the ball in the second half to double dip on points.
Thursday night in Groom, that’s exactly what the Tigers did, and they used that momentum to post a 58-20 victory over Silverton.
Groom (3-3) held a slim 16-14 margin over the Owls (2-4) late in the first half when Greyson Peet toted the rock for four yards and a score with under a minute to play to give the Tigers a 24-14 margin heading to halftime.
It didn’t take long for Groom to get that double dip in points to begin the second half. Peet found Trayson Corley from 16-yards out on their opening possession to go up 30-14. The Owls tried to get back in this one but was stopped at the Groom 14 on downs and the Tigers offense did the rest.
Peet connected with Bryson Shuck from 30-yards out for a commanding 38-14 lead. Shuck then finished off the Owls when he picked off Zaden Ortiz at the 31 and raced 49-yards for the pick six and an insurmountable lead.
Peet put up another solid game in the win carrying the ball 20 times for 144 yards and four scores while going 16-of-21 through the air for 196 yards and three touchdowns. Shuck had those two big scores, and Corley nabbed five balls for 58 yards while registering eleven tackles on the defensive side of the ball.
Turnovers propel Valley to win
It’s been a tough start to the season for Valley, but that road got a little smoother Friday night at home as the Patriots capitalized on six Claude turnovers to notch a 59-12 win on Homecoming.
Four of the first five opponents for the Patriots (1-5) were ranked in the top 10 with Nazareth lurking just outside the top ten all season.
Included in those opponents are the two best teams, by a wide margin, in Gordon and Jayton which gives Valley one of the toughest non-district schedules in the state at the Six-Man level.
Having only scored 42 points all season, Valley raced out to a 36-8 lead in the first half against the Mustangs (4-2) before closing this one out in the second half with 23 more points and registering the 45-point mercy rule on a Claude team that was red hot and riding a four-game winning streak.
Division I District Preview
District 1-1A
Booker looks to be the team to beat in this district but the race for the second spot could be interesting. Claude was red hot before their loss to Valley, White Deer is banged up but has talent and Wildorado has been up and down but has a potent offense. Every district game will have a ton of importance each week.
District 2-1A
This looks like a two-team race between Happy and Nazareth with Springlake-Earth a dark horse. The Cowboys and Swifts meet in Nazareth in the final week of the season in a game that will be packed as two bitter rivals likely battle for a district crown.
District 5-1A
This is a wide-open district with Petersburg, Silverton, Spur and Valley all having a chance for a playoff spot. Spur is undefeated and looks to have the inside edge but don’t count out the Owls and Patriots if both teams are healthy.
Division II District Preview
District 1-1A
Follett and Miami appear to be the top contenders, but Groom is not a team you can look past. The Panthers and Warriors play in three weeks while Groom visits Miami to end the season. Both games will be pivotal in deciding who wins this district.
District 2-1A
Injuries have decimated McLean so Motley County and Paducah will likely be the playoff teams out of this district. Those two teams face off in Dragon land in week 10.
Amarillo-area roundup
In a game that was close throughout, No. 10 Whitharral pulled out a 41-38 win over Nazareth.
This game was tied at 22 to begin the second half and both teams played solid defense in the third before scoring took off in the fourth. After a Whitharral score, the Swifts (4-2) returned the kickoff back for a score to retake the lead but that lead only lasted momentarily.
The ensuing kickoff from Nazareth was returned by the Panthers (4-2) for a score and that proved to be the difference in this one.
No. 8 Happy (5-1) had no problems with McLean (2-4), taking down the Tigers 52-0 at Duncan Field Friday night. Jaxon Stoker and Braylan King combined for 200 yards rushing and four score and Mason Hix had two fumble recoveries, three tackles for loss and a sack in the win.
It was a tough week for several area schools as they move into district play.
Kress (3-2) outgunned White Deer (2-4) 65-37 while Amherst (5-1) had no problems with the winless Roughriders (0-6) as they took out Boys Ranch 62-12.
Lubbock Kingdom Prep (5-1) made it a tough night for District 1-1A as they posted an 82-32 victory over Wildorado (3-2).
The lone winner was Booker (5-1) as the Kiowas rebounded in style after their first loss of the season with a 63-0 shellacking of Lefors (1-5).
Gordon showed why they are the top team in Division I as they posted a 53-8 win over No. 7 Follett (3-3) on Saturday afternoon.
Guthrie (2-3) took out Hedley (0-6) 61-12 and Lubbock Christ the King (4-2) had no problem with Holy Cross Catholic Academy (2-3) notching a 58-6 win Saturday.
Sy Potter had a solid game for San Jacinto as the Patriots shut out Amarillo PCHEA 30-0 on Friday night. The senior only carried the ball three times but gained 122 yards, averaging 40.7 yards per carry, and finding paydirt twice with those runs.
State roundup
Paducah got a huge upset win over No. 9 Knox City 56-36 on Friday night.
Darren Mackey and Ethan Garibaldi were a potent one-two punch for the Dragons (3-2) as Garibaldi rushed for 111 yards on 17 carries and scored three times while Mackey gained 98 yards rushing, scoring twice, while going 10-16 through the air for 161 yards and four touchdowns.
It took a half for Westbrook (3-2) to shake Garden City (2-4), but the Wildcats outscored the Bearkats 32-6 to pick up a 75-52 win.
Grayson Jeffrey rushed for 170 yards and four scores in the win and had a receiving touchdown while Case Custer added 154 yards and three trips to paydirt to lead the Wildcats.
Scoring was the name of the game across the state. No. 8 Benjamin (3-1) put up triple digits on No. 3 Cherokee in their 106-88-win Friday night.
That, however, was not the biggest score of the night. In the private school Six-Man ranks, Bellville Faith and Waco Valor Prep both topped triple digits as Bellville Faith won 148-112 over the Knights.
That game goes down as the highest scoring Six-Man game in history among public and private schools. The highest total score ever for public schools was Campbell’s 125-122 win over Fannindel in 2017.
A team starting to open eyes is Saint Jo. The Panthers (6-0) will enter district play next week undefeated after they notched a hard fought 32-30 win over previously undefeated Perrin-Whitt (5-1).
