Week 7 will see all 11-man teams enter district play with big matchups all across West Texas on Thursday and Friday. See how the Press Pass Sports team of Lance Lahnert, Lee Passmore, Kale Steed and Craig Sperry having it playing out.
THURSDAY’S GAMES
DISTRICT 2-5A DIVISION I
Lubbock Monterey (3-2, 2-0) at Amarillo High (4-1, 2-0), 7 p.m., Dick Bivins Stadium
Monterey’s offense is perked up with Noah Reed back at QB the past two weeks averaging 35 points and winning a pair of games. But, oh my, AHS has established itself as the team to beat in 2-5A DI with a physical, stingy defense and big-play offense leading to a pair of impressive district wins. Won’t be easy but it’s a Sandies home win. … AHS 31, Monterey 17.
DISTRICT 2-5A DIVISION II
Palo Duro (5-1, 2-0) at Lubbock Coronado (1-5, 0-2), 7 p.m., Lowrey Field at Plains Capital Park, Lubbock
Palo Duro rides in this one looking absolutely impressive owning a five-game winning streak and showing domination by halftime the past four games leading 34-0, 27-14, 50-0 and 35-7. Coronado has allowed an average of 57 points the past two games. The math doesn’t lie. … Palo Duro 48, Coronado 14.
CLASS 1A
DISTRICT 1-1A DIVISION II
Follett (3-3, 0-0) at Lefors (2-3, 0-0), 7 p.m.
The winner of this one gets an important leg up in the battle for one of the two playoff spots out of this district. Size versus speed in this matchup with the faster Pirates running away with this one. … Lefors 58, Follett 44.
DISTRICT 3-1A DIVISION II
Hart (5-0, 0-0) at Lorenzo (0-5, 0-0), 7 p.m.
It’s been a polar opposite start for both squads as the Longhorns are undefeated and ranked while the Hornets have yet to sting anyone as they search for their first win. This one will get out of hand early. … Hart 52, Lorenzo 6.
Amherst (1-3, 0-0) at Lazbuddie (2-3, 0-0), 7 p.m.
Both squads appear to be on the outside looking in when it comes to district predictions. The loser of this one may start rolling out the basketballs earlier than they would like. … Lazbuddie 44, Amherst 40.
NON-DISTRICT
Wilson (0-0) at Holy Cross Catholic Academy (2-2), 7 p. m., at Glenwood Park
A battle of the Mustangs and Bryan Welps has Holy Cross playing competitively every week. … Holy Cross Catholic Academy 48, Wilson 18.
FRIDAY’S GAMES
CLASS 5A
DISTRICT 2-5A DIVISION I
Frenship (2-3, 1-1) at Caprock (1-4, 0-2), 7 p.m., Dick Bivins Stadium
Caprock has scored one touchdown the past four games. Frenship scored 55 points last week. Those two stats speak volumes about how this one plays out. … Frenship 38, Caprock 7.
Tascosa (2-3, 1-1) at Lubbock High (1-4, 0-2), 7 p.m., Lowrey Field at Plains Capital Park, Lubbock
Rebs took one on the chin to rival Amarillo High last week and will rebound in this one. … Tascosa 35, LubbockHigh 14.
Abilene High (3-2, 2-0) at Frenship Memorial (1-4, 0-2), 7 p.m., Peoples Bank Stadium, Wolfforth
Memorial has been outscored 107-38 in the schools’ first two district games in school history. It doesn’t get any easier against one of the best teams in the district. Eagles soar. … Abilene High 49, Memorial 17.
– Lance Lahnert
Last week: 5-1 (.857)
Season: 126-10 (.722)
CLASS 4A
DISTRICT 2-4A DIVISION I
West Plains (2-3, 0-0) at Dumas (1-4, 0-0), 7 p.m.
Both these teams would liked to have come into their district openers with better records, but that matters little now. Dumas was the only district team who opted not to take the week off in the final week of nondistrict, and the Demons fell hard to Lubbock-Cooper Liberty, 49-14, the same unbeaten team who beat West Plains by a point three weeks ago. If you go by comparative scores, that bodes well for the Wolves. West Plains has played a tough pre-district schedule, and the running of Slade Russell will carry the Wolves over the passing of Colton Mills of Dumas in what should be a shootout. … West Plains 41, Dumas 31.
Canyon (4-1, 0-0) at Hereford (2-3, 0-0), 7 p.m.
This matchup is more a study in contrasts. Canyon has won three straight in rather convincing fashion while Hereford has lost three straight after opening with two straight wins. Brox Hacker has quietly become one of the area’s top quarterbacks for Canyon as a dual threat passing and running, and Austin Turner is a workhorse running back. Hereford hasn’t had trouble scoring points, but during their losing streak, the Whitefaces have had trouble stopping anybody. That will put more pressure on their offense, and a track meet will help the Eagles, who are stronger defensively and will make enough stops. … Canyon 38, Hereford 24.
Randall (5-0, 0-0) at Pampa (0-5, 0-0), 7 p.m.
These two teams couldn’t be heading into district play from more opposite directions. Randall has been mildly surprising with an unbeaten record. Pampa is still looking for a win, and the Harvesters have been plagued by youth and injuries, which put them in a hole seemingly before every game. The Raiders look like prohibitive favorites here, but their biggest obstacle might be avoiding overconfidence, and opening district at home might give Pampa a boost of sorely needed adrenaline. If the Harvesters don’t get started quickly, the Raiders will stay unbeaten with few problems. … Randall 35, Pampa 13.
DISTRICT 3-4A DIVISION II
Lubbock Estacado (6-0, 0-0) at Perryton (4-2, 0-0), 7 p.m.
There’s a lot of promise for this matchup to be an entertaining game. Both offenses are capable of putting up points. In last week’s 35-31 win over Childress, quarterback returned from injury to throw for 390 yards and four touchdowns, and his favorite receiver was Gordo Estrada, who had 16 catches for 213 yards and two touchdowns. The Rangers will need a similar performance against an Estacado team which is undefeated for a reason and routinely puts up over 40 points a game. This one should be fun, but the Matadors are a bit better defensively. … Estacado 44, Perryton 31.
Lubbock-Cooper Liberty (6-0, 0-0) at Borger (2-4, 0-0), 7 p.m.
The case could be made that Liberty is the best team in the Panhandle and South Plains pound for pound as the Patriots look like anything but a third-year program. Borger has struggled but the Bulldogs have already far surpassed last year’s winless record and they’re coming off a dominant 49-7 win over River Road. That means they could present more of a challenge to Liberty’s defense than originally expected. Opening district at home might give Borger an early emotional boost, but it likely won’t carry over for four quarters. … Liberty 38, Borger 14.
– Lee Passmore
Last week: 4-0 (1.000)
Season: 34-12 (.739)
CLASS 3A
DISTRICT 1-3A DIVISION I
Dalhart (5-1, 0-0) at Brownfield (1-5, 0-1), 7 p.m.
The Golden Wolves are hot winners of three straight including a win at Canadian last week. We’ll see those winning ways continue against the Cubs. … Dalhart 48, Brownfield 14.
Denver City (2-4, 0-0) at Bushland (4-2, 0-0), 7 p.m.
The high-flying Falcons are averaging 59 points a game during a current four-game win streak. I don’t see that offensive production slowing down this week in the league opener. … Bushland 55, Denver City 20.
DISTRICT 1-3A DIVISION II
Canadian (3-3, 0-0) at Friona (5-1, 0-0), 7 p.m.
This game has much more intrigue than it may have six weeks ago. The Wildcats are riddled with injuries while the Chieftains are putting together a solid season through the non-district. This matchup comes to down to the Canadian defensive line against Friona’s offensive front. … Canadian 35, Friona 22.
Childress (3-3) at Dimmitt (5-1), 7 p.m.
I’ve had this game circled since August and it looks like it’s going to live up to the billing. Childress is the favorite behind its tradition but Dimmitt walks in wanting to prove its for real. Expect a great one in this battle of Bobcats. … Childress 42, Dimmitt 35.
DISTRICT 2-3A DIVISION II
Idalou (6-0, 0-0) at Lubbock Roosevelt (2-4, 0-0), 7 p.m.
Idalou starts the march to another league championship with a lopsided victory. … Idalou 40, Roosevelt 12.
Muleshoe (1-5, 0-0) at Littlefield (5-1, 0-0), 7 p.m.
Give credit to head coach Bo Bryant at Littlefield. The Wildcats are an under the radar team that could make a little noise in November. … Littlefield 42, Muleshoe 21.
– Kale Steed
Last week: 4-3 (.571)
Season: 30-11 (.731)
CLASS 2A
DISTRICT 1-2A DIVISION I
Panhandle (2-4, 0-0) at Sunray (0-6, 0-0), 7 p.m.
The Panthers went through a gauntlet during the non-district schedule and have struggled of late with a three-game losing skid. That ends Friday night. … Panhandle 52, Sunray 16.
Highland Park (2-4, 0-0) at Spearman (3-3, 0-0), 7 p.m.
It’s been a solid couple weeks for the Hornets, but it will be difficult to match the physicallity of the Lynx. …Spearman 40, Highland Park 18.
DISTRICT 2-2A DIVISION I
Hale Center (4-2, 0-0) at Farwell (1-5, 0-0), 7 p.m.
Look out for the Owls in this district. Head coach Marc Puente has his team playing good football. … Hale Center 35, Farwell 19.
Tulia (2-3, 0-0) at Olton (6-0, 0-0), 7 p.m.
Tulia is reeling after dropping back-to-back games while the Mustangs have just been the model of consistency. … Olton 34, Tulia 21.
DISTRICT 3-2A DIVISION I
Sundown (0-6, 0-0) at New Home (3-3, 0-0), 7 p.m.
The Leopards open district with a commanding W. … New Home 49, Sundown 14.
New Deal (5-1, 0-0) at Abernathy (0-6, 0-0), 7 p.m.
Take the rivalry consideration into this between two teams just 10 miles apart and I think Abernathy will hang in for a bit until the Lions run game overpowers. … New Deal 41, Abernathy 21.
DISTRICT 1-2A DIVISION II
Stratford (3-1, 0-0) at Gruver (6-0, 0-0), 7 p.m.
This is a game that’s been on the radar since fall workouts started in early August, and how the tides of turned. I think the majority of the Texas Panhandle would have said Stratford in August, but if you took a poll today, that shifts heavily to the Greyhounds. Stratford’s defensive line has to be disruptive and can’t let the Gruver offense get going or it could be a long evening. … Gruver 35, Stratford 21.
Bovina (3-2, 0-0) at West Texas High (4-2, 0-0), 7 p.m.
Here’s another good matchup for a district opener. Both made deep playoff runs last year and are still trying to find a true identity this season. … WT High 34, Bovina 22.
DISTRICT 5-2A DIVISION II
Shamrock (1-5, 0-0) at Wellington (4-1, 0-0), 7 p.m.
Mark down the Skyrockets for a lopsided W. … Wellington 55, Shamrock 16.
Clarendon (2-4, 0-0) at Wheeler (5-0, 0-0), 7 p.m.
The Mustangs hopes of repeating as district champions start Friday night. … Wheeler 45, Clarendon 13.
– Kale Steed
Last week: 9-2 (.818)
Season: 62-11 (.849)
DISTRICT 1-1A DIVISION I
Claude (2-4, 0-0) at Booker (4-2, 0-0), 7 p.m.
An intriguing matchup with the loser likely on the outside looking in at a playoff berth. If Trapper Godfrey plays for Claude, this game becomes a tossup. If he doesn’t play, the Kiowas have a decided advantage. The flip of the coin says. … Claude 46, Booker 42.
DISTRICT 2-1A DIVISION II
Crowell (3-2, 0-0) at Paducah (4-1, 0-0), 7 p.m.
This district is a three-team race between Motley County, Valley and the Dragons. Stopping Ethan Garibaldi is a headache for every team they play and the Wildcats will find out why. … Paducah 60, Crowell 13.
Motley County (5-0, 0-0) at Guthrie (2-3, 0-0), 7 p.m.
Motley County’s Culley Lawrence will run around, over and through the Jaguars defense. … Motley County 56, Guthrie 8.
Valley (3-2, 0-0) at Chillicothe (2-3, 0-0), 7 p.m.
The Patriots can use this game to get healthy and let everyone play before their massive matchup next week against Paducah. … Valley 52, Chillicothe 6.
TAPPS DISTRICT 1 DIVISION III
Midland Holy Cross (0-4, 0-0) at San Jacinto Christian Academy (2-5, 0-0), 7 p.m.
After winning their first two games of the year, the Patriots have fallen on hard times as they have lost five straight. The Crusaders are winless on the season so someone will be happy at the end of this one. … Midland Holy Cross 36, San Jacinto Christian Academy 27.
NON-DISTRICT
Happy (3-3) at Springlake-Earth (2-3), 7 p.m.
These two squads have played some classic games over the years but it doesn’t look like this will be one of them. Luke Dempsey will run wild as the Cowboys take down the Wolverines. … Happy 58, Earth 16.
Kress (1-5) at Nazareth (4-2), 7 p.m.
It’s the fourth straight home game for the Swifts that will become their third straight win. … Nazareth 54, Kress 8.
SATURDAY’S GAME
NON-DISTRICT
Silverton (3-2) vs. Saint Jo (4-1), 4 p.m., at Crowell
An intriguing matchup as the Owls get ready for district play. Trenton O’Neal is the Panthers best player so Silverton will need to slow him down to win. Things seem to be clicking for Jeremy Holt’s squad so take the Owls in a close one. … Silverton 56, Saint Jo 52.
