Boys Ranch continues to creat believers

Among the rolling hills northwest of Amarillo sits a stadium nestled into a tight knit community with houses as the backdrop of the south end zone and a chapel overlooking the north end zone. 

It’s also home to Roughrider Stadium where the 2025 football team is making its mark as one of the best in school history after Boys Ranch ran away from White Deer, 78-42, on Friday night in District 1-1A Division I play.

The win, their sixth this year, marks this as the fourth time a Roughrider team has won six games and leaves them one win short of the best record of 7-3 in 1978 and 7-2-1 in 1979. That’s quite a turnaround for a team that was winless last year and marked the first district win at the Six-Man level in school history.

“This team believed in what we were doing since the summer,” Boys Ranch head coach Louis Kelly III said.  “They bought in to our weight program and everything we did and it shows”.

As much as the offense has been what everyone has talked about, it was the defense that set the tone early. On White Deer’s first possession of the game, they fumbled the snap twice due to the pressure of nose guard Elijah Reeves.  This forced the Bucks to move one of their top backs, Caynden Mynear, to center to ensure a clean snap.

After getting the defensive stop the offense went to work. Isaac Acosta struck quickly by connecting with Zeke Holman on a 34-yard bomb to give the Roughriders (6-1, 1-0) the early lead after Sergio Pablo was good on the two-point conversion kick.

With Mynear moving to the line, White Deer (5-2, 0-1) responded on their next drive as Foster Black raced 27-yards down the right sideline to trim the lead to 8-6. However, that was the closest the Bucks would get all night. 

Acosta connected for his second scoring toss of the quarter, this one to Ethan Paulo from 29-yards out, to extend the lead out to 16-6 heading to the second quarter. Early in the second, it was Acosta again finding Cord’e Jackson for his third of six scoring strikes and a 22-6 advantage.

White Deer fought back as Black found Lucas Radina in the endzone, which trimmed the lead to 22-14 midway through the second.  Any momentum the Bucks had after that score was short lived as Jacobe Gonzales outran the defense for 43-yards and a score.  

Acosta then finished off the first half with his fourth scoring strike and second of the quarter to Jackson as Boys Ranch went to half with a commanding 38-14 lead that was never really threatened in the second half.

The junior gunslinger, Acosta, had quite the night going 22-of-27 for 358 yards. Kelly really likes his quarterback and coach on the field. 

“Isaac puts in so much time watching and studying film,” Kelly III said. “He probably knows the playbook better than I do.”  

Jackson’s speed was a mismatch for the Bucks secondary as he hauled in seven passes for 183 yards and two scores while Paulo used his 6-foot-3rame to pull down nine catches for 102 yards and two touchdowns.

Cardiac Kiowas rally again

Fans in Booker are walking around with their fingernails whittled down to the nub this week after the Cardiac Kiowas did it again.  

Their football team rallied from double digits, scored late in the fourth and pulled off a big turnover for the second straight week as they topped Claude, 42-36, in a pivotal District 1-1A Division I opener Friday night.

This game started out well for the Mustangs (5-2, 0-1) as Trapper Godfrey found the endzone twice in the first quarter to give Claude a 14-8 lead headed to the second quarter.

After Booker (5-2, 1-0) punted to pin the Mustangs at the five early in the second, Claude’s offense made matters worse with a first down false start to push the ball back to the two and half yard line.  With the shadow of the west endzone creeping over their shoulder, the Mustangs embarked on a 78-yard scoring drive.  Godfrey ate up a lot of that yardage with a sprint for 52-yards to the Booker 14.  

Three plays yielded 10 yards, and it looked like Claude was going to squander a golden opportunity after another false start penalty pushed them back to the nine. Godfrey, though, wasn’t fazed. Utilizing a great kick out block from his fullback, Thomas Slack, the junior runner raced around left end for the score and a 20-8 lead.

The long drive and score didn’t seem to bother the home team as they quickly marched down field. Deep in Claude territory, Axel Valdivia danced around Mustang defenders before finding a wide-open Marco Flores in the back of the endzone  The problem for Flores was he was too open and couldn’t reel in the pass.

Most freshman would have let that drop get to them but not Valdivia. Facing a fourth and 11, he scrambled around the right side and found Brayland Gonzales for a 22-yard scoring strike to get the Kiowas back to within four.

That’s when the upper cut from the Mustangs came. Claude quickly moved into scoring position and Holden Tice found Korbin Jackson from 11 yards out and a 28-16 half time lead.

Facing their second double digit deficit of the night, the level of concern in the Kiowas locker room could have been high, but this team seems to revel in it.

After receiving the second half kickoff, the Kiowas found the endzone early when Flores delivered a strike to Emmanuel Rosales to trim the lead to 28-22. The Booker defense did their part by shutting down the potent ground game of Claude to get the ball back.

Making good use of the turnover on downs, Valdivia orchestrated a drive that ended in a 29-yard scamper from the Kiowas spread back and we were tied at 28 with 5:52 left in the third.

Steadying themselves on the ropes, the Mustangs got off the mat and found paydirt again on a long drive as Godfrey registered his fourth score of the evening from the three as Claude went to the final quarter with a 36-28 lead.

Trailing again, Valdivia and the Kiowas offense went to work. Using an efficient passing attack and timely runs, Booker moved to the Claude twelve and was facing a fourth and eleven.  Scrambling to his right, Valdivia connected with Korbyn Vance at the two where the Kiowas center pin balled off one defender, lowered his head and plunged over the goal line for the score to tie things up again.

The teams exchanged possessions when Claude took over at the Booker 27 midway through the fourth. After gaining twelve on three plays, the Mustangs were faced with a fourth and three when a false start pushed them back five.  Looking to throw, Kiowas right end Reydn Rosales, who led his team with twelve tackles, forced Tice into a quick throw which found Jackson but lost seven yards.

Three straight running plays moved the ball to the Claude 24 and the two minute warning. That’s when Booker head coach David Biddler pulled out one of his favorite plays.  Valdivia scrambled to the right and threw across the field to Vance.  Using his six-foot-two frame, Vance out jumped DK Robison for the ball and sprinted to the goal line for the go ahead score.

The Mustangs had one last opportunity and the Kiowas didn’t make their life easy. Three straight kicks out of bounds forced Booker to kick off from their own 15. Despite a deep kick, Godfrey found space before being brought down at the Kiowas 33.  

Two straight runs from Godfrey pushed the ball to the 19 and set up a third and one. Tice faked the hand off to Godfrey and rolled to the right looking for his end Brady Shelton. Heydn Rosales, the Kiowas left end, initially released Shelton and realized Tice was rolling his way.  Sprinting quickly back to the flat, the bowling ball end skyed high and pulled in Tice’s pass with one hand to seal the victory for Booker.

Valdivia led the way for Booker with three scoring strikes and a rushing touchdown while Vance was pivotal with two scoring catches, both in the fourth quarter.  Godfrey was stellar again for Claude with four scoring runs on the night.

District recaps

Division I

Every team in District 2-1A came into district play feeling like they had a shot to capture a playoff spot. After Friday night, two of those teams who have been upstarts to begin the year, know the road only gets tougher from here.

Kress, off to a surprising 4-2 start, was looking to cement its name in the district race but Nazareth had other ideas. The Swifts (4-3, 1-0) started out hot, building a 32-0 lead after one quarter before finishing the game off by half, 56-8, over the Kangaroos (4-3, 0-1). Rhett Ethridge tossed four touchdowns in the win while freshman running back Copper Farris found the endzone three times on the ground.

Hart is also off to a hot start registering a 5-0 record for the first time since dropping down to the Six-Man ranks in 2006. With Springlake-Earth coming to town, the Longhorns were hosting their biggest game since 2025 and, just like ten years, Hart (5-1, 0-1) was unable to pull off the win.  The Wolverines (3-4, 0-1) picked up a 52-27 win and a big win to start district play.

In District 5-1A, the two playoff spots available look to be wide open and Silverton and Petersburg have a leg up after district opening wins Friday night.  The Owls 92-5, 1-0) picked up their second straight win after dropping their first five games, with a hard-earned 29-14 win over pre-season favorite Spur (0-7, 0-1).  

For Petersburg (2-5, 1-0), it’s been a rough start as well as they only had one win on the season, but you can make it two after they picked up a 70-24 home win over Lorenzo (2-5, 0-1).

Division II

Follett got off to a quick start in District 1-1A play with a 66-20 win over Lefors.  The Pirates (4-3, 0-1) had a surprising 14-8 lead in the first quarter before the Panthers rolled off 30 straight points.  Wyatt Terrell led the way for the home team racking five combined scores, three of those on the ground.

It was announced early in the week that McLean head football coach David Donnell is no longer with the district and will not finish the season. Assistant coach Eric Alston has been named the interim head coach for the remainder of the season. Alston got off on the right foot with his team as the Tigers (2-5, 1-0) took down Hedley 62-16.

In District 3-1A, Whitharral (7-0, 1-0) raced past Lazbuddie (1-5, 0-1), 54-0, Friday night.  Greg Johnson continued his great season by rushing for 169 yards on only five carries with four of those going the distance while making his mark on defense with a scoop and score while Nate Samson registered a pick six for the second straight week.

Quick hits

San Jacinto Christian Academy took down Midland Holy Cross, 44-22, on Friday night in TAPPS District 1 Division III action. Jaxon McKnight led the way for the Patriots (4-3, 1-0) with 146 yards rushing on 18 carries and four scores. Jonathan Cruz was a stalwart on defense registering 14 tackles. 

In non-district action, Miami (7-0) nearly tilted the scoreboard racking up a 90-8 win over Amarillo PCHEA on Friday night.

Week eight has multiple games with playoff implications on tap. In District 1-1A Division I, Boys Ranch will travel to Claude looking to continue their storied season while the Mustangs are in a must win situation already.

District 2-1A Division I may have the biggest game on tap in Springlake-Earth. The Wolverines will be hosting Nazareth for what may be a de facto district title game. Both squads are favorites to capture playoff berths so the winner will have the inside track to a title. Also, Happy is traveling to Kress in a key matchup. Kress needs a win to keep playoff hopes alive while Happy wants to start out district play on a high note.  

Silverton will be looking for their third straight win as they host Petersburg in District 3-1A action. Both teams are 1-0 in wide-open district. The winner of this one will have an inside track to a playoff berth.  

State Roundup

Northside got a big win Friday night over Knox City, 68-58, in District 6-1A Division I action. That win was their first win against the Greyhound since 2009. The Indians (6-0, 1-0) had lost their previous nine games against Knox City (1-6, 0-1) prior to that. 

Dawson competed in their first district game since 2020 as injuries caused the Dragons (1-5, 0-1) to miss play since then. Unfortunately, it was Klondike (6-0, 1-0) they had to face first, and the second ranked Cougars walloped the Dragons, 66-0.

A team to keep an eye is No. 4-ranked Aquilla. The Cougars (7-0, 1-0) had no problem with a solid Coolidge (5-2, 0-1) squad, taking down the Yellowjackets 64-14. Aquilla is the top ranked team in Region III and looks like a solid bet to make the state semifinals.  

Top-ranked Gordon (6-0, 1-0) had no problem with Lingleville (0-6, 0-1) in District 13-1A action racing to a 56-0 win and extending their winning streak to 36 games. A big reason for the Longhorns success is Ry Reed and Stryker Reed (no relation).

Ry Reed, who is committed to Army and Stryker Reed, an Air Force commit, were selected to play in the Military Appreciation Bowl on Dec. 21, at The Star in Frisco. The game will involve 80 of the best high school football players in the nation.