What We Learned from Week 5 in High School Football across the Texas Panhandle

by Kale Steed

September 26, 2026

Reading Time: 1 min read

Home Football

Texas Panhandle and South Plains High School football bi-district predictions

Boys Athlete of the Week – Bobby Vartabedian, West Plains

Girls Athlete of the Week – Presli Pool, Canyon

Press Pass Sports editor Kale Steed and KAMR/KCIT-TV Sports Anchor Corrin Davis break down what happened in Week 5 of high school football season across the Texas Panhandle. Steed and Davis talk about the beginning of district play in 2-5A Division I and Division II. Amarillo High opened district with a 59-21 blowout win over Frenship Memorial while Palo Duro kicked off league action by handling Wichita Falls Memorial 50-9. In a Class 2A Division II showdown, Gruver used a big fourth quarter to pull away from Wellington 56-28 and Highland Park rallied in the second half to earn its first win of the season with a thrilling 25-24 victory at home against River Road in the “Dust Bowl”.

Week 5 Texas Panhandle and South Plains High School football predictions

Kale Steed

Kale Steed has worked in media since 2002 and has covered sports full-time since 2010, when he joined KVII-TV as a weekend sports reporter and sports anchor. From 2010–2014, he covered high school and collegiate athletics across the Texas Panhandle before transitioning from television to print journalism. In 2014, Steed joined the Amarillo Globe-News as a staff sports reporter. In 2019, he launched Press Pass Sports, betting on himself to build an independent outlet dedicated to in-depth local sports coverage. Accolades: Lone Star Conference Kirk Hill Writer of the Year (2015, 2016, 2018, 2019), THSCA Putt Powell Award — Sports Writer of the Year (2018), TGCA Division I Sports Writer of the Year (2022)