White Deer starts strong
From 2017 to 2020 White Deer went an impressive 34-13 so last year’s 3-7 record was a tough pill to swallow for Bucks fans. However, a quick start to the season has White Deer opening eyes early. White Deer took out Anton in impressive fashion Friday night on the road, 66-16. Senior signal caller Anthony Martin was dangerous through the air going 7-of-10 for 158 yards and four touchdowns. The combo of Hunter Atwood and Brodie Weathers had 128 yards on the ground and a score. Head Coach Justin Rucker is happy with his teams start.
“We feel like we are off to a much better start with two wins over teams who were expected to beat us.,” Rucker said. “I feel like we are getting better each week and we are excited to see how the upcoming weeks unfold.”
Claude impresses early
The Mustangs have started the season with two straight wins after beating Hedley 70-46 Friday night. Claude has already equaled the total number of victories it had in each of the previous two seasons as they went 2-8 each year. The story of the win over the Owls was their talented senior spread back Javon Lee. Toting the rock 19 times, Lee gained an eye-opening 371 yards and eight touchdowns as the impressive speedster turns heads of those who have not seen him play. Jayden Blandford and Braygon Conrad, both juniors, carried the load on defense combining for 19 tackles and a fumble recovery.
Happy bounces back in style
After falling last week 62-16 to No. 1-ranked Westbrook, Happy had little time to lick its wounds as Follett came to the Cowboy Corral Friday night. After gaining only five yards against the Wildcats the Cowboys used a strong ground game to dismantle Follett 64-14. Senior Tryce Johnson led the way gaining 222 of the teams 366 yards rushing while finding paydirt six times. Johnson was just as impressive on the defensive side notching eight solo tackles and one tackle for loss while junior Cutter Hodges had nine and a half tackles and two sacks. In total the Cowboys defense held the Panthers to 196 total yards. Shayne Franks, the senior stalwart for Follett, had a hard earned 130 yards on 19 carries and a score.
Battle of the Mustangs
It was the battle of the Mustangs in Benjamin Friday night, but the outcome was not pleasant for Wildorado. Taking on the top-ranked team in Division II without three starters was just too much to ask as Benjamin rolled in this one 78-0. Benjamin has been the talk of the Six-Man community this summer as a 10-1 team last year, with all six starters returning, moved on from their coach and added head coach Nathan Hayes who has multiple titles during his time at Crowell along with assistant coach Jaime Rigdon. Both coaches have All-State performers in Tallon Hayes and Grayson Rigdon. This influx of talent to an already talented team will spell trouble for teams moving forward just as it did for Wildorado.
Swifts quietly impressing
When people talk about the top teams in Region I the list usually includes Happy, Valley, Knox City, Spur and Follett but rarely do you hear Nazareth. That’s exactly how head coach Tyler Goodwin likes it as his Swifts roll to another win. Behind their senior workhorse, Luke Schulte, Nazareth dominated Hart 67-6 in Longhorn territory Friday night. Schulte didn’t get near the carries he usually does as Nazareth was in control from the start. However, Schulte showed how dangerous he is even with limited carries as he rushed for 177 yards on only eight carries with five of the eight for scores. The Swifts are now 2-0 on the season and welcome Groom to town Friday night.
Notes around the area
The Groom Tigers have not found the 2022 season to their liking. After falling to Amherst 64-27 Friday night the Tigers are 0-2 to start the season for the first time since 2008. Amarillo PCHEA, in their first year of organized football, was on the wrong side of a big score again this week losing 77-0 to McLean. McLean’s next opponent will be Darrouzett Friday night and the Longhorns are coming off a 43-20 win over Dawson. Finally, Miami rolled Lefors 69-24 as Haiden Thompson was 5-of-8 for 129 yards and three scores through the air and rushed five times for 53 yards and two more scores. The Warriors and Wildorado face off Thursday night in Widorado in what should be a very competitive contest.
