The Texas High School football playoffs rolled on with area round games on Thursday and Friday. West Plains took care of business by handling Lampasas, Canyon got by Brownwood, Canadian cruised past Coahoma and Spearman along with Bovina picked up thriling victories.
CLASS 4A DIVISION I
West Plains routs Lampasas
The West Plains Wolves made sure a rematch for next week was set up by winning a rematch from last year.
West Plains had the same result against Lampasas as it did during last year’s playoffs, as the Wolves rolled to a 42-7 victory in Snyder to advance to the region semifinals. They’ll return home to Happy State Bank Stadium against Canyon ISD rival Canyon at 7 p.m. Friday. in the biggest game between rivals in CISD history.
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The Wolves (11-1) continued to show a burgeoning running game, as they had two runners go over 100 yards. Slade Russell ran for 157 yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries, while quarterback Reid Macon ran for 156 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries. Macon also threw for 155 yards and a touchdown.
Canyon edges Brownwood
Perhaps they haven’t been flashy, but the Canyon Eagles have nonetheless have quietly made progress into the third round of the playoffs.
Canyon showed some toughness against Brownwood on Friday in Odessa, surviving a shootout for a 31-28 victory to advance to next week’s region semifinals.
The Eagles (8-4) have used the steadily improved play of quarterback Brox Hacker to get this far. Hacker didn’t throw a lot against Brownwood (7-5), but he threw well, completing 9-of-10 passes for 256 yards and three touchdowns. He also accounted for Canyon’s other touchdown on the ground, running for 148 yards on 23 carries.
Bayler Schilling continued to be Hacker’s most reliable target, as he had five catches for 161 yards and two touchdowns.
CLASS 4A DIVISION II
Lubbock-Cooper Liberty edged by Graham
After proving their worth as a second-year program, the Lubbock-Cooper Liberty Patriots got a reality check against Graham.
Liberty and Graham engaged in a shootout but Graham got the final word, scoring the eventual game-winning touchdown with just over minute left to hand the Patriots a 35-28 defeat. The Patriots finished the season 10-2.
The teams traded scores as Liberty tied it 28-28 with 5:21 remaining in the game on Kaiden Joseph’s 14-yard touchdown run. Joseph had 105 yards on nine carries.
Graham (9-3) answered, though, as Jace Gill hit Thomason Burket on an 8-yard scoring pass with 1:11 left in the game. Gill threw for 239 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 118 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries.
In the other area 4A DII playoff game, Lubbock Estacado suffered a 65-18 beating at the hands of unbeaten Brock. Estacado finished the season 8-4 and Brock is now 12-0.
CLASS 3A DIVISION II
Canadian cruises by Coahoma
Canadian turned it on in the second half to cruise by Coahoma for a second straight year thanks to a 56-27 victory in the UIL Class 3A Division II area round Friday night at Greg Sherwood Memorial Bulldogs Stadium in Plainview.
The Bulldogs (9-3) took advantage of a couple of first half interceptions of Wildcat quarterback Weston Mitchell and were able to hang around at halftime, trailing Canadian 21-14.
In the third quarter, the Wildcats started to open the game up. Linebacker Parker Sanchez earned his second interception deep in Wildcat territory. That set up a quick, five-play, 96-yard drive by Canadian that resulted in a Mitchell to Slayden Dickinson 40-yard connection, putting the Wildcats up 28-14.
Canadian rolled from there. Linebacker Luis Pantoja picked up a fumble and went 22-yards for a scoop and score making it 35-14, and in the fourth quarter, Mitchell hit a 31-yard strike to Junior Cervantes as it was all Canadian at 42-14.
The Wildcats forced seven turnovers in the game with Sanchez getting two interceptions, returning one for a touchdown in the first quarter.
Mitchell got over his two interceptions to go 23-of-33 for 300 yards passing with three touchdowns. Cervantes led the big night in the air with seven catches for 125 yards with a touchdown, and Dickinson added 59 yards receiving and had 63 yards rushing tacking on a touchdown.
Candian (11-1) now gets a rematch with Idalou (9-3) from last year in the regional semifinals at 2 p.m., on Friday at Dick Bivins Stadium.
Idalou mashes San Angelo Grape Creek
Idalou will get a rematch with Canadian after blasting San Angelo Grape Creek 59-12 during an area contest Friday at Wolves Stadium in Colorado City.
Idalou is now (9-3) and will look to avenge a 27-21 loss to Canadian (11-1) in the regional semifinals at 2 p.m., Friday at Dick Bivins Stadium.
Against Grape Creek (7-5), Idalou opened the game with 21 fist quarter points, then scored 21 more in the second to take a 42-0 advantage into the break.
Quarterback Kamdon Lutrick went 18-of-24 for 199 yards with three touchdown passes and ran for two more scores. AJ Huddleston rushed for 100 yards on 14 carries with a touchdown, and Caleb Hollingsworth caught a pair of TDs on 63 yards receiving.
CLASS 2A DIVISION I
Panhandle falls in heartbreaker to Cisco
In a game that lived up to the billing, Cisco was able to make stops when it counted down the stretch to get a thrilling 21-20 victory against Panhandle during a thrilling UIL Class 2A Division I area round matchup on Friday night at Jimmie Redman Stadium in Post.
The Panthers found themselves down 21-7 in the first half but were able to rally back, cutting the lead 21-14 on a 36-yard connection from Broxton Robinson to Caden Armes early in the third quarter.
The Panthers then scored again on a Robinson three-yard keeper to make it 21-20 Cisco. However, on the extra-point, the snap was mishandled by the Panthers keeping the score 21-20.
Panhandle had a chance with three minutes to play, but the Loboes were able to stop Panhandle on the goal line that helped preserve the win.
Robinson, an Army commit, playing in his final high school game for the Panthers, was 10-of-14 for 112 yards passing with a pair of touchdowns. Robinson also ran for 116 yards on 33 carries with a score. Armes tallied six catches for 99 yards and two touchdowns.
Panhandle’s tremendous season comes to an end at 9-3. Cisco (11-1) advances to the regional semifinals to battle Spearman (8-4) at 2 p.m., on Friday, at First United Park Pirates Stadium on the campus of Lubbock-Cooper.
Spearman holds off Anson
The Spearman Lynx are playing like anything but a No. 3-seed, after the Lynx once again picked up an incredible win.
The Lynx stopped the Tigers on a two-point conversion with no time on the clock to come away with an exciting 28-27 victory in the UIL Class 2A Division I area round Friday in Abernathy.
Leading 28-21, Anson had scored a touchdown behind Division I prospect Malachi St. John, making it 28-27. Instead of going for the tie and overtime, the Tigers elected to go for two, and on the two-point conversion the pass fell incomplete.
Spearman (8-4) is headed to the third round of the playoffs for the first time since 2022 and will take on Cisco (11-1) at 2 p.m., on Friday, at First United Park Pirates Stadium on the campus of Lubbock-Cooper.
Quarterback Jailen Vasquez was solid through the air going 11-of-21 for 122 yards with four touchdown passes. Vasquez also used his legs for 72 yards on 14 totes. Hudson Swan caught three of those touchdowns out of the backfield for 69 yards on six catches. Swan also tacked on 77 yards rushing on nine carries.
Landon Sonnenberg paced the Lynx defense with 15 tackles with a forced fumble and Dallen Scroggs added six tackles with two interceptions.
Bovina does it again
The story of the Texas High School football playoffs has been the Bovina Mustangs.
The Mustangs turned heads last week as the No. 4-seed stunned District 2-2A Division II champion Hale Center in the first round. On Thursday night in Littlefield, Bovina did it again, this time avenging a 37-0 early season loss to Seagraves, by getting a dramatic 24-16 victory over the Eagles in the UIL Class 2A Division II area round.
Bovina (5-5) is headed to the third round of the playoffs for the first time since 2011. The Mustangs are now set for a date with district foe Stratford (10-2) at 6 p.m., on Friday at Dick Bivins Stadium.
With the score tied, 16-16 in the fourth quarter, with Seagraves (7-4), Bovina stuffed the Eagles on four straight run plays inside the Mustangs two-yard line led by linebacker Angel Lara.
That allowed Bovina to take the ball and drive down to get the game-winning score by Lara on a 46-yard pass from Elijah Rocha with 1:49 to play. Tack on the two-point conversion and Bovina was able to go up 24-16 and get the victory.
The Bovina defense limited Seagraves to 196 yards on the night. Lara ran the ball 16 times for 68 yards with two rushing touchdowns on top of his receiving score. Alex Herrera had a stellar game for Bovina tacking on a career-high 128 yards on 17 carries and Rocha was 4-of-5 passing for 105 yards with two TDs.