The Texas High School football playoffs got underway Thursday and it was a very successful start for Texas Panhandle and South Plains squads in the bi-district round. Here’s a recap of first round action that saw Canadian blast Muleshoe, West Plains blank El Paso Riverside and Idalou downing Dimmitt.
Class 3A Division II
For a second time this season and the fourth time in two years, Canadian was able to dismantle Muleshoe as the Wildcats jumped all over the Mules in the first quarter for a dominating 72-14 win in the UIL Class 3A Division II bi-district round Thursday night at Happy State Bank Stadium.
Canadian (10-1) has now won in the bi-district round for an incredible 23rd straight year and will now face Friday’s Coahoma-Alpine winner in the area round. Muleshoe ends the year at 3-8.
The rest of this story is only for subscribers.
The Wildcats started fast jumping on the Mules 16-0 before anyone in the stands could blink and never looked back. Quarterback Weston Mitchell picked a part the Mules defense in the first half posting four-quarter like number going 12-of-13 for 344 yards with six touchdowns and added a rushing score.
Running back Slayden Dickinson was used as more of a deep threat in the matchup snagging three catches for 154 yards with a pair of touchdowns on top of rushing for 42 yards on only four carries. Teammate CJ Jiminez complimented Dickinson with three catches for 55 yards and two TDs.
Idalou had a challenge from Dimmitt, but in the end, the Wildcats were way too much for the Bobcats, running away with a 49-7 win in the Class 3A Division II bi-district round Thursday at Greg Sherwood Memorial Bulldogs Stadium in Plainview.
The Wildcats scored on all but one possession against a Dimmitt (5-6) team that did a good job of controlling the ball throughout the first half.
AJ Huddleston started the scoring for Idalou on a seven-yard run to put the Wildcats up 7-0. That was followed quickly by a quarterback Kamdon Lutrick 10-yard keeper for a 14-0 lead. Dimmitt did answer, cutting the deficit at 14-7 in the second quarter, only to see the Wildcats respond with a Lutrick six-yard touchdown before halftime, as Idalou took a 20-7 lead into the break.
In the second half, Huddleston scored his second touchdown on the night from 10-yards out in the third quarter, followed by scored from Jude Heard and Peytan Moyers on a fumble return in the fourth.
Lutrick was 7-of-9 passing against Dimmitt for 96 yards and ran for 83 yards with a pair of TDs. Huddleston carried the rock 14 times for a team-high 126 yards with two touchdowns of his own and Heard tallied 69 yards with a score.
Idalou (8-3) will now play the Crane-San Angelo Grape Creek winner in the area round at a time and place to be determined.
Class 3A Division I
District 1-3A Division I flexed its muscle Thursday night in the bi-district round with Shallowater, Dalhart and Lamesa all getting lopsided wins.
The Mustangs, the 1-3A Division I champions, beat up Brownfield in a 60-0 blanking during a bi-district matchup at First United Park at Patriots Field on the campus of Lubbock-Cooper Liberty.
Cooper Martin led the Mustangs going for 155 yards on 10-of-15 passing with a touchdown. Byron Carreon had 120 yards rushing with two touchdowns.
The Mustangs (8-3) advance to the area round to battle Friday’s Peaster-Brownwood winner.
Dalhart dismantled Kermit 63-7 in its bi-district game Thursday at PlainsCapitol-Park at Lowrey Field in Lubbock.
Quarterback Hunter Trusler did what he normally does going 8-of-12 passing for 123 yards with three touchdown tosses and ran for another TD. Brett Alvar rushed for 68 yards and Talon Garcia snagged two catches for 39 yards with a touchdown.
The Golden Wolves (9-2) will now take on the Peaster-Breckenridge winner in the area round at a time and place to be determined.
Bushland had to use a big second half to get by Lamesa with a 40-21 victory in the bi-district round Thursday night at First United Park Pirates Stadium on the campus of Lubbock-Cooper.
The Falcons led 23-21 at the half, but were able to outscore the Tornadoes (5-6) 17-0 in the second half.
Reese Melban not only had nine carries for 47 yards with two touchdowns on the ground, but was also clutch on special teams for the Falcons kicking field goals of 25 and 23-yards. Quarterback Kannon Aven was efficient going 13-of-20 for 110 yards with a touchdown and Colton Foote led the run game with 167 yards on 20 carries.
Bushland (5-6) is now headed to the area round and will square off with the Jim Ned-Boyd winner.
Class 4A Division I
The Canyon Eagles proved that records and seedings don’t mean much on the field during the playoffs.
Canyon entered the postseason as the No. 4 seed from District 2-4A Division I against an El Paso Ysleta team which was undefeated. Those numbers went out the window, though, as the Eagles soared to a 66-13 victory at Denver City to advance to the next round.
Canyon (7-4) will play the winner of Friday’s game between Brownwood and Big Spring next week and a time and place to be determined.
Quarterback Brox Hacker had his best game yet for the Eagles, torching Ysleta (10-1) by completing 11-of-14 passes for 240 yards and five touchdowns. Bayler Schilling was Hacker’s top target, catching seven passes for 148 yards and three touchdowns.
The Eagles piled up 608 total yards of offense. Tripp Miller led Canyon by running for 149 yards on 14 carries.
On the other hand, records were accurately reflected when West Plains faced El Paso Irvin in Seminole. West Plains was completely unstoppable, as the Wolves marched to an 85-0 rout which signaled they’re serious about their quest for a state championship.
The Wolves (10-1) will face Lampasas at 7 p.m. next Friday in Snyder. Last year in the regional round of the playoffs, West Plains beat Lampasas 63-35. Lampasas beat San Angelo Lake View 45-14 on Thursday.
Irvin (5-6) presented next to no resistance for West Plains. The Wolves ran for 323 yards as Slade Russell ran for 118 yards and four touchdowns on only eight carries.
Quarterback Reid Macon had a short but perfect night throwing the ball, as he completed all seven of his passes for 115 yards and three touchdowns.
Class 5A Division II
In one of the night’s most competitive games, Lubbock-Cooper’s offense came up big on the road when it counted.
Cooper survived El Paso Del Valle’s offensive onslaught with a surge of its own, as the Pirates overcame an early 10-point deficit to win 45-42 at El Paso’s Conquest Stadium on Thursday night. The Pirates (7-4) will face the winner of Friday’s game between Walnut Grove and Seguin in next week’s area round and a time and place to be determined.
Del Valle (9-2) jumped out to a 14-3 lead at the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter, though, Cooper rallied with three touchdowns, as Chaymayne Johnson ran for the first two of his three scores to give the Pirates a 24-21 halftime lead.
After Del Valle retook the lead, Cooper scored two touchdowns in the third quarter and never trailed again, as Ryan Rodriguez hit Cade Gant on an 8-yard scoring pass to go up 38-28. The teams traded touchdowns after that, but Del Valle was unable to overtake the Pirates.
Cooper quarterback Ryan Rodriguez had an excellent game, throwing for 290 yards and three touchdowns. Two of those scores went to Gant, who had 12 catches for 205 yards.
The Pirates needed every bit of that to counter Del Valle quarterback Jake Fette, who carried his team. Fette played a part in all of Del Valle’s touchdowns, completing 11-of-14 passes for 180 yards and three touchdowns and running for 240 yards and three touchdowns on 17 carries.
Class 2A Division II
The Stratford Elks stayed red-hot from the end of the regular season by opening up the playoffs with a 78-14 drubbing of Morton during a UIL Class 2A Division II bi-district game at Whiteface Stadium in Hereford on Thursday.
The Elks push their overall mark to 8-2 on the season and will now battle the El Doroado-Tahoka winner in the area round.
Stratford dominated on both sides of the ball, piling up 530 yards of offense while holding the Indians to 81 total yards. Behind a punishing running attack, the Elks blistered Morton with 339 rushing yards paced by Abraham Goss. Goss was unstoppable carrying the ball only three times but adding up 125 yards and a score. Hunter Lee tacked on 43 yards rushing with a pair of TDs.
Quarterback Chase Lantelme was comparable going 5-of-8 for 161 yards with two touchdowns and ran for one more touchdown. Wide out Darius Jones was the main target, catching three passes for 89 yards with a TD.
In Region II, Wellington opened the bi-district round getting a 41-22 win against Haskell at Bulldogs Stadium in Burkburnett on Thursday.
The Skyrockets were very balanced offensively rushing for 245 yards while passing for 223 in the win. This game was also close for a while until Wellington took over in the third quarter on a Noah Cantu touchdown run of 11-yards that put the Skyrockets up 34-16.
Cantu was a key factor in the victory toting the rock 16 times for 118 yards with three touchdowns. Callen Kane went 12-of-21 passing for 223 yards with two scores and ran for one more, and Carson Kane led the receiving duties with six catches for 121 yards and two touchdowns.
In another game out of Division II, District 5-2A champion Wheeler blasted Electra 35-8 to win the Class 2A Division II bi-district championship Thursday night at Fair Park Stadium in Childress.
The Mustangs are now 10-1 on the year and are going to get the Collinsville-Roscoe winner in the area round.
Quarterback Creed Newkirk had a fantastic showing before leaving in the third quarter with a leg injury. Newkirk was a menace against Electra, rushing for 134 yards on five carries for two touchdowns, and throwing for 126 yards with two more TDs.
Jackson Graves caught two passes sfor 48 yards and Garrett Ashurst had 53 yards receiving with two touchdowns.
Class 2A Division I
The New Home Leopards looked impressive during a 57-18 thumping of the Highland Park Hornets in a bi-district clash Thursday night at Tyer Stadium in Floydada.
The Leopards took over in the second quarter and were in complete control going forward.
Quarterback Brayson Beck had it working with his arm and his legs in the win. Through the air, Beck did a superb job going 5-of-7 for 105 yards with a pair of touchdown tosses, and then Beck was strong on the ground piling up 98 yards on only five carries for two more scores. Teammate Ryder Starkey tacked on 64 yards on five carries with two touchdowns of his own.
New Home (9-2) is going to the area round for a matchup with Stamford (7-4) at 7 p.m. Thursday at Wolves Stadium in Colorado City.
Highland Park sees its season come to an end at 4-7.
Class 1A Division I
Starting the season winless in their first six games has only strengthened the resolve of Valley as they scored at will Thursday night in Crowell to take a 62-6 win at halftime via the mercy rule against Northside in a Region II UIL Class 1A Division I game.
Northside (8-2) scored at the 7:48 mark of the first quarter to pull to within 8-6 of the Patriots which gave the signs that this would be a solid matchup. However, nothing could be further from the truth.
Valley’s Damian Valdes and Cole Walden combined for five scores in the opening quarter as the Patriots built a commanding 38-6 lead.
Valley (5-6) ran at will all night long as Valdes torched the Indians for 253 yards on the ground on eleven carries and finding the end zone of five of those touches. His running mate, Walden, broke the century mark in rushing as well and scored three times as Valley was never stopped all night long.
With the win, the Patriots advance to the regional semifinals where they will take on the winner between Ira and Robert Lee.
In one other local contest, Amherst saw their season come to an end at the hands of second-ranked Klondike, 64-18.