The area round of the UIL High School football playoffs brought some big victories and outstanding individual performances from athletes across the Texas Panhandle and South Plains. Be sure to take a look at some of those highlight outings from another great Thursday and Friday night.
Mason Lankford, Gruver, WR-DB, Soph.
The sensational sophomore was a weapon on both sides of the ball for Gruver during a 47-14 win over Wink in the UIL Class 2A Division II area round. On the offensive side, Lankford caught four passes for 66 yards with two touchdowns. Defensively, the defensive back made 11 tackles, two of those for a loss with an interception and a pass breakup.
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Brox Hacker, Canyon, QB, Jr.
Behind the junior signal caller, Canyon was able to fend off Brownfield 31-28 for a big victory in the Class 4A Division I area round. Hacker had one of his top outings of the season, torching the Lions through the air by going 9-of-10 for 256 yards with three touchdowns. He also rushed for 148 yards on 23 carries and another score.
Reid Macon, West Plains, QB, Sr.
The heart and soul of the West Plains Wolves played like the leader he is during a 42-7 thumping of Lampasas in the Class 4A Division I area round. Macon had the moxie, going 12-of-18 passing for 155 yards with a touchdown, and ran for 156 yards on 10 totes for another score.
Julian Reese II, Palo Duro, QB, Jr.
The Palo Duro Dons saw a tremendous season come to an end at the hands of Anna, 38-35, in the Class 5A Division II area round, but that didn’t stop Reese II from having one of the best games of his year. Reese II, who made major strides all season, went 27-of-43 for 404 yards with a touchdown pass, and scored three rushing TDs.
Ashton Klinke, Randall, LB, Sr.
Klinke couldn’t wait to make his impact known after coming back from a shoulder injury against Hereford. The senior inside linebacker was chomping at the bit to play, and that showed, as Klinke led a strong defensive effort during a 24-14 win over Burnett in the Class 4A Division I area round, making a team-high 19 tackles, five of those solo, to go with an interception.
Parker Sanchez, Canadian, LB, Jr.
Sanchez led a superb defensive effort for a Canadian team that forced seven turnovers in a 56-27 win against Coahoma in the Class 3A Division II area round. Sanchez was an absolute menace, racking up a total of 13 tackles, three for a loss, made a fumble recovery, and had two interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown.
Cayde Winters, West Texas High, QB-LB, Sr.
Winters continues to prove why he is one of the top players in Region I-2A Division I and he definitely showed why he was the best player on the field when it counted in a 30-26 thrilling win against Hawley in an area round game Thursday. Winters, behind a punishing offensive line, score the go-ahead touchdown from 16-yards with six minutes to play, and then had two big defensive stops when it counted to help seal the win late in the contest. Winters tallied 157 yards rushing on 23 carries with two touchdowns and threw for another. He also accounted for eight tackles, three for a loss with two sacks.
Angel Lara, Bovina, RB-LB, Sr.
The Bovina Mustangs have been a major surprise through the first two weeks of the Texas High School football playoffs. During a thrilling win 24-16 win against Seagraves, Lara was a major factor once again as the leader of this upstart Bovina team. Lara made a key stop on a fourth and goal to stop the Eagles from taking the lead. On the offensive side, Lara was equally effective with 68 yards rushing on 16 carries, scoring a pair of touchdowns.
Ryder Starkey, New Home, RB-LB, Sr.
New Home may have had the win of the weekend, rallying from a 13-point second half deficit to stun Stamford 21-20 in the Class 2A Division I area round. Starkey’s performance in that comeback was tremendous on both sides of the ball. Out of the backfield, Starkey chewed up the Bulldog defense, piling up 103 yards on 15 carries with a touchdown. The linebacker then had 14 tackles on defense, one of those for a loss.
Jack Kotora, Miami, QB, Sr.
The Miami Warriors remained undefeated, but it wasn’t easy, as Miami had to get a late score and hold on to beat Sands in a dramatic 58-57 victory during a Class 1A Division II regional semifinal in Happy. Kotora, the undersized signal caller, made play after play on Miami’s final drive that led to a game-winning pass to Noah Homfeld. Kotora was 4-of-8 passing on the night for 82 yards. On the final drive he carried the ball four times for 32 yards.