In their first ever district home game, the Wolves were seeking their first ever district win against Levelland. They left no doubt about it.
The Wolves dominated Levelland from start to finish, jumping on top early and never letting up in rolling to a 52-7 win which drew them even for the season in both District 2-4A Division II and overall. They’re solidly in the district playoff conversation after a tough loss to district favorite Seminole in last week’s district opener.
West Plains (4-4, 1-1 in district) seemed particularly pumped in hammering Levelland early to take 31-0 halftime lead.
“Any time you can play in front of the home crowd it’s special, and to do it with your first district victory at home it’s obviously really special,” West Plains coach Adam Cummings said. “It’s one for the record books and there’s a lot of that this year. I’m just proud of the way the kids came out and executed.”
Throughout the first half, West Plains enjoyed tremendous field position thanks in large part to a dominant defensive performance. The Wolves held Levelland (1-7, 0-2) to a paltry 80 yards of total offense and five first downs.
West Plains didn’t cash in at the end of the first possession, as Joseph Estrada missed a 34-yard field goal attempt. However, the Wolves did almost nothing wrong after that.
“That was one of the things we talked about, don’t let one thing turn into two then turn into three,” Cummings said. “Be able to make one mistake then turn the page. I feel like our kids really embraced that tonight.”
Jordi Hernandez continued to carry a big load running the ball for West Plains, as he had 112 yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries. He ended the second possession for West Plains by scoring on a 4-yard run for a 7-0 lead.
Estrada redeemed himself by kicking a 33-yard field goal early in the second quarter for a 10-0 lead.
The Wolves ended the half by going airborne for two scores, as Reid Macon hit Trae Ferril and King Tallant respectively in a pair of wide-open situations for scores. Macon’s 19-yard throw to Tallant with eight seconds left in the half made it 31-0.
It got lopsided enough that when the Wolves went up 52-0 with 7 ½ minutes left in the third quarter, the teams agreed to a running clock the rest of the game.