District 2-4A Division I 

Hereford outlasts Dumas

In an expected offensive showdown Friday night, Hereford ended up standing taller than Dumas and was a notch higher in the standings when all was said and done.

Hereford claimed momentum with two touchdowns in the second quarter and held on for the rest of the way to defeat Dumas 38-29 and move into a tie for second place in the district with the win. Dumas is now in a tie for the district’s fourth and final playoff spot.

It was tight as expected for most of the way, as the projected shootout began with both teams scoring a pair of touchdowns in the first quarter. Visiting Dumas led 15-13 at the end of the quarter.

However, Hereford (6-2, 2-1 in district struck back in a big way, as Kalub Ramirez hit Ethan Gonzales on a 68-yard scoring pass to give the Whitefaces a 21-15 lead which they never relinquished. It was the second of two long scoring passes in the first half for Ramirez, who started the scoring by hitting Tell Bryant for a 75-yard score.

Bryant ran for a 4-yard touchdown to give the Herd a 28-15 halftime lead.

The teams traded scores in the second half, but Hereford maintained the advantage. Ramirez completed 10-of-17 passes for 250 yards and three touchdowns.

The Herd had two 100-yard receivers, as Gonzales had five catches for 129 yards and two touchdowns and Bryant had four catches for 110 yards. Brylyn Lopez also ran for 164 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries.

Colton Mills completed 16-of-29 passes for 252 yards and two touchdowns for Dumas (3-5, 1-2) and also ran for a score.

Canyon crushes Pampa

Canyon broke open a close game in the second half, scoring 28 consecutive points to close things out in routing Pampa 50-14 on Thursday at Happy State Bank Stadium, giving the Eagles their first district win of the season.

The Eagles (5-3, 1-2) were in fine form all night offensively, racking up almost 600 total yards. Quarterback Boston Bell came up big in the first half, throwing for two touchdowns and running for another.

Bell had one of the best games of his career, completing 21-of-28 passes for 269 yards and three touchdowns while running for 66 yards.

Still, Pampa (2-6, 0-3) only trailed 22-14 at halftime and had hope for the second half. That was dashed when the Eagles scored two touchdowns each in the third and fourth quarters.

Canyon’s Tripp Wright had seven catches for 134 yards and a touchdown, and Rashar Steward had 104 yards on 11 carries.

District 2-4A Division II 

Perryton scores first district win in double OT thriller 

The Perryton Rangers got their first district win and pulled out of the basement in most dramatic fashion at Levelland.

In a matchup of two teams looking for their first district win, they needed to go to a second overtime before Perryton’s defense held on for a 43-35 victory.

Perryton (3-6, 1-2) forced overtime when Noel Venegas scored on an 11-yard run to make it 28-28. Both teams scored a touchdown and kicked an extra point in the first overtime to keep it tied at 35.

Quarterback Cooper Schilling came through in the second overtime like he did all night for the Rangers, scoring on a 6-yard run on the first possession to give Perryton a 43-35 lead. The Rangers then held Levelland (4-4, 0-2) out of the end zone to clinch it.

Schilling completed 14-of-28 passes for 156 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 172 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries. Venegas had six catches for 86 yards and two touchdowns.

Borger falls hard at Estacado

Borger came down to earth with a thud in Lubbock, as Lubbock Estacado rolled over the Bulldogs in every phase imaginable in routing Borger 59-14.

Estacado outgained Borger (3-5, 1-1) by a whopping 527-90 margin. Celebrated running back Bobby Ross led the district-leading Matadors (5-4, 3-0) with 235 yards and two touchdowns on only 12 carries.

Borger scored twice in the first half and trailed by a respectable 30-14 margin at halftime, but Estacado dominated in the second half.

District 2-5A Division I 

Caprock scores first district win over Lubbock

A week after a heartbreaking loss, the Caprock Longhorns bounced back to have a say in the district playoff race against Lubbock High at Dick Bivins Stadium.

Caprock took a big early lead and held on to it this time in cruising to a 52-22 win to get in the district win column for the first time this season. It was also the first district win for Caprock coach Rowdy Freeman in his two years at the school.

A week earlier, Caprock saw a 23-point first half lead evaporate in a 34-29 loss at Lubbock Coronado.

Quarterback Juan De La Cruz had a big first half for the Longhorns (2-6, 1-3), throwing for two touchdowns and running for a third in leading Caprock to a 23-10 halftime lead.

De La Cruz threw for 163 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 69 yards.

The Longhorns kept the momentum going in the second half and Jayden Acosta-Lewis returned the second half kickoff 60 yards for a touchdown.

Tascosa loses heartbreaker at Abilene in final seconds

On the verge of pulling off their biggest win of the season on the road, the Tascosa Rebels took a game which didn’t pay off against the Abilene High Eagles.

Leading by six points in the final 24 seconds and trapped in their own end, the Rebels opted to take a safety and attempt a free kick. That backfired when the kick was returned for a score with eight seconds remaining, handing Tascosa 31-29 loss.

Tascosa (3-5, 2-2) had trailed for most of the game before taking a 29-23 lead with 5:48 left in the game on a 73-yard scoring pass from Coltyn Fulton to Josiah Fields. Fulton had a big game, throwing for 157 yards and two touchdowns and running for 112 yards on 17 carries to lead the Rebels.

With 24 seconds left in the game, Tascosa took a safety to play a field position game and cut down Abilene’s ability to score in the final seconds. That move burned the Rebels, as Ryland Bradford returned the ensuing free kick 70 yards for a touchdown to give the Eagles (7-2, 5-0) the victory.

Tascosa’s Taurean Johnson returned a kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown, and Shepherd Stapp had two interceptions.

District 2-5A Division II

Palo Duro gets by Plainview for first district victory

In a must-win game on the road, Palo Duro came through by coming from behind, as the Dons held on to beat Plainview 38-31 for their first district victory of the season.

Palo Duro (4-4, 1-3) trailed 21-20 at halftime in a game which was an offensive slugfest in the first half. The Dons went ahead 26-21 early in the third quarter on a 36-yard scoring pass from Julian Reese II to Darien Lewis and clung to that lead the rest of the game.

Raymond Johnson IV ran for 153 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries to lead Palo Duro’s rushing attack. Lewis also ran for two touchdowns.

Reese completed 16-of-22 passes for 277 yards and also ran for 98 yards and a score.
Plainview fell to 3-5 and 1-3. Quarterback Seth Mayberry threw for 202 yards and a touchdown and ran for 131 yards and three scores.