The Stratford captains head to midfield for the coin toss. [Ruben Flores/ For Press Pass Sports]
The Stratford Elks put the state on notice that they are a legit contender in Class 2A Division II on Friday night.
In a showcase of state-ranked teams, the No. 10-ranked Elks whipped No. 1 Hamlin in all phases for a 39-6 victory at Antelope Stadium in Abernathy.
Stratford’s offensive was the catalyst to the win. Known for a hard-nosed run game, the Elks versatility threw a wrench in the Pied Pipers strategy.
Stratford quarterback Walker McBryde led the Elks through the air, compiling 220 yards passing with a TD. McBryde finished the game with a 73 percent completion percentage.
Teammate Iuden Romero did damage, rushing for 68 yards with a pair of scores. He also had a receiving touchdown and had a 54-yard pick six.
Hamlin wasn’t able to click offensively due to the staunch defensive performance of the Elks.
Stratford held the Pied Pipers to 135 total yards while out putting up 415 total yards.
No. 10 Stratford moves to 4-1 while No. 1 ranked Hamlin falls to 3-2 on the year.
Stratford 39, Hamlin 6
Stratford 6 26 0 6 — 39
Hamlin 0 0 0 6 — 6
Top performers
Stratford
Rushing: Iuden Romero 12-68
Passing: Walker McBryde 19-26-0-220.
Bushland stays undefeated
It was a lopsided affair for a majority of the matchup Friday night as the Bushland Falcons during a 49-26 route against Levelland on Friday at Lobos.
Bushland jumped out ahead early by going on a 28-6 run to start the game.
Falcons quarterback Jared Thomas came alive in the second half accounting for all three Bushland scores.
The senior gunslinger finished the game completing with a near perfect performance of 16 of his 19 passing for 195 yards and three touchdowns.
Receiver Jake Orcutt hauled in two of those touchdowns on 53 yards receiving.
Bushland 49, Levelland 26
Bushland 14 14 14 7 49
Levelland 0 14 6 6 26
Top Performers
Bushland
Rushing: Ethan Fuentes 11-84
Passing: Jared Thomas 16-19-0-195
Receiving: Jake Orcutt 6-53
Levelland
Rushing: Isaiah Salazar 25-154
Passing: Bryant White 13-33-0-149
Receiving: Isaiah Salazar 5-87
QUICK HITS
WT High quarterback Avian Cruz gets tackled by Spearman’s Brenen Thompson. [Tucker Stroud/ Press Pass Sports]
Cruz leads Comanches past Spearman
West Texas High quarterback Avian Cruz accounted for 429 yards of offense and seven total touchdowns in the Comanches 47-28 road win at Spearman on Friday night.
Cruz was 12 of 18 for 239 yards with four TDs, and ran for 190 yards with three more scores.
Jonah Villanueva made six catches for 139 yards with a TD.
The Comanches close out nondistrict at 4-1. Spearman falls to 3-2.
Chieftains sneak past Dalhart
Friona stayed undefeated taking down Dalhart in an intense 39-35 win on Friday night at Chieftains Stadium.
It’s a measure of revenge for Friona (5-0) after getting handled 40-0 at Dalhart last year.
The Golden Wolves didn’t have an answer for running back Jacob Bautista. Bautista not only had the game-winning touchdown with 23 seconds left in the game, but he also blistered Dalhart’s defense for 281 yards on 31 carries with four touchdowns.
Dalhart is now 3-2.
River Road blanks Fritch
A steady run game was the difference in River Road’s 47-0 shutout of Sanford-Fritch on Homecoming.
The Wildcats have put back-to-back wins together, improving to 2-3. The Eagles remain winless at 0-5.
Out of River Road’s 393 total yards, 300 came on the ground. Brandon Belcher and Rolan Smith had two touchdowns each for the Wildcats. Belcher led the team with 110 rushing yards.
Quarterback Lance Welps was 5 of 7 for 93 yards with a touchdown.
Gruver dominates Highland Park
The Gruver Greyhounds went into Highland Park and hung a 51-6 win on the Hornets.
Gruver overcame a sluggish start, breaking the game open in the second quarter with 20 unanswered points, taking a 26-6 lead into halftime.
Oklahoma commit and Greyhound quarterback Jalin Conyers made his presence felt accounting for five total touchdowns and over 300 yards.
Conyers was 9 of 11 through the air totaling 236 yards with four touchdown tosses.
Vega takes down Sunray
The Vega Longhorns shook off a loss to Panhandle with a 40-7 win at Sunray on Friday at Bobcats Stadium.
Vega senior quarterback Carson Kirkland was 9 of 13 passing for 146 yards with a pair of touchdown passes. Teammate Brady Tiemann added 74 yards rushing with a TD.