District 1-1A Division I 

Strong second half propels Booker to victory

All three phases of the game were pivotal at big moments for Booker as they ran past Claude, 66-42, at Mustang Stadium Friday night.

The pivotal win now gives the Kiowas (6-1, 1-0 in district) a leg up in District 1-1A play.

The game was tied 8-8 with a minute left in the half before both teams scored twice in the final 60 seconds to head to halftime tied at 22. The Kiowas took the second half kick and quickly found the end zone as Chase Nelson hit Adrian Rosales along the home sideline for a 34-yard touchdown strike and a 28-22 lead with 33 seconds gone in the half.

That’s when Booker’s defense rose up as Marco Flores stripped a Mustang runner of the ball, and the offense did the rest. Nelson shuffled a pass forward to Flores from four yards out and gave the Kiowas their largest lead of the night at 36-22.

The teams exchanged scores to head to the fourth with Booker holding a 44-30 lead. On the first play in the final stanza, Claude got back to within 44-36 as Brady Shelton picked off a tipped ball and raced 15-yards for a score. However, that’s when the Kiowas special teams delivered. Adrian Rosales took the ensuing kickoff in front of the home stands and raced across the field and down the far sideline for a 60-yard kickoff return for a score to thwart the minimum the Mustangs had.

Claude (4-3, 0-1) tried to climb back midway through the fourth as Trapper Godfrey outraced the Booker defense for a 32-yard scoring jaunt and a lead for the Kiowas cut to 58-42.

Special teams, though, answered the bell again as Julian Barton notched his second kickoff return for a score, this one from 56-yards out, landing the knockout punch needed to secure a win.

Nelson had a great night going 14-of-20 for 226 yards and five scores while registering 74 yards on the ground. Barton was his main target hauling in seven passes for 100 yards and Flores scored on all three of his receptions.

Claude’s running game was impressive as Thomas Slack notched 133 yards on 27 carries while Godfrey had the same yardage on 21 attempts.  Holden Tice had three passing scores while going 5-of-8 for 98 yards.

The other game in this district saw White Deer run over Boys Ranch, 60-14.

Davin Hext piled up 225 yards and three scores and his running mate, Logan Matlock, amassed 167 yards on 14 carries with five of those runs finding the end zone. Defensively, Cayden Mynear was a force logging eleven tackles.

White Deer is now 3-4 overall and 1-0 in district. Boys Ranch is still looking for its first win on the year at 0-7 overall and 0-1.

District 2-1A Division I

Nazareth holds off Kress

It wasn’t easy but Nazareth was able to hold Kress on the road Friday night, 50-34, to spoil the Kangaroos homecoming.

The game was tied at 22 after the first quarter but the Swifts punched it in twice to take a 36-28 to intermission.

After stopping Kress on their opening possession of the second half, Nazareth (5-2, 1-0) took over at their own 13-yard line and marched down the field and scored as Brecklyn Proctor punched it from three yards out.

The Kangaroos (3-3, 0-1) punched back on the next drive with Kingston Brumley throwing a 22-yard strike to cut the lead to 42-34. With momentum on the Kress side, the Swifts quickly marched down field and Proctor logged his second scoring run of the quarter, this one from a yard out, to extend the lead out to 50-34.

At that point, the Swifts defense was able to shut down the Kress offense and walk away winners in a hard-fought district battle.

In the other game in this district, Springlake-Earth (3-3, 1-0) had no problem with Hart (0-5, 0-1), downing the Longhorns 52-6 on Thursday night at home.

District 5-1A Division I

Spur races past Silverton

Undefeated heading into district action, Spur had put the district on notice as serious contender for a title, and they used their game on Thursday against Silverton to drive the point home.

The Bulldogs (7-0, 1-0) used their speed and potent running attack to down the Owls, 56-6 in Silverton.

Josh Ortiz was the story of the game for the Bulldogs. The speedy junior running back put Spur in control early by scoring the first four times he touched the ball. Those runs from 45 yards out, twice, and from 32 and 18 yards away helped build a 28-6 lead in the first quarter as the Bulldogs cruised to victory from there.

Ortiz finished the night with 147 yards rushing on only eight carries and registered a 53-yard pick six.

His rushing mate, Ace Walker, gained 85 yards on seven carries and a score.  The Owls Zaden Ortiz cracked the hundred-yard rushing barrier with 101 yards on eleven carries and the lone Owls (2-5, 0-1) score.

Petersburg (3-4, 1-0) also registered a district victory with a forfeit from Lorenzo.

District 1-1A Division II

Follett cruises to victory

It was a short night for Follett as the Panthers made quick work of Lefors, 67-0, on Friday night at Shaw Field in Lefors.

David Meeks made his mark on both sides of the ball rushing for 142 yards on six carries, taking two of those to paydirt, while forcing two fumbles that he scooped and scored on.  Bryan Torres pulled the same double-double scoring once on two carries and forcing a fumble that he returned for a score.

Follett is now 4-3 overall and 1-0 in the league. Lefors falls to 1-6, 0-1.

With Darrouzett cancelling the season, teams in this district found themselves with a couple of byes late in the season.

Groom (4-3) was able to pick up a last-minute game with San Jacinto and took down the Patriots, 44-24, on Thursday night.

Greyson Peet led the way once again for the Tigers picking up 129 yards on 16 carries and two scores while going 11-of-17 through the air for 124 yards and two more touchdowns. Trayson Corley had 141 total yards and a score to complement Peet.

Saturday, in Miami, the Warriors (4-2) found the road tough against No. 10 Jonesboro as the Eagles (5-1) pounded out a 58-13 victory.

The win was also costly for the Warriors as they lost Breken Early to a season ending injury early in the game.

District 2-1A Division II 

McLean is banged up but they still started their district slate out right notching a 52-7 win over Hedley on Friday at Duncan Field.

The Tigers (3-4, 1-0) win was pivotal as they hit the road next week to take on Paducah in a must win game for McLean to make the playoffs.

Motley County (7-0, 1-0) also started things out on the right foot by grabbing a 44-0 win over Patton Springs (2-5, 0-1).

Around the State

Newcastle picked up a big win over Perrin-Whitt on Friday night at Pirate Stadium, 77-36. London Martinez and Mikey Soito were unstoppable as the talented duo rushed for 339 combined yards and five touchdowns.

In a competitive District 4-1A Division I, Rankin made a statement with a 62-26 win over Garden City at home Friday night.

That win sets up a big game with Buena Vista next week on the road. The fifth-ranked Longhorns (6-0, 1-0) took out Grady, 48-8, behind Jordan Rodriguez’s 101 yards rushing and three scores and JV Kelly grabbing two balls for 93 yards with both resulting in scores.

The Steers from Robert Lee took down Irion County, 61-12, at home Friday night.  Robert Lee has now won four straight games and took a major step forward towards a playoff spot in District 8-1A Division I.

Saint Jo (7-0, 1-0) remains undefeated with a 50-0 win against Savoy at Robert F. Hodge Field on Friday.

May is also undefeated after winning easily against Moran, 48-0, on the road. The Tigers (7-0, 1-0), who started the season ranked No. 19 have moved all the way up to No. 4 in the rankings in Division I.