District 1-1A Division I

Wildorado wins with offensive explosion

A game that had the makings of a shootout turned into one for one side as Wildorado sliced up the White Deer secondary for a 71-28-win on Friday night before cold and weary fans in Mustang country as this one took over three hours to finish.

The offensive numbers for Wildorado (4-2, 1-0) in the win are mind boggling. Quarterback, Braddek Darnell played lights out going 30-of-57 on the night for 465 yards and nine touchdowns.

His leading target on the night was Blu Washington. The speedy and shifty senior caught 13 balls for 283 yards and five scores, averaging 21.8 yards per catch. Washington also carried the ball three times for 60 yards and a score.

Ashden Iler grabbed eight passes for 112 yards and three scores as the Mustangs tallied 521 yards on the night.

The road hasn’t gotten any easier for Boys Ranch this year.

Winless on the season, the Roughriders (0-8, 0-2) welcomed Claude to town Thursday night and the Mustangs (5-3, 1-1) ran away in the second half for a 57-12 victory.

It was 20-6 in the third when Trapper Godfrey put Boys Ranch away. The fleet footed running back sprinted 64-yards to paydirt then followed that up with a 31-yard dash to put Claude up 34-6 and in full control.

Godfrey led the way for the Mustangs carrying the ball eleven times for 216 yards and five touchdowns.

District 2-1A Division I

Upset win puts Springlake-Earth in hunt

Things got very interesting in this district after Springlake-Earth upset Nazareth on the road Friday night, 48-22.

The Swifts held a 22-14 lead at halftime, but the second half was dominated by the Wolverines. Up 22-20, the Swifts were stopped on a fourth and goal from the three-yard line at the 5:29 mark of the third quarter. Seventy-seven yards later, all gained on the ground, Froylan Agundiz rolled to the right and found the corner pylon for a score and a 28-22 lead, their first lead since the early in the first quarter.

Undaunted, Nazareth (5-3, 1-1) drove right back down the field, but disaster struck near the goal line.

On a first and goal from the five with 1:06 left in the third, Breck Proctor was unable to handle the pitch back and Springlake-Earth fell on the ball at the six. Nehemiah Castillo then made that fumble even larger as he raced 74 yards down the right sideline on the very next play to extend the lead to 34-22.

The Wolverines (4-3, 1-1) then put this one away.  After forcing a punt to start the fourth, Springlake-Earth scored on their fourth straight possession, this one from 31 yards away as Castillo went over the right side to find paydirt.  Defense was key for the Wolverines in the second half as they held the Swifts scoreless while putting 34 points up on the board as Castillo scored three times in the half.

The other game in the district saw Happy, with an emphasis on running the ball, make it nine straight wins over Kress (3-4, 0-2) on Friday night with a convincing 48-0 win at the Cowboy Corral.

The Cowboys (6-1, 1-0) raced out to a 40-0 first quarter score and iced this one away late in the second quarter on a one-yard plunge for Braylan King.

Happy amassed 270 yards of total offense on only 23 plays led by King’s 113 yards rushing and three scores. Jaxon Stoker added 79 yards on only four attempts with one of those finding the end zone.

Mason Hix led Happy’s defense with seven and a half tackles and a sack as they held Kress to 7-of-22 passing for only 24 yards.

District 1-1A Division II

Offense too much for Groom in Follett victory

Groom was able to hang with Follett for a quarter, but the Panthers used a 26-point second quarter scoring bonanza to oust the Tigers at home Friday night, 56-8.

Tied up 8-8 headed to the second, Follett’s defense made a key stop at their own three to get the turnover on downs.  The Panthers (5-3, 2-0) then marched down and scored from three yards out on a Bryan Torres plunge.

The Tigers (4-4, 0-1) marched right back down the field but were intercepted at the three.  On the very next play, Wyatt Terrell dumped off a pass to David Meeks who turned a short pass into something special, scoring from 77 yards out and a 22-8 Follett lead.

After another defensive stop, the Panthers struck paydirt again as Bryan Torres took the handoff and then flipped it to Meeks who found the end zone with 2:16 left in the half.

One more time Groom found its way down the field but was stopped at the Follett 13 and the Panthers delivered the knockout punch on the next play.

Terrell launched a strike to Rodlee Williamson for the 67-yard score and a 34-8 halftime lead which Follett never gave up.

District 5-1A Division I

Valley swats down Lorenzo

Two weeks ago, Valley picked up its first win of the season and now they have their first district win, knocking off Lorenzo on Friday night at home, 69-34.

This one was never in doubt as the Patriots (2-5, 1-0) raced out to a 35-0 lead before cruising in the second half to notch the win.

Freshman Micah Ferrel scored three times for the Patriots while Evan Meyer and another freshman, Cade Lamb, each scored twice.

Seventy miles southwest of Valley, Petersburg used a strong second half to take down Silverton, 63-36, at home Friday night.

The Owls were in this one in the first half courtesy of a pair of rushing touchdowns from Zaden Ortiz. Tied at 14, Petersburg’s Corbin McWilliams found Saul Ruiz open from 29 yards out with less than a minute to go before half and Petersburg took a 22-14 lead to halftime.

The Buffaloes (4-4, 2-0) then scored on their first two possessions of the second half to extend the lead to 37-14.

Ortiz, however, tried to keep the Owls (2-6, 0-2) in it as he raced 65 yards for an apparent score. Unfortunately, Silverton was flagged for holding and that missed opportunity loomed big as Petersburg scored again and cruised to the win despite four rushing touchdowns and a passing one from Ortiz in the loss

District 2-1A Division II

Hedley notches first win

Winless on the season including two losses by single digits, Hedley took out its frustration on Patton Springs by pummeling the Rangers 56-6 at Owls Stadium in Hedley on Thursday night.

The win was the first for the Owls (1-7, 1-1) who were able to snap a nasty 13-game losing streak stretching back to last year.

Ironically, Patton Springs (2-6, 0-2) was the last win for Hedley, taking down the Rangers last September, 64-43.

The other game in the district featured Paducah (4-2, 1-0) pulling out a 51-6 win over McLean (3-5, 1-1) on Friday night at home.

Darren Mackey led the way for the Dragons with a perfect night through the air going 6-of-6 for 146 yards and five scores while also scoring once on the ground and amassing 50 yards rushing. Paducah held McLean 62 yards of total offense.

Around the State

Holy Cross Catholic Academy (3-3) had no problem with the White Deer JV, taking out a youthful Bucks squad, 47-0.

With two top 10 victories under its belt, undefeated Buena Vista (7-0, 2-0) continues to roll as they hammered Rankin Friday night, 49-0.

The Red Devils (3-4, 1-1) are sitting just outside the top ten, but the sixth ranked Longhorns continue to impress and have become serious contenders in Region 1-1A Division I.

Cameron Hernandez scored from three yards out late in the fourth to give Knox City a 50-48 win over Newcastle (4-4, 1-1) in District 6-1A Division I.

A matchup of two teams in the top 20 didn’t disappoint as both squads went back and forth all night long. The win gives the Greyhounds (6-2, 2-0) the inside track to a district title as Zander Abila notched 133 yards rushing while John Cross Utley had two receiving scores.

After spending two years playing 11-man football, Water Valley is back in Six-Man country and has become a team to watch for in Region 2-1A DI.

The No. 8-ranked Wildcats (5-2, 1-0) picked up their third straight victory with a convincing 53-22 win over Veribest (6-2, 1-1) on Friday night.

Three Way continues to make school history as they posted their seventh straight win without a loss Friday night, pounding Kopperl (4-2,0-1), 59-8.

The Braves (8-0, 2-0) will face Iredell, in what will likely decide the winner in District 11-1A Division II, in two weeks at home.

Many questioned why Klondike was ranked in the top 10 of Division II with an 0-4 record, but the Cougars schedule was considered the most difficult in the state.

Klondike (3-4, 1-0) has now won three straight including back-to-back shutouts as they downed a top 20 Loop team, 46-0.