THURSDAY’S GAMES 

Class 5A

Palo Duro (1-0) vs. Caprock (0-1), 7 p.m., Dick Bivins Stadium
The Dons have awakened. That was one sweet – and gritty – signature win for Coach Mims and his Dons over Tascosa last week turning a 21-7 second half deficit into a 33-21 win. Can the Dons handle success? I say yes, yes, yes. Second city rivalry game (this is the 54th meeting vs. Caprock dating back to 1963) in a row for PD. I see a second win led on offense by junior RB/LB Darien Lewis and sophomore QB Deuce Reese letting it fly to a corp of five receivers who can flat out play. The Rock played PD close last year and is improved in the second year under Rowdy Freeman. But until Caprock can score consistently on offense – 10 or fewer points scored in seven of its last eight games dating back to Sept. 14, 2023 – wins are going to be tough to find. … Palo Duro 31, Caprock 14.

Class 4A 

West Plains (0-1) vs. Clint Horizon (1-0), 7 p.m., Andrews
Despite all the success in their first two seasons, the Wolves still haven’t won a season opener, and got a lesson in humility in losing at former district rival Seminole last week. While quarterback Reid Macon continued to be as good as advertised, the defense struggled mightily in the 56-21 loss, giving up 480 yards. Horizon will provide a stiff test, but West Plains is more used to travel on a regular basis, and this neutral site game gives them the advantage. … West Plains 38, Horizon 20.

Class 1A

Holy Cross Catholic Academy (1-0) vs. White Deer JV, 5 p.m., Lefors
Can the Mustangs make it two in a row to begin the season? The task will be tough against a big school JV team. … White Deer JV 45, Holy Cross Catholic Academy 34.

White Deer (0-1) at Lefors (0-1), 7 p.m.
This might be a bad time to catch the Bucks coming off that wild ending in Groom. Davin Hext and crew will want to make a statement and wash away last week’s game, and the Pirates will be the recipient of that. … White Deer 52, Lefors 32.

Northside (0-1) at Silverton (1-0), 7:30 p.m. 
The Owls are prohibitive favorites in this one and for a good reason. Zaden Ortiz will make quick work of the Indians. … Silverton 60, Northside 12.

FRIDAY’S GAMES 

Class 5A 

San Angelo Central (0-1) at Amarillo High (0-0), 7 p.m., Dick Bivins Stadium
What a bummer last week for Amarillo High. Drive all the way to Odessa and play two minutes before nasty weather called the game off. SA Central lost to the beast that Abilene High giving up 60 points, however, the score was 43-36 entering the final quarter. The Sandies need to handle the early part of this game since Central has a game under its belt. I see that happening. Won’t be easy. Won’t be a cakewalk. But finally, AHS gets to play – and win – its first of seven games in Dick Bivins this year. … Amarillo High 38, SA Central 35.

Tascosa (0-1) at Wichita Falls Legacy (0-1), 7 p.m., Memorial Stadium
Tascosa coaches and players will be the first to tell ya that was a stinker in the opening loss to Palo Duro. Stupid penalties. A lack of discipline. Losing a 21-7 lead in the second half. Three second-half turnovers. The Rebs had a Come-to-Jesus meeting and I look for this to be a wake up call. After all, Legacy lost its opener to Lubbock Coronado. I do a have “puh-leese request” for Coach Plunk. Get speedy wide receiver TJ Tillmon double digit touches on screens, short slants, jet sweeps and stop this 40-yard fade pattern over and over and over.  No disrespect to Legacy, but this game is all about Tascosa digging deep and trying to get its act together. … Tascosa 35, Legacy 24.

– Lance Lahnert
Last week: 1-1 (.500)
Season: 1-1 (.500)

Class 4A

Andrews (1-0) at Canyon (0-1), 7 p.m.
Canyon has something to prove in its home opener, as the Eagles lost a heartbreaker at Perryton to open the season. Like West Plains, their offense came through but the defense showed holes in a 45-44 loss. Boston Bell showed his experience at quarterback by throwing for 225 yards and two touchdowns and Colt Cruth ran for over 100 yards and two touchdowns. Andrews is a formidable opponent, but Canyon will take advantage of being at home. … Canyon 28, Andrews 21.

Randall (1-0) at Monahans (0-1), 7 p.m.
Randall was the lone Canyon ISD school to win its opener, and perhaps not coincidentally, the only one who played at home. The Raiders started fast offensively, and their defense did most of the work to beat Plainview 26-16. Quarterback Kaison Benton had a solid first start for the Raiders, and will need to do as well this week for Randall to have a successful long road trip. This one will probably be defensive oriented, with the Raiders squeaking out a win. … Randall 20, Monahans 19.

Borger (0-1) at Dumas (1-0), 7 p.m.
These two teams couldn’t enter this one from more opposite directions after last week. Dumas has its home opener after dominating Caprock for three quarters 42-7, and Borger opened at home by getting steamrolled by Bushland 61-13. That doesn’t add up to very promising math for Borger on the road, but it could provide some incentive. On the other hand, Dumas has a lot of momentum going into the home opener, so expect similar results. … Dumas 49, Borger 16.

Plainview (0-1) at Pampa (1-0), 7 p.m.
Overshadowed by Harvester Field being named after Zach Thomas before kickoff, there’s plenty of interesting stuff here football-wise. The Harvesters enter their home opener coming off a prolific offensive performance last week at Iowa Park, and the return of running back Max Neff after missing last season with an injury helped. Plainview hung tough against Randall to make it a game. This will be closer, but Pampa has the emotional edge. … Pampa 24, Plainview 23.

Hereford (1-0) at Lubbock Estacado (1-0), 7 p.m. PlainsCapital Park-Lowrey Field, Lubbock
Something will have to give in this clash between two teams who won their openers in quite different fashions last week. Hereford is looking for its second straight win over a Lubbock ISD school after beating Lubbock High 49-28 last week. Estacado leaned on defense to beat Jim Ned 14-7. The Whitefaces will face a tougher test against Estacado, not to mention the fact they’re on the road, giving the Matadors a slight edge. … Estacado 28, Hereford 24.

– Lee Passmore
Last week: 4-2 (.667)
Season: 4-2 (.667)

Class 3A

Perryton (1-0) at Dalhart (1-0), 7 p.m. 
This has become a must watch matchup based off what Perryton did last week beating Canyon and the two quarterbacks involved. Cooper Schilling vs. Kyler Read is worth the price of admission alone. … Perryton 35, Dalhart 31. 

River Road (1-0) at Tulia (0-1), 7 p.m. 
The Wildcats look like an improved football team from a year ago. Tulia will hang tough but River Road’s depth in the end will be the difference. … River Road 27, Tulia 14. 

Canadian (1-0) at Bushland (1-0), 7 p.m. 
Another chapter will be placed in the books of what’s become one of the best non-district rivalries in the Texas Panhandle. Canadian will need to find balance and establish the run game to keep a flying Falcons defense honest. The Wildcats defense is good enough to keep them in it, but it all hinders on the offensive side. … Bushland 28, Canadian 14. 

Lamesa (0-1) at Muleshoe (1-0), 7 p.m. 
Former Caprock assistant and now Lamesa head coach Efrain Ramos has been brought in to build back the Tors program, but they aren’t quite there yet. The Mules offense should have another big outing. … Muleshoe 45, Lamesa 14. 

Spearman (0-1) at Friona (0-1), 7 p.m. 
Despite dropping to Class 2A, the Lynx kept district rival Friona on the schedule. Don’t expect the ball in the air too many times in this clash of two physical teams that love to run it. … Friona 34, Spearman 22. 

Olton (1-0) at Dimmitt (1-0), 7 p.m.
Dimmitt looked solid last week in a win against Memphis but will have to take it up a notch against a talented Mustang squad. … Olton 39, Dimmitt 23.

Childress (0-1) at Breckenridge (0-1), 7 p.m.  
Both the Bobcats and Buckaroos suffered lopsided losses last week. Give me the Bobcats on the road for their first win in 2024. … Childress 28, Breckenridge 20. 

– Kale Steed
Last week: 5-2 (.714)
Season: 5-2 (.714)

Class 2A

Clarendon (0-1) at Sanford-Fritch (0-1), 7 p.m. 
The Broncos bounce back from a tough loss at Panhandle by soaring past the Eagles. … Clarendon 35, Sanford-Fritch 13. 

West Texas High (1-0) at Shamrock (1-0), 7 p.m. 
Comanche quarterback Cayde Winters takes on Irish QB Philip Cook. What a matchup between two squads that were impressive during Week 1. … Shamrock 38, West Texas High 26. 

Panhandle (1-0) at Stratford (1-0), 7 p.m.
A lot of eyes will be on E.L. Sam Bass Stadium for this high profile non-district showdown. Last year, Stratford got the better of the Panthers for the district title. The Panthers want to prove they are the real deal, but the Elks are always tough to beat at home. … Stratford 27, Panhandle 26. 

Bovina (0-1) at Highland Park (0-1), 7 p.m. 
These two teams struggled in their respective season openers. A win could do a lot of good getting momentum turned the right direction. … Bovina 20, Highland Park 14. 

Abernathy (0-1) at Sunray (1-0), 7 p.m. 
The Bobcats were put to the test last week against a very good Hooker, Okla., squad. Abernathy is another tough opponent, however, look for Sunray to pull away in the second half. … Sunray 45, Abernathy 19. 

Vega (1-0) at Seagraves (1-0), 7 p.m. 
The Longhorns left a lot of points on the board and are a better team than they showed last week against Crosbyton. Give the edge to Vega on the road. … Vega 26, Seagraves 16.

Texhoma, Okla., (1-0) at Gruver (1-0), 7 p.m.  
Expect a physical matchup and two teams wanting to win the war in the trenches. QB Briggs Satterfield and the Greyhounds offense is the difference in the fourth quarter. … Gruver 42, Texhoma 21. 

Farwell (0-1) at Texico, N.M. (2-0), 7 p.m. 
One thing is for certain. Farwell head coach Darren Kelley didn’t back away from competition in the non-district portion of the schedule. The Wolverines can play in this rivalry of two towns separated by only a state line. … Texico 35, Farwell 23. 

Morton (1-0) at Wheeler (1-0), 7 p.m. 
The Indians are a team showing improvement under former Gruver assistant Keith Mauldin while the Mustangs had a solid road win at Highland Park last week. Wheeler’s run game has to play like it did last week for the W. … Wheeler 27, Morton 21. 

Crosbyton (0-1) at Memphis (0-1), 7 p.m. 
These are two programs that haven’t had a lot of success over the past couple of years. The Cyclones are due for a much-needed victory. … Memphis 19, Crosbyton 16. 

Frederick, Okla. (0-0) at Wellington (1-0), 7 p.m. 
Make it two straight wins to start the year for the Skyrockets. … Wellington 33, Frederick 21. 

– Kale Steed
Last week: 9-3 (.750)
Season: 9-3 (.750)

Class 1A

Booker (1-0) at McLean (1-0), 7 p.m. 
What a great early season matchup. Both teams had solid wins last week and looking for more. The Kiowas will test the Tigers secondary and that will be the difference in this one. … Booker 45, McLean 36.

Boys Ranch (0-1) at Miami (0-1), 7 p.m.
The road doesn’t get easier for the Roughriders as they face a Warriors team that gave Booker fits and hopes to get some injured players back. This doesn’t bode well for the visitors. … Miami 60, Boys Ranch 36.

Whiteface (1-0) at Happy (1-0), 7 p.m.
This will be the marquee matchup of the night. No. 3 Happy is a tough opponent at home but the No. 4 Antelopes will bring Ethan Coffman to town for the second straight week. Unless the Cowboys do a much better job of tackling this week it might be a long night for the home team. … Whiteface 46, Happy 34.

Claude (0-1) at Petersburg (0-1), 7 p.m.
Heading south for the second week in a row, the Mustangs will find themselves in a tough matchup but one they can win. Don’t be stunned if Claude gets the win but I have to go with the home team. … Petersburg 56, Claude 45.

San Jacinto Christian (0-1) at Lubbock Titans (0-1), 7 p.m.
It was a tough opening week for the Patriots and now they face an I-27 road trip to take on the home school squad from Lubbock. The Titans lost a close one last week but pick up a win this week. … Lubbock Titans 48, San Jacinto 24.

Hedley (0-1) at Groom (1-0), 7:30 p.m.
Former district mates now face off in a non-district matchup. One thing that won’t change is the dominance by the Tigers. … Groom 60, Hedley 12.

Nazareth (0-1) at Borden County (1-0), 7:30 p.m.
Another tough matchup for the Swifts as they travel to Coyote country. The Swifts will battle in this one, but Braden Steele will be the difference in a hometown win. … Borden County 42, Nazareth 27.

Follett (0-1) at Benjamin (0-0), 7:30 p.m.
It was a rare open week for the Mustangs last week, so we haven’t seen what they look like without Grayson Rigdon. Don’t be fooled though as there’s still plenty of talent there led by Keegan Hayes. The Panthers have to figure out a way to break David Meeks free in this one for a win. … Benjamin 60, Follett 48. 

SATURDAY’S GAME 

Valley (0-1) at Gordon (1-0), 2 p.m. 
Oh boy. The Longhorns are the defending state champs and are likely better than last year. It’s a long road trip on a Saturday that won’t be pretty. … Gordon 66, Valley 12.

– Craig Sperry 
Last week: 9-4 (.692)
Season: 9-4 (.692)