Thursday’s games

Class 5A

Canyon (2-1) at Caprock (1-2), 7 p.m.
Interesting one, here, and could be decided by a late turnover like last year. Canyon plays for the first time this season outside of Happy State Bank Stadium and is coming off a frustrating loss to rival West Plains. Meanwhile, The Rock owns good ol’ mo from securing coach Rowdy Freeman’s first career varsity win on the road at Pampa. Close. Close. Close. … Caprock 17, Canyon 14

Class 2A

Sanford-Fritch (0-3) at Shamrock (1-2), 7 p.m.
The Eagles showed guts rallying back against Tulia before falling short late, but it’s Homecoming night in Irish land and Shamrock is a team showing improvement weekly. … Shamrock 36, Sanford-Fritch 20 

Class 1A

Silverton (2-1) vs. Weatherford Christian (1-2), at Benjamin, 7 p.m.
After losing a heartbreaker last week to Whitharral, the Owls will be in no mood to mess around with the Lions. Sawyer Francis will go over 150 yards rushing for the fourth straight game. That’s not a prediction. That’s a spoiler. …Silverton 66, Weatherford Christian 13

Amarillo PCHEA at Follett (1-2), 7 p.m. 
The question isn’t whether Follett will win or not but how quickly they put this one away. The main thing the Panthers will want to accomplish is avoiding injury. …Follett 54, Amarillo PCHEA 6

Nazareth (2-1) at Valley (1-2), 7:30 p.m.
This looks like a very even matchup between two teams wanting to gain momentum before district action starts. Tucker Schlueter and Kayle Rogers are two of the best big men in the area and it will be fun to watch them go at it. The home team takes this one in a close one. …Valley 46, Nazareth 42

Patton Springs (0-3) at Hedley (1-2), 7:30 p.m.
Hoping to get their record back to .500, the Owls should be able to get the win against a struggling Rangers team. …Hedley 52, Patton Springs 32

Friday’s games

Hereford (3-0) at Tascosa (1-2), 7 p.m.
Before the season started in August this one looked like a repeat of last year won by Tascosa 56-10. Not so sure now. The Herd under Adam Naron is the feel-good story of 2023 having tripled their win total from last year and showing it can win close games. Tascosa lacks confidence after losing bad to some Class 6A heavy hitters in Midland Legacy (63-34) and Odessa Permian (43-6). Hereford will play spirited and make it interesting for a half. But Tascosa’s speed and playing in from of its Homecoming fans will prove too much. … Tascosa 38, Hereford 18

Amarillo High (1-2) at Odessa High (1-1), 7 p.m.
Who the heck knows in this one as both teams have had shining moments in the sun and moments to forget. AHS is finding its way behind ever-improving sophomore quarterback Jett Lopez as he makes his third career start with senior QB Will Flamming out because of a concussion. Odessa saw its game with talented Keller called last week at halftime because of lightening. Hmmm. Tight one, but if AHS will simply play the entire game like it did the second half last week against Midland High, it wins. … AHS 24, Odessa 21

– Lance Lahnert
Last week: 3-1 (.750)
Season: 7-2 (.777)

Class 4A

Palo Duro (1-2) at West Plains, (2-1), 7 p.m.
When upstart West Plains beat Palo Duro last season, it was a major signal that the first-year Wolves weren’t a typical new school team. West Plains has proven last year was no fluke by racking up 148 points in three games and routing Canyon ISD rival Canyon last week. PD is looking for some offensive continuity, especially throwing the ball, and defense should keep it competitive, but not enough to knock off the Wolves. … West Plains 35, Palo Duro 21

Dumas (1-2) at Plainview (3-0), 7 p.m.
Dumas got into the win column after two routs against Lubbock schools by shutting down Perryton last week. Plainview is one of the most improved teams in the region with an unbeaten start. Both teams should present each other with a challenge to see where they stand in another tune-up prior to district play. While the Demons enter the week with some much-needed confidence, it won’t be enough on the road. … Plainview 20, Dumas 13

Pampa (1-2) at Decatur (0-3), 7 p.m.
Young and banged-up Pampa is coming off two straight losses, while Decatur’s record is extremely misleading, as the Eagles have played a tough schedule and are coming off an epic 56-55 overtime loss to Stephenville. The road trip is enough of a challenge for the Harvesters, but having to overcome youth and injuries is far too much to ask, even if they can stay competitive. … Decatur 42, Pampa 24

Randall (2-1) at Wichita Falls (0-3), 7 p.m.
Like Pampa, Randall goes on the road to take on a winless team, only this time the Raiders are a slight favorite. They’ve routed their last two opponents but face the challenge of a long road trip to Wichita Falls. The Coyotes have lost to three unbeaten opponents so that skews their record. It should be a competitive game, but the Raiders will get their second road win. … Randall 28, Wichita Falls 20

Canadian (3-0) at Perryton (0-3), 7 p.m.
This appears to be a major mismatch on paper, as Canadian, No. 1 in Class 3A, has been rolling over opponents while Perryton has found the going tough in the first three games under new coach Cole Underwood. Being at home will help the Rangers this week, but the Wildcats have too much firepower to be denied, regardless of where the game is played. … Canadian 48, Perryton 19

– Lee Passmore
Last week: 4-1 (.800)
Season: 12-6 (.667)

Class 3A

Borger (2-1) at Bushland (2-1), 7 p.m.
Borger has shown improvement over the last couple of weeks, but the Falcons are a different level of opponent. If Bushland gets the offense rolling early, it could be a long night for the Dawgs. … Bushland 45, Borger 21

Friona (0-2) at Dalhart (3-0), 7 p.m.
This is a battle of two teams that have started the 2023 season in totally different directions. The Golden Wolves are off to a quite but sound undefeated start while the Chieftains are still trying to get their pieces put in place. … Dalhart 34, Friona 24

Tulia (1-2) at Muleshoe (3-0), 7 p.m.
After seeing Muleshoe in person last week, this sportswriter with confidence can say this is the best team that Muleshoe has put on the field since former coach David Wood graced the sideline. The Mules offense has scored 48 points a game the first three weeks. Look for that trend to continue. … Muleshoe 48, Tulia 16

Brownfield (2-1) at Dimmitt (1-2), 7 p.m.
The Cubs come to town on a mission after suffering their first loss at the hands of Lubbock Roosevelt last week. … Brownfield 40, Dimmitt 14

Childress (2-1) at Holliday (2-1), 7 p.m.
No one in the Texas Panhandle has probably had a more difficult or intriguing schedule than the Childress Bobcats. Once again, the Bobcats face a major test in Holliday, which is now being led by Muleshoe grad and Lincoln Riley’s good buddy, Kyle Atwood. … Holliday 30, Childress 20 

– Kale Steed
Last week: 6-0 (1.000)
Season: 16-4 (.800)

Class 2A

River Road (0-3) at Panhandle (3-0), 7 p.m.
The Panthers are playing on another level right now behind suprising sophomore QB Broxton Robinson. If the Wildcats can’t slow Robinson down, they won’t slow down the Panhandle points. … Panhandle 45, River Road 13

Spearman (1-2) at Wellington (2-1), 7 p.m.
Expect this game to go really fast behind two strong running teams with the Skyrockets having a little more explosiveness at night’s end. … Wellington 32, Spearman 19 

Gruver (2-1) at Highland Park (3-0), 7 p.m.
There is a buzz around the Hornets program after their best start in a decade. They’ll a lot of eyes watching Hornets Stadium on Friday night to see if the hype is legit for head coach Ty Stout’s team. Gruver is no slouch and will be the biggest test to date for HP. … Highland Park 29, Gruver 26

Vega (1-2) at Stratford (3-0), 7 p.m.
The Elks continue to roll against a banged-up Longhorn squad. Bank on Stratford moving to 4-0. … Stratford 40, Vega 14

Sunray (2-1) at West Texas High (2-1), 7 p.m.
Watching the “Sunraid” offense has probably kept Comanche head coach Jeff Smith up at night all week. I’m sure Smith will have an effective game plan to try and slowdown the Bobcats, but will it be enough. … Sunray 41, WT High 16 

Boys Ranch (0-3) at Morton (3-0), 7 p.m.
The Roughriders make the long haul to the South Plains to battle Bushland graduate and Morton head coach Keith Mauldin’s squad. The Indians have been a feel-good story so far and should stay undefeated. … Morton 30, Boys Ranch 19

Smyer (1-2) at Clarendon (0-3), 7 p.m.
It’s been a rough start for the Broncos, but it just takes a victory to turn things around. Friday night, Clarendon gets that W. … Clarendon 28, Smyer 13

Windthorst (1-1) at Wheeler (0-3), 7 p.m.
Windthorst is always a contender and Texas Panhandle nemesis when it comes to the playoffs. … Windthorst 34, Wheeler 16

Olton (2-1) at Bovina (1-2), 7 p.m.
It’s Olton coming away victors in this clash of Mustangs. … Olton 35, Bovina 18 

Texico, N.M. (4-0) at Farwell (3-0), 7 p.m.
These two archrivals are separated by only a train track and the state line. Other than that, you can’t tell when you’ve left Farwell and entered Texico. This will be for bragging rights between two really good physical football teams. … Farwell 33, Texico 27 

– Kale Steed
Last week: 8-2 (.800)
Season: 24-10 (.705)

Class 1A

Lefors (0-3) at McLean (1-2), 7 p.m.
McLean has won six straight games since 2016 between these two schools separated by 23 miles of black top on Highway 273. The Pirates continue to look for their first win of the year, but it won’t come at the hands of their long-time rivals. … McLean 54, Lefors 8

Paducah (2-1) at Miami (3-0), 7 p.m. 
The Warriors welcome in the Dragons who will be their toughest test to date. Miami’s defense has only given up 12 points on the year and the speed of Paducah will test them at times. It may not end at half, but the talent of the Warriors will be too much for the Dragons. …Miami 68, Paducah 24

Happy (2-1) at Kress (1-2), 7 p.m.
Since 2012, the Cowboys have won seven straight against the Roos by a cumulative score of 397-26. Don’t expect things to change dramatically this year as Happy has started gaining momentum with two straight late game wins. …Happy 58, Kress 8

White Deer (2-1) at Wildorado (1-2), 7 p.m.
This is an intriguing game between two evenly matched teams. Brodie Weathers of the “dirty dozen” versus the speed of Aden Woodard and the Mustangs. The defense of the Bucks gives them an advantage in this one as head coach Justin Rucker’s squad pulls one out late. … White Deer 42, Wildorado 34

Booker (2-1) at Hart (1-2), 7 p.m. 
One week removed from their first loss on the year, the Kiowas will make the long trip south to make short work of the Longhorns in their backyard. … Booker 60, Hart 13

Claude (1-2) at Groom (1-2), 7:30 p.m.
Three weeks ago, I’d taken Claude but now it’s a toss-up. Both teams have had their troubles taking big losses of late. Flip a coin to determine this winner. Let’s go with the Tigers in a tussle. … Groom 50, Claude 48 

Saturday’s game 

Class 1A

Harrold (3-0) vs. Darrouzett (0-3), 1:30 p.m., at Claude
Don’t look now but the Hornets are playing pretty good football. Look for that to continue on Saturday. … Harrold 56, Darrouzett 8

– Craig Sperry 
Last week: 10-2 (.833)
Season: 28-8 (.778)