Tascosa’s L’Travion Brown runs for a touchdown against Lubbock Monterey during the Rebels 60-18 blowout win of the Plainsman on Friday night at Dick Bivins Stadium. [Tom Carver/ Press Pass Sports]
With the possibility of grabbing a playoff berth and making history right in front of them on Senior Night at Dick Bivins Stadium on Friday night, the Tascosa Rebels didn’t waste their opportunity in the least.
The Rebels entered their District 2-5A Division I matchup with Lubbock Monterey knowing a win would clinch a playoff spot and no worse than a share of the district crown. From the very first play, the Rebels announced their intent and there was nothing the Plainsmen could do about it.
Tascosa took advantage of two Monterey turnovers in the first five minutes, leading to a pair of touchdowns to set the tone for a 60-18 rout. The win not only spoke to Tascosa’s strength in district play this season, but put the Rebels in the playoffs for the fourth straight season under coach Ken Plunk for the first time in school history.
For Tascosa (8-1, 5-0 in district) it was merely the latest installment in their taking care of business series, which takes a break next week since the Rebels draw the district’s open date.
“We wanted to clinch a playoff spot and we wanted to win a district championship and we’re guaranteed a share of that now,” Plunk said. “We want to play well and keep improving. Four straight times in the playoffs is cool but the main thing is to get this team better.”
The first half served as a prototype for why Tascosa was unbeaten in district heading into the game. Tascosa didn’t punt once, ran the ball well as usual and even hit some big passes en route to a 54-12 halftime lead.
Monterey’s Jayden Hibbler fumbled the opening kickoff and Tascosa’s Brenyn Barnes recovered at the Monterey 26-yard line to start the game, setting up Treshun Wilson’s 6-yard scoring run for a 6-0 lead.
Disaster then struck for the Plainsmen (3-5, 1-3) on their next possession with their first pass of the game. D.J. Williams tried to hit Trent White on a screen pass and L’Travion Brown picked it off and took it 43 yards for a score to make it 12-0, the first of two touchdowns for Brown in a 2:45 span.
After forcing a Monterey punt, Brown took a handoff on the next play and ran 63 yards for a score to make it 19-0.
“The coaches have been telling me the corners haven’t gotten a pick all season until today and I told them I’m gonna get y’all my first pick,” Brown said. “I saw the ball, picked it up and went to go score. This is a big win for us. We’re going to have our bye next week and we’re going to play (Lubbock) Coronado, be district champs and make a deep run in the playoffs.”
The quarter ended with B.T. Daniel throwing the first of two scoring passes of the half to Major Everhart, this one from 34 yards to make it 26-0. That Daniel threw two scoring passes in the first half was news in and of itself.
While the Rebels had their usual big running game by piling up 423 yards, Daniel was perfect in his limited passing attempts. He completed all four of his passes for 108 yards in the first half, giving Tascosa’s future opponents something extra to consider.
“Our game plan was just to run it down their throat but the defense was stacking everything in the box so that opened up the throwing game,” said Daniel, who also led the Rebels with 87 yards rushing and a touchdown on 16 carries. “I feel like that’s a place we lacked in last year and that’s why we weren’t able to go as far, and I think having that ability to pass will help us go deep in the playoffs.”
Monterey got on the board on a 4-yard run by White, the first of his two scoring runs in the second quarter, cutting the deficit to 26-6. White ran for a 35-yard touchdown on Monterey’s next possession.
But the rest of the half belonged to Everhart, who has committed to play at TCU. On a fourth-and-long, he caught a 23-yard scoring pass from Daniel to make it 40-12 with 3:21 left in the first half.
That began a run of 21 unanswered points in less than two minutes for the Rebels. Everhart scored on runs of 31 and 20 yards, the last coming after the Plainsmen failed to field a kickoff which Tascosa’s Anderson King pounced on at the Monterey 20.
“We depend on making big plays, each of our skill guys, and we all came out here today and made a big play and put the momentum on our side,” Everhart said. “We know B.T. can throw the ball and he’s always on the money. We trust him to go out there and get it to us and we go out there and get it.”
The first team offense played the first series of the second half and was finally forced off the field for the first punt of the game. But the backups got some glory as well, as Jayden Whiteside scored on a 41-yard run late in the third quarter to close out Tascosa’s scoring.
Tascosa’s playoff status as far as seeding remains uncertain, except that the Rebels will have no worse than the No. 3 seed in the playoffs. The Rebels will clinch the outright district crown with a victory a week from next Thursday at Lubbock Coronado.
They won’t take it easy without a game to prepare for next week, but they’ll welcome the respite.
“We want to improve but we also want to rest up a little bit,” Plunk said. “An open date this late in the season is different from an open date in week five. At this point we’ve still got to get better but we also have to manage energy and heal up a little bit.”
Tascosa 60, Lubbock Monterey 18
Monterey 0 12 0 6 — 18
Tascosa 26 28 6 0 — 60
District 2-5A Division I
Amarillo High holds off Palo Duro
In a game which became a second-half defensive struggle, Amarillo High withstood Palo Duro in Amarillo ISD’s oldest rivalry Thursday night at Dick Bivins Stadium, throwing a shutout over the last two quarters for a key 30-14 win in District 2-5A Division I action, the 17th straight AHS win in the rivalry.
Amarillo High (7-2, 4-1 in district) never trailed and rode the coattails of its defense against Palo Duro (5-3, 1-3), collecting five turnovers. The Sandies got on the board as a direct result of their defense, as Eddie MPela knocked the ball loose from PD quarterback Jayden Garza and Luke Boxwell picked it up and returned it 62 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead.
Another touchdown was set up when Luke Laminack made his third interception in the last two games, returning a pick 69 yards to the PD 20-yard line. Two plays later Ethan Cowan scored on an 11-yard run to give Amarillo High a 14-7 lead midway through the second quarter.
The Dons responded on a 2-yard run by Sylvester Ballard to tie the game at 14-14, but Amarillo High took the lead for good when Brock Wade hit a wide open J.Q. Ervin on a 21-yard scoring pass with 1:08 left in the first half to make it 21-14.
Defenses took over in a sloppy second half as the Sandies couldn’t pull away and the Dons couldn’t tie it. The teams combined to commit six turnovers in the second half.
A bad snap out of the end zone from punt formation by Palo Duro led to a safety and boosted Amarillo High’s lead to 23-14. Mason Graham clinched the win for the Sandies on a 14-yard scoring run with 2:26 left in the game.
Palo Duro’s Tre’sean Monroe ran for a game-high 116 yards on 25 carries, but Amarillo High held him to 21 yards in the second half.
Amarillo High 30, Palo Duro 14
Amarillo High 7 14 0 9 — 30
Palo Duro 7 7 0 0 — 14
Caprock falls hard at Coronado
Caprock saw a first chance to score spoiled by a major turnover and the Longhorns couldn’t recover after that, as Lubbock Coronado rolled to a 49-14 win at Lubbock.
The only good new for Caprock (2-5, 1-3 in district) is that the Longhorns stayed in a tie for the third and final playoff spot in the district with two games remaining.
After a scoreless first quarter, Caprock moved deep into Coronado territory and looked primed to score the first points of the game. But Coronado’s Ted Gilmore picked up a fumble and returned it 90 yards for a touchdown, beginning a string of 49 unanswered points by the Mustangs (4-4, 3-1) to start the game.
The Longhorns got on the board with a pair of touchdown runs by Layton Brown in the fourth quarter. They played respectable defense, but were hurt by the fact they committed six turnovers, two of which the Mustangs turned into defensive touchdowns.
Lubbock Coronado 49, Caprock 14
Caprock 0 0 0 7 — 14
Coronado 0 21 14 14 — 49
District 3-5A Division II
Randall falls on road to Wylie
Randall couldn’t hold on to the lead heading into the fourth quarter, and the Raiders suffered their first district loss of the season when Abilene Wylie kicked a field goal in the final minute to pull out a 16-13 victory.
The Raiders (5-3, 2-1 in district) fell behind 6-0 at the outset, but took a 13-6 halftime lead as Braxton Burd ran 39 yards for a touchdown and threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Kolby Marting for the other score. That was all Randall could put on the scoreboard though, as the Raiders mustered only 187 total yards of offense.
Wylie (3-5, 1-2) tied it on Aden Kincaid’s 1-yard run in the fourth quarter, then with 59 seconds left, Grayson Bearden kicked a 45-yard field goal to decide it.
Abilene Wylie 16, Randall 13
Randall 7 6 0 0 — 13
Wylie 6 0 0 10 — 16
Class 4A
Canyon running back Dario Bressler scored a total of eight touchdowns against Pampa on Friday night. [Ashley Eller/ Press Pass Sports]
District 3-4A Division I
Canyon wins shootout over Pampa
The district opener between Canyon and Pampa lived up to the hype, at least on one side of the ball.
In a game which resembled a district basketball game in terms of scoring frequency, Canyon outlasted Pampa at Harvester Field on Friday night, as Dario Bressler had a game for the ages, scoring a total of eight touchdowns in a 75-60 victory.
Both teams headed into the game with six-game winning streaks as new coaches Todd Winfrey of Canyon and Cody Robinson of Pampa got their teams off on the right foot after losing their respective season openers. The two teams presented an incredibly entertaining game if it was one which would make football purists cringe, as they combined for over 1,200 yards of offense.
Nobody’s offensive star shone brighter than Bressler’s. He ran for 320 yards and six touchdowns on 26 carries and caught two passes for 95 yards, both of which went for touchdowns.
Bressler wasn’t the only offensive performer who soared for the Eagles (7-1, 1-0 in district). Quarterback Derrek Clements threw for 144 yards and ran for 176 yards and a score on just nine carries.
For Pampa (6-2, 0-1), Sam Anguiano threw for 266 yards and four touchdowns and ran for two more scores. Cornelius Landers ran for 191 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries and Hunter Dyer had four catches for 119 yards and two touchdowns.
Canyon 75, Pampa 60
Canyon 24 24 13 14 — 75
Pampa 8 16 14 22 — 60
Dumas routs Hereford
Dumas didn’t mess around in showing why it’s the defending district champion, jumping on Hereford after a scoreless first quarter to roll to a 45-0 victory at home.
The Demons (5-2, 1-0) got all the points they needed on Brayden Boggs-Rushing’s 42-yard touchdown pass to Oliver Ortiz late in the second quarter. Boggs-Rushing threw three scoring passes, two of which went to Ortiz.
James Bednorz led Dumas with 114 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 12 carries. He also caught a touchdown pass.
Defense was a major theme for the Demons, as they held Hereford (5-3, 0-1) to a meager 106 yards of offense, including minus-25 rushing.
Dumas 45, Hereford 0
Hereford 0 0 0 0 — 0
Dumas 0 6 22 17 — 45
District 2-4A Division II
Perryton falls to Estacado
Perryton played Lubbock Estacado tough in the first half of a home district opener for the Rangers, but Estacado was to tough in the second half in beating Perryton 31-10.
The Rangers (2-6, 1-1 in district) got on the board only 21 seconds into the game on a 43-yard touchdown pass from Abraham Hernandez to Julian Cergantes to make it 7-0. It was tied 10-10 at halftime.
Estacado (6-3, 3-0) took over in the second half as Tramond Miller ran for a pair of touchdowns. Perryton struggled offensively after the opening possession, managing only 99 yards of total offense.
Lubbock Estacado 31, Perryton 10
Estacado 7 3 7 14 — 31
Perryton 7 3 0 0 — 10
Borger shut out by Seminole
Borger struggled offensively against Seminole, as the Bulldogs suffered their second straight shutout, losing to Seminole 27-0 at home.
Indians quarterback Blake Flowers threw for 221 yards and a touchdown, and ran for another score.
The loss dropped Borger to 3-6 and 1-2 in district. Seminole got in the district win column and is now 3-5 and 1-1.
Seminole 27, Borger 0
Seminole 0 13 14 0 — 27
Borger 0 0 0 0 — 0
