West Texas: Week 8 Preview

The 2023 West Texas high school football season enters Week 8 with several must-watch games on the schedule. Here the top five games in each region:   PANHANDLE   Game of the Week: Panhandle (6-0) at Stratford (6-0)   Two undefeated teams battle on the eastern edge of the Rita Blanca National Grasslands. Stratford is No. 3 in the Amarillo Region poll while Panhandle is No. 6. Stratford relies on a balanced rushing attack led by junior Bryce Braden (560 rushing yards). Panhandle possesses an explosive offense that has scored 51+ points in four of its last five games.        Canyon at Hereford: It's No. 5 (Hereford) vs. No. 7 (Canyon) in the MaxPreps Amarillo Region poll. Canyon is averaging almost 6.0 yards per carry on the ground. RB Brylyn Lopez is the go-to offensive threat for Hereford.   Spearman at Canadian: Canadian is No. 1 in the MaxPreps Amarillo Region poll for a reason. They have an explosive offense capable of scoring 50+ points on anybody. Spearman must bring its ‘A' game defensively.   Shallowater at Dalhart: Dalhart brings a 6-1 record into this game. QB Kyler W. Read is an outstanding dual threat QB with over 1,000 yards passing and 895 yards rushing on a workhorse 165 carries.        Borger at Seminole: Borger travels south to face the powerful Seminole offense that seemingly scores with ease. But they ran into West Plains last week. Can Borger do the same?   More Games To Watch: Abilene Cooper at Palo Duro; River Road at Bushland; Pampa at Randall; Caprock at Lubbock Monterey; Sunray at Boys Ranch; Tulia at Childress; Wellington at Memphis.   SOUTH PLAINS   Game of the Week: Midland (6-0) at Frenship (5-1)   This intriguing matchup offers a stark contrast in offensive philosophies. Unbeaten Midland brings its powerful ground game to the suburbs of Lubbock, while Frenship loves to throw the football with QB Hudson Hutcheson and his array of receivers. Hutcheson has thrown for 2,148 yards and 21 TD. Midland has run the ball 262 times for 2,058 yards in 6 games, an average of 44 attempts per game.      Lubbock-Cooper at Abilene: Lubbock-Cooper brings a three-game winning streak to Abilene, including road wins at Wichita Falls Rider and Lubbock Coronado. Abilene features a balanced offensive attack with many players sharing the football.   Lubbock Coronado at Amarillo (Thur.): Lubbock Coronado had a bye last week but faces a tough task on the road at Amarillo. The Sandies are talented on both sides of the ball.       Lubbock Estacado at Andrews: Estacado is off to a solid 5-1 start and features the dynamic QB-RB duo of DJ Johnson and RB [player_tooltip player_id='923475' first='Bobby' last='Ross'] (1,099 rushing yards). Andrews is 4-3.   Caprock at Lubbock Monterey: After opening the season with two victories (snapping a long losing streak), Lubbock Monterey has lost four straight games, so they're desperately searching for a win. The Plainsmen are a run-heavy offense.       More Games To Watch: Smyer at New Home; Abernathy at Lubbock Roosevelt; Stanton at Littlefield; Borger at Seminole; Lubbock at Plainview; Idalou at Coahoma; West Plains at Levelland; New Deal at Floydada.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/midlandhighfb/status/1711842341814669618?s=20 </div></figure>   PERMIAN BASIN   Game of the Week: Fort Stockton (6-0) at Monahans (6-0)   It's a District 4A-1 showdown about 35 miles west of Odessa. Monahans has been remarkably consistent this season in terms of scoring. They have scored between 43 and 52 points in all 6 games. Corbin Luna leads a balanced rushing attack for Fort Stockton.     Odessa Permian at Midland Legacy: Two heavyweights duke it out at Astound Broadband Stadium. Permian is coming off a frustrating OT loss to cross-town rival Odessa. Midland Legacy has arguably the top QB in West Texas (Purdue commit [player_tooltip player_id='119032' first='Marcos' last='Davila']) but they also run the ball.   San Angelo Central at Odessa: Will Odessa have a hangover following last week's big OT win over Permian? If not, they should be able to handle Central. QB Mikey Cota has thrown for 1,700 yards. Three receivers have 26+ catches.   Idalou at Coahoma: Idalou. Located northeast of Lubbock, Idalou makes the long trip to Coahoma for a district game. Coahoma has lost two straight after opening the season 3-1. Sophomore QB Boyd Cox averages over 200 passing yards per game while RB Jaidyn Vineyard has 830 rushing yards and 11 TD on 103 carries.   Reagan County at Sonora: Reagan County travels to unbeaten Sonora and hopes junior dual threat QB Kason Brown can continue his excellent season in order to avoid falling to 0-2 in the district.          More Games To Watch: Liberty Christian at Midland Christian; Sterling City at Iraan; Water Valley at Wink; Sweetwater at Midland Greenwood; Anthony at Forsan; Fabens at Pecos.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/OdessaPermian/status/1712332942251282683?s=20 </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/cota_mikey/status/1710761310466527548?s=20 </div></figure>   FAR WEST TEXAS   Game of the Week: Montwood (4-2) at Pebble Hills (5-2)   A huge game in District 6A-1 with Pebble Hills tied with two other teams at 3-2 in the district. Montwood and Eastwood are tied for 1st place at 4-0 (those two teams meet next Thursday). Montwood QB Michael Southern has emerged as a district MVP candidate by throwing for 1,456 yards and 15 TD in the first seven games. Pebble Hills' Gael Ochoa is an elite dual threat QB, which is why he's committed to UTEP.       Franklin at Eastlake: Another huge game in the District 6A-1 standings. A loss by Franklin would drop them to 2-3 in the district and make a top four finish extremely difficult. Eastlake has more wiggle room but they're one of the teams tied at 3-2.      Americas at El Dorado: Americas is the third team at 3-2 in the district, joining Pebble Hills and Eastlake. The Trailblazers' three losses have been by a total of 9 points. Cam'ron Johnson and Brian Gonzalez-Promesse are a productive RB duo for Americas. El Dorado is winless and out of the playoff picture, so they're just looking for a win any way possible.       Socorro at Eastwood: Eastwood, the No. 1 team in the MaxPreps El paso Region poll, looks to beat winless Socorro and hopes for a Montwood loss to Pebble Hills. If both things happen, Eastwood would have undisputed possession of first place in the district standings.        Chapin at Burges: With Canutillo favored to beat Andress, Chapin must take care of business against winless Burges to keep pace in District 5A-1. Giving the ball to RB Carey Wade is always a good decision for Chapin considering he's averaging 10.0 yards per carry.       More Games To Watch: Andress at Canutillo (Thur.); Irvin at Bowie; Clint at Mountain View; El Paso at Jefferson; Riverside at San Elizario.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/Fchavezeptimes/status/1712225210718724219?s=20 </div></figure>

The 2023 West Texas high school football season enters Week 8 with several must-watch games on the schedule. Here the top five games in each region: