Bushland-Canadian, Tascosa-Midland Legacy among big high school football games in week two
The last time the Bushland Falcons and the Canadian Wildcats met on the field, the game became one for the ages. Regardless of the eventual result, both teams are hoping for the same kind of fun.
Canadian went up 35-7 in last year's contest only for the Falcons to come back and pull out an overtime win. If you think the Wildcats have put that behind them, think again.
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"That’s still kind of in our heads, so we’ve got to make sure that doesn’t happen again," Canadian coach Chris Koetting said of the 7 p.m. Friday road matchup against Bushland.
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Both teams have a strong tradition of success in football and that success should continue this year. In week one, both teams got off to undefeated starts as Canadian took down Seminole (Okla.) 49-14 while Bushland defeated West Plains 52-6.
Canadian was led by wide receiver Preston Miller. He and quarterback Camren Cavalier connected throughout the night with Miller picking up 120-yards receiving. Koetting was complimentary of the duo, along with the entirety of his defense.
“I thought for the most part our defense was outstanding," he said. "They were really flying to the ball and doing some great things. Offensively we threw and caught the ball really well. ... We had a lot of penalties so we’ve got to make sure that we’ve got that under control, but overall I was really pleased with how we played."
Falcons head coach Josh Reynolds felt the same way about his team.
Matthew Bridges (14 tackles) and Charley Pitt (two sacks) led an outstanding defensive effort that held the Wolves to less than 200 yards of total offense. Dawson Jaco was almost flawless at the QB position in going 24-for-33 for 233 yards and a score while Ivan Soto rushed for three touchdowns and Baylor King returned a kickoff 97 yards for a TD.
“I was definitely proud of our kids," Reynolds said. "We knew there were going to be a lot of emotions in that game just because there were a lot of people there and it was West Plains’ first game as a program. Everything was a big deal that night. We just talked about playing through that emotion and don’t play into it. Just play football and do your job. I think our kids did that pretty well.”
There will be no shortage of emotion in this week's game, either.
Bushland and Canadian are two of the very best Class Class 3A teams the Panhandle has to offer. Both Koetting and Reynolds said errors will need to be kept to a minimum if either team wants to pull out a win.
“Anytime you play Canadian you’re going to have to play well to beat them," Reynolds said. "They’re so well coached and have great players year in and year out. ... They’re always going to have a great plan and we’ve got to keep the chains moving and keep their offense off the field. We’re going to have to manage their big guys, keep the chains moving and put points on the board.”
No matter what happens, anyone planning to attend Friday night should be in for a good one.
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"I think it’s going to be a great game and it’s really evenly matched," Koetting said. "I know a lot of people are going to talk about this game and it’s going to be fun. These are the kind of games that you want to play in if you’re a high school football player and we’re looking forward to it."
TASCOSA HOSTS MIDLAND-LEGACY
It is time for the Rebels to return to Canyon.
The matchup between the District 2-5A Division I Tascosa Rebels and the District 2-6A Midland Legacy Rebels has transformed into a yearly rivalry meeting between two former district foes. So far, the matchup has produced countless fireworks and exciting games.
"We always slug it out and seem to have really good games," Tascosa coach Ken Plunk said. "I think we're similar programs in that we're both physical and we've both sent kids to the next level. The fun part of it to me is to play a team that's a lot like us and a team that really prepares you for later in the season."
When the two teams kickoff at 7 p.m. Friday inside West Texas A&M's Buffalo Stadium in Canyon, Tascosa (1-0) will be searching for their first win over Midland Legacy (1-0) since 2018. When the two teams met in Canyon last fall, the Legacy Rebels got the upper-hand with a 51-48 comeback victory.
Midland Legacy has won five of its six matchups since 2016 in a half-dozen games that have averaged 82.0 combined points per game from both sides. This matchup will serve as a great barometer for where both teams are at as a program while also serving as a means to learn crucial weaknesses that will make each of them better down the road.
"Every game between us seems to come down to 10 to 14 points," Midland Legacy coach Clint Hartman said. "I expect a four-quarter war. They're going to be well-coached. You can intimidate teams, but you can't intimidate good teams. We both have mutual respect for each other and neither side is going to be scared."
There are sharp contrasting styles between both offenses, starting with Tascosa's run-heavy, triple-option offense meeting a Midland Legacy team that loves to air the ball out with star junior quarterback Marcos Davila.
Tascosa had eight backs carry the ball at least once last week with Treshun Wilson (51 yards), Hudson Farris (49 yards) and Tayden Barnes (48 yards, 2 TD) carving out some nice runs.
Davila, a four-star prospect according to Rivals.com, sports 15 offers from Division I programs — including Baylor, Pittsburgh, TCU, Texas Tech and West Virginia. In Legacy's 47-21 win over Amarillo High last week, Davila completed 21-of-32 passes for 320 yards and five touchdowns.
"Their quarterback is throwing the ball real well," Plunk said. "He can escape pressure and get rid of it. He's throwing it to his receivers before they make their break on some plays and that can make it difficult on us. We've got to be able to put pressure on him with our front four and mix things up as the game goes on."
Davila will go toe-to-toe with TCU commit Avion Carter and the rest of a Tascosa defense which yielded 11 passing yards to Palo Duro last week.
While the offenses for both teams will get a lot of the headlines, both programs have impressive size and skill at all three levels of their respective defenses. Midland Legacy intercepted four passes last week and Tascosa forced two turnovers of its own.
"It's going to take four quarters," Hartman said. "When you get two good teams against each other that don't know how to lose, the stakes and energy are going to be raised a little bit."
OTHER GAMES TO WATCH
Amarillo High vs. Cleveland (N.M.), 7 p.m.
The Sandies will look to rebound after last week's loss. They'll attempt to do so against one of the best teams New Mexico has to offer.
Canyon at Perryton, 7 p.m.
Both teams are coming off impressive week one wins. Game should prove to be a litmus test as to where both programs are early on in the year.
Vega at Farwell 7 p.m.
Joaquin Segovia vs. Corey Stancell would've been reason enough to watch. But after Vega dominated Bovina and Farwell upset New Deal to start the season, the stakes are even higher in this one.
Stratford at Sunray 7 p.m.
One of the Panhandle's top running backs (Stratford's Zane Burr) against one of the Panhandle's top quarterbacks (Armando Lujan). That's a show you don't want to miss.
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Bushland-Canadian, Tascosa-Midland Legacy high school football games
