HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Picking the perfect weekly coverage plan for the 2022 season

Looked at the calendar lately?

Football two-a-days start in three weeks from Monday. And while the heat is just starting to pound on us, summer vacation is over for those of us whose livelihoods revolve around the pigskin.

The TRN Sports staff, comprised of myself and freelancers Zach Duncan and Cory Hogue, has already started working on our preview stories, featuring the area’s teams, players and coaches. Those stories will start rolling out Aug. 1.

More information about that schedule and this year’s coverage plan once two-a-days start.

For now, let’s take a week-by-week look at the 2022 schedule.

Below I have outlined my ideal coverage plan, featuring the game(s) I would cover in a perfect world where travel and the demands of my job would allow it.

Once upon a time, when we were a four-man staff with three full-time writers out covering a game each week, I chose to travel to the best out-of-town WFISD matchup. I love the part of this job that allows me to travel.

I enjoy being on the road, pretending to be a rock star in my car and finding great new places to eat.

Now that I’m the only full-time sports writer on staff, it’s inconvenient to travel too far for a regular-season game. After a game, I come home and work until 3 or 4 a.m. trying to get the stats and stories from games we didn’t cover in for the paper. Typically, that process takes until noon Saturday.

All that to say, most of my Friday nights are spent at Memorial Stadium. I’m not complaining. I still get paid to cover football, and I’ll never gripe about having Texas Roadhouse’s beef tips while doing my job.

But I miss my time on the road.

That’s the fun part of this column for me, imagining what my travel schedule would be like under different circumstances.

Here is my perfect coverage plan, including where I would choose to eat if I were to actually travel to these games. If the game listed is at Memorial Stadium, no restaurant is listed. Beef tips sound good to me.

WEEK 1

Thursday – Hirschi vs. Clint, 7 p.m. at Midland Greenwood

Friday – Rider vs. WFHS, 7 p.m.

Saturday – Knox City vs. Strawn, 5:30 p.m. at Jayton

On the radar – Iowa Park at Holliday, Bowie at Graham, Windthorst at Henrietta, City View at Vernon, Jacksboro at Breckenridge, Archer City at Quanah, Alvord at Olney

What’s for dinner – (Thursday) La Mision; (Saturday) Hickman’s in Aspermont

The season starts with a must-see week filled with a couple long road trips out west. But I’ve never hesitated for a return to Midland.

And any chance to see Hirschi play this season warrants the mileage.

The Huskies are one of the best teams in the state at the Class 4A Division II level. Heck, they’d be one of the best teams in the state in Class 4A Division I, too. A neutral site matchup with Clint at Ranger Stadium will feel more like a tune-up.

This is the same team Hirschi beat 53-19 in the second round of last season’s playoffs. The final score should be similar, if not more lopsided in the Huskies’ favor.

This is also a chance to eat at what has become one of my favorite Mexican food restaurants, La Mision. Very good food and great cocktails, not that I indulge much before a game.

Friday night brings the first non-district matchup between Rider and Old High since 1997. It’s strange for it to be a Week 1 matchup, but it’s always the top priority regardless of when it’s scheduled. And that includes over another great rivalry matchup between Iowa Park and Holliday.

Knox City has been the strongest and most consistent six-man program in the area for the past five seasons. The Greyhounds open with a neutral site matchup against defending Class A Division II champion Strawn, which will be without its best two players from that team. This sounds like a strong six-man matchup worth the drive.

And I’d choose a new restaurant along the way. I don’t know much about Hickman’s other than positive reviews and a delicious looking chicken fried steak. Count me in.

WEEK 2

Thursday – Brock at Hirschi

Friday – Holliday at Jim Ned

On the radar – Rider at Decatur, Hereford at WFHS, Graham at Springtown, Boyd at Jacksboro, Olney at Petrolia, Anson at Archer City, Seymour at Lindsay, Knox City at Motley County

What’s for dinner – (Friday) Belle’s Chicken House in Abilene

Hirschi opens the season with consecutive Thursday night matchups. This scheduling has Antonio Wiley’s fingerprints all over it. He put it together before leaving the Huskies for Coppell and loved Thursday night matchups.

If Clint was a tune-up, Brock is a measuring stick. The Eagles are a perennial Class 3A Division I state title contender. And they’re not foreign to traveling to Wichita County for a tough matchup. They’ve played at Iowa Park in recent seasons.

This will be one of the biggest matchups in the state, and I expect it will get some DCTF attention with it being on a Friday.

While Friday night is filled with intriguing matchups, Holliday playing Jim Ned is too good to pass up. As you’ll see in this column, Holliday coach Frank Johnson has put together an impressive schedule, trying to get his team ready for another deep playoff run.

And Jim Ned is just two seasons removed from a Class 3A Division I state title.

As for my dinner spot, I love fried chicken. Perhaps the only food I like more than fried chicken is peanut butter. If you’ve eaten at and enjoyed the better-known Babe’s Chicken, you would love Belle’s. The experience is similar, although I prefer Belle’s a little more.

WEEK 3

Friday – Lubbock Coronado at Rider

On the radar – Hirschi at Springtown, Iowa Park at Burkburnett, Graham at Glen Rose, Bowie at Henrietta, Muenster at Windthorst, May at Knox City, Saint Jo at Crowell

The first week without a Thursday night game but there’s no way I’m leaving town with Lubbock Coronado coming to Memorial Stadium to play Rider.

While DCTF has Coronado missing the playoffs out of the deep District 2-5A Division I, I think they’re underrated the Mustangs a bit. They’ve got a legit quarterback with top notch receivers. The Raiders will have their hands full slowing that offense down.

But I think the same is true for Coronado with Rider’s offense. With Jack Pitts back at quarterback and Anquan Willis returning at running back, this offense is capable of putting a lot of points on the board.

Of the week’s other choices, Muenster at Windthorst is probably second on the list, but Springtown provides a solid test for Hirschi, too. There is a problem with covering a game in Springtown. The press box at the stadium was poorly designed, and media doesn’t get a seat in it. They do provide outdoor accommodations, but perhaps I’ve gotten a bit spoiled in my career to avoid this type of scenario unless I absolutely must.

WEEK 4

Thursday – WFHS at Canyon Randall

Friday – Rider at Lubbock-Cooper

On the radar – Iowa Park at Graham, Burkburnett at Bowie, Holliday at Childress, Henrietta at City View, Jacksboro at Cisco, Seymour at Quanah, Knox City vs. Rankin at Hermleigh

What’s for dinner – (Thursday) Coyote Bluff Café in Amarillo; (Friday) Rejino Barbecue in Olton

A trip into the Panhandle has never scared me. I have great friends who live in Amarillo and Canyon, plus my parents and sister’s family live in Lubbock.

Old High and Randall went 2-2 against each other as district foes the past four years. I’m glad this series is continuing, and it’s remaining a Thursday night matchup despite the brutal travel.

Amarillo and Canyon both have great restaurants to choose from, but I’m going with a classic in grabbing a great no-frills burger at Coyote Bluff. Cash or check only, though. It’s the rare place that still doesn’t take credit card, although there is an ATM nearby.

If you’d rather eat in Canyon, I’d recommend Feldman’s Wrong Way Diner. I’ve been there several times and never left disappointed.

Speaking of recent series I’m happy to see continue, Rider and Lubbock-Cooper are at the top of that list. These two have played eight times in the past four years and one has represented Region I-5A Division II in the state semifinals every season during that span.

Lubbock-Cooper made the move to 5A Division I and has the feel of a contender in a tough region. And Rider remains one of the top two favorites in 5A Division II with classification newcomer Argyle.

As for food, Lubbock also has plenty of options, but if I was making the drive from Amarillo to Lubbock, I’d detour to Olton. I have not had Rejino Barbecue, but the tastebuds of some trusted friends scream about it being some of the best in the state. Texas Monthly ranks it in the top 50, too. That’s enough for me.

Holliday’s matchup at Childress is a very close second to Rider-Cooper, though. That is one of the best 3A non-district matchups in the state.

WEEK 5

Friday – Rider at Stephenville

On the radar – WFHS at Iowa Park, Petrolia at Electra, Vernon at Burkburnett, Henrietta at Jacksboro, Knox City at Crowell

What’s for dinner – Hard Eight BBQ

During last season, I listed the top five opponents I wanted to see Rider, WFHS and Hirschi play during the programs’ final two years of existence.

Rider coach Marc Bindel joked that he used my column as a checklist. He did at least schedule the top two on it. Lubbock-Cooper was No. 1.

Stephenville was No. 2.

The Yellow Jackets just won the Class 4A Division I state title. While they lost some key players to graduation, DCTF still ranks Stephenville No. 1 in the state, predicting a successful defense of that state title.

This is typical strong non-district scheduling by Rider. The Raiders will be well-tested by the time district arrives.

As for eats, I haven’t been to many restaurants in Stephenville, and I’m sure I’d be referred to others by locals. But I like Hard Eight. It’s good smoked meat that I always order too much of because you’re picking it straight off the smoker as you walk by.

But I’ve rarely let barbecue leftovers go to waste.

WEEK 6

Thursday – Graham at WFHS

Friday – Decatur at Hirschi

On the radar – Stamford at Olney, Seymour at Archer City, Holliday at Snyder, Windthorst vs. Bremond at Aledo, Saint Jo at Knox City, Hermleigh at Throckmorton

This week’s “dream coverage plan” is also exactly where I will be. And this scenario actually holds true for most week during the remainder of the season.

There’s been a lot of clamoring for a Graham-WFHS regular-season matchup for the past few seasons. It’s finally come to fruition. This is a quality test for both programs.

Then Hirschi hosts a former district rival in Decatur. The Huskies are the more talented team on paper, and the Eagles have a new head coach. Regardless, Decatur is always a measuring stick for this program given how long it took Hirschi to finally get a win against the Eagles.

WEEK 7

Friday – Abilene Cooper at Rider

On the radar – Hirschi at Graham, Breckenridge at Iowa Park, Jim Ned at Bowie, Eastland at Jacksboro, City View at Henrietta, Olney at Cisco, Nocona at Whitewright

Is this the District 2-5A Division II championship game?

That’s the thought of most experts. Plus, the first game I covered as a TRN Sports writer was Rider at Abilene Cooper. It was cancelled due to lightning in the third quarter with Rider leading and driving, although Todd Moebes, Cooper’s coach at the time, disputed the game didn’t count. Everywhere you look eight years later, it’s counted as a win for Rider and loss for Cooper.

Regardless, these two programs played great football against each other for four straight seasons from 2011-14. There’s no way I’d miss this series rekindling.

Not even for the chance to eat at Vetoni’s in Graham, which I consider some of the best Italian food in the area.

WEEK 8

Thursday – Abilene Wylie at Rider

Friday – Decatur at WFHS

On the radar – Graham at Snyder, Iowa Park at Bowie, Henrietta at Holliday, Quanah at Clarendon

Another weekend at Memorial Stadium, eating my fill of beef tips and mashed potatoes.

Rider hosts Wylie in another key District 2-5A Division II matchup. Wylie pushed the Raiders last season, and some from Abilene see this as a bad-blood game. Rider scored a late touchdown despite having a win in hand, covering itself in case of a points tiebreaker. There were reports of Wylie parents who got on the field and took some steps toward the Rider sideline after the game.

Reality should have set in that Rider wasn’t piling on, but some people can’t understand reason. I’m not saying something bad is going to happen when the Bulldogs visit Memorial Stadium. But there could still be feelings of animosity.

On Friday, Old High makes its bid as a District 4-4A Division I title contender against Decatur. If the Coyotes want to win a district title, the Eagles and Springtown stand in their way.

WEEK 9

Friday – Archer City at Windthorst

On the radar – WFHS at Burkburnett, Snyder at Hirschi, Sweetwater at Graham, Callisburg at Henrietta, Olney at Hawley, Tioga at Nocona

What’s for dinner – Zeke’s BBQ

Easy choice.

Archer City and Windthorst remains the area’s top overall rivalry across multiple sports. Not every Rider-Old High matchup is a must-see in every sport the two athletic programs engage.

The same cannot be said about Archer City and Windthorst, especially with the Trojans’ lengthy win streak on the football field. And the Wildcats coming so close to ending that streak multiple times in recent seasons.

Also, I haven’t had Zeke’s BBQ in far too long. I grade it the best barbecue in the area. But usually when I go through Windthorst, Zeke’s is closed.

I’d have to get to Windthorst before noon, beat the lunch rush and visit a couple old friends at their dairy farms. It’s been a few years since I spent a day in Windthorst.

WEEK 10

Friday – Windthorst at Seymour

On the radar – Hirschi at Sweetwater, Graham at Midland Greenwood, Breckenridge at Bowie, City View at Holliday, Valley at Knox City, Golf-Burg at Newcastle

What’s for dinner – Long Branch Roadhouse

Fun fact. Back when we were a full TRN Sports staff, there were only two regular-season football games I covered that weren’t played by teams by WFISD. The first was City View at Holliday.

The second was Windthorst at Seymour. I covered both of those matchups twice.

And the last time I went to Seymour, I couldn’t rave about the hospitality enough. It was great. So, I wouldn’t hesitate to return and see what could be a district title matchup. Although Archer City wants a say in that.

I’m putting a new restaurant on my dinner list. Reviews are great for Long Branch. Looks like a quality rib eye, and it’s not too far from the stadium.

WEEK 11

Thursday – Springtown at WFHS

Friday – Midland Greenwood at Hirschi

On the radar – Jim Ned at Iowa Park, Holliday at Callisburg, Alvord at Nocona, Knox City at Spur, Crowell at Benjamin

The final week of the regular season keeps me at Memorial Stadium with two prime matchups. Greenwood may be Hirschi’s biggest challenge for the District 3-4A Division II title.

And Springtown is the favorite to win District 4-4A Division I. If Old High beats Decatur, the Coyotes could be playing for their first district title since 2003.

Of course, there’s a lot of ifs and buts to get through before the first regular-season game is played, must less Week 11 which is played in November.

But just like the start of two-a-day practices have crept up on us quickly, so will cooler weather and, more importantly, playoff football.

This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: 2022 weekly high school football schedule for Wichita Falls area