West Plains earns first ever district win with 52-7 victory over Levelland
It seems like every game for the West Plains Wolves this year is marked with firsts. Being a first-year school, that's only natural. The 52-7 victory they earned over the Levelland Lobos at Happy State Bank Stadium on Thursday, though, was perhaps the most important first yet: First district win.
After fighting valiantly against district favorite Seminole last week in a 38-28 loss, the Wolves turned in their most dominant effort of the season against the Lobos. The victory moved West Plains to 4-4 overall, but it also made it 1-1 in District 2-4A Division II.
Any and all wins are crucial for a first-year program, but to move themselves above Levelland in the chase for a playoff spot is monumental.
"Every first that we can put to the side, I think, alleviates a little bit of pressure and angst," West Plains coach Adam Cummings said. "Any time you can say, 'alright we got our first district loss or first district win,' we can say that we've done that, been there and now we can move on."
A 4-yard touchdown run by Jordi Hernandez got things started in the first quarter, but the second quarter is when the Wolves began to put the Lobos away.
After a 33-yard field goal by Joseph Estrada early on, Hernandz punched it in from 1-yard out with 4:43 until the midway point. Quarterback Reid Macon hit Trae Ferril for a 39-yard touchdown pass 90 seconds later and Macon added a 19-yard scoring strike to King Tallant with just eight ticks before halftime.
That made it 31-0 West Plains.
"Our whole team did a great job," Macon said. "I've got to give credit to the O-line. They did a great job giving Jordi time to run. ... The receivers caught the ball well. Credit to the O-line for doing their job well."
The Wolves didn't let up in the second half. They marched down the field on the first possession of the third quarter and ended the trip with a one-yard plunge by Hernandez. The onslaught of scoring came to an end with back-to-back plays later in the quarter. Blaine Henry scored on a 33-yard touchdown run and Levelland muffed the ensuing kickoff which was recovered in the end zone by Isaac Gonzalez for the score to make it 52-0.
Credit the Lobos for never surrendering. They fought throughout and managed to avoid the shutout with a 1-yard touchdown run by Kysen Niblett in the fourth quarter, even after a running clock had been initiated for some time.
"I just tell (the players) that's how life works sometimes," Levelland coach Lyle Leong said. "It doesn't always go how you want it to, but how you respond is what makes a good team. It's what makes you able to bounce back."
So long as the Wolves finish above Levelland in the district standings, they'll be heading to the playoffs in their first year of existence. They aren't satisfied with just being in the postseason, however, as they'll seek a likely second-place finish in district behind Seminole.
To get there, West Plains will have to beat Perryton next week.
While the Rangers have a losing record on the season, they've had a brutal non-district schedule which included games against Stratford, Canadian and Dumas. Perryton is battle tested and the Wolves plan to be ready for the challenge.
"We've seen film of Perryton just from scouting other teams and I can promise you our kids aren't going to take them lightly," Cummings said. "Perryton's good. They've had a really tough non-district schedule and they've been battle tested just like we have. ... There's no one taking them for granted."
WPHS 52, LHS 7
LHS 0 0 0 7 -- 7
WP 7 24 21 0 -- 52
First Quarter
WP- Jordi Hernandez 4 run (Joseph Estrada kick) 3:31
Second Quarter
WP- Estrada 33 kick 10:23
WP- Hernandez 1 run (Estrada kick) 4:37
WP- Trae Ferril 39 pass from Reid Macon (Estrada kick) 3:11
WP- King Tallant 19 pass from Macon (Estrada kick) 0:08
Third Quarter
WP- Hernandez 1 run (Estrada kick) 9:31
WP- Blaine Henry 33 run (Estrada kick) 7:26
WP- Isaac Gonzalez fumble recovery (Estrada kick) 7:07
Fourth Quarter
Levelland- Kysen Niblett 1 run (Marco Guillen kick) 9:29
TEAM STATISTICS
LHS WP
First downs 5 19
Rushes-yards 21-45 41-292
Passing yards 45 175
Comp.-att.-int 5-13-0 9-15-0
Punts-avg. 8-31.13 1-27.0
Fumbles-lost 2-0 0-0
Penalties-yards 5-27 8-60
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING
West Plains- Jordi Hernandez 21-114, Reid Macon 5-54, Blaine Henry 7-55, Kaden Hooker 1-11, Isaac Gonzales 7-58
Levelland- Ladarian Jordan 3-16, Marco Guillen 11-12, Rusty Johnson 4-10, Zameron Lecroy 1-7, Isaiah Avendano 1-(-1), Kysen Niblett 1-1
PASSING
West Plain- Reid Macon 9-15-0 175
Levelland- Rusty Johnson-3-10-0 11, Isaiah Avendano 2-3-0 34
RECEIVING
WP- King Tallant, 2-23, Jordi Hernandez 1-30, Arien Bilson 1-26 Trae Fareril 3-69, Kaden Hooker 2-27
Levelland- Jayden Flores 2-20, Zameron Lecroy 3-16
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: West Plains earns first ever district win with 52-7 victory over Levelland
