Top 5 Football Games to Watch in West Texas This Week

Here are our top five high school football games to watch in the Concho Valley and West Texas this week:

Wall (1-0) at Brownwood (0-1)

The Wall Hawks will try to avenge their only regular-season loss last year when they travel to play Brownwood at Gordon Wood Stadium. Wall’s new spread offense was grounded last year in a 17-7 loss at home to the Lions. Wall averaged 42 points per game the rest of the year, so Brownwood was the only team that managed to slow down the Hawks like that. One year later, quarterback Landon York is operating Wall’s offense on a much higher level, so it will be interesting to see how the rematch goes. Wall opened its season last week with a 48-7 win over Mason, while Brownwood was shut out 25-0 by Abilene Wylie. Wall is ranked No. 3 in the state in Class 3A Division II. Brownwood plays in 4A Division I.

The pick: Wall 31, Brownwood 21

Brady (1-0) at Mason (0-1)

These two teams, separated by about 30 miles, revived their longtime rivalry in 2022 after it was dormant for 15 years. Mason has won each of the three meetings since then by 20 points or more every time. Even last year, when Brady had an 8-3 record, the Bulldogs still lost 47-19. Could this year be different? Brady returned seven starters on both sides of the ball, and the Bulldogs opened the season last week with a 60-0 win over San Antonio YMLA. Mason, meanwhile, brought back only two starters from last year’s 11-2 team. The Punchers have a new head coach, Wade Griffin, and a new power spread offense. They struggled last week, albeit against state power Wall, in a 48-7 loss. If ever there was a time for Brady to turn the tables in this rivalry, it could be now.

The pick: Brady 24, Mason 21

Eldorado (1-0) at Ozona (1-0)

Ozona running back Christian Villarreal ran wild last week with 371 yards and seven touchdowns on only 18 carries in the Lions’ 65-0 win over McCamey. Eldorado will have to figure out a way to slow him down. The Eagles allowed Villarreal to rush for 154 yards and a TD on 17 carries last season in a game Ozona won 28-19. The Lions returned the majority of last year’s team, including Villarreal and all five offensive linemen. Eldorado opened its season last week with a 24-14 win over Christoval. The Eagles were up 24-0 before a late Christoval rally. Eldorado has a solid defense and a capable offense, and they have the potential to give Ozona a test.

The pick: Ozona 35, Eldorado 21

May (1-0) at Richland Springs (0-1)

One week after playing the No. 1-ranked team in the state in 1A Division I, Richland Springs will host the No. 2 team in May. The Tigers jumped up two spots from No. 4 after an impressive 64-46 win over then-No. 2 Whiteface last week. Richland Springs dropped a spot to No. 4 in the 1A Division II rankings after last week’s 52-6 loss to No. 1 Gordon. The Coyotes have rarely been 45’d over the last couple of decades, and they’ll try to avoid that happening again this week. Gordon seems to be head and shoulders above the rest of the state, so this game should be more competitive.

The pick: May 58, Richland Springs 30

Garden City (1-0) at Robert Lee (1-0)

This was an entertaining matchup last year that Garden City won 68-60, and it has the chance to be another fun game. Both teams return the majority of their starters from last season, and both are off to a 1-0 start. Garden City beat Bryson 32-24 last week, while Robert Lee cruised past Loraine 52-0. Garden City’s Brody Walts scored the game-winning touchdown against Robert Lee last year with 3:06 left. He’s among Garden City’s returners, while Robert Lee brings back Brenner Sherwood, who had 460 yards of offense against Garden City last year. This game could have some fireworks. 

The pick: Robert Lee 62, Garden City 48