Top 5 Playoff Football Games to Watch in West Texas This Week

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

Ozona (10-0) vs. Anson (7-3)

Ozona’s perfect season — and Christian Villarreal’s pursuit of the state rushing record — will be put on the line when the Lions open their playoff run at 7 p.m. Friday against Anson in Big Spring. Though Ozona is the No. 1 seed from its district, the Lions have a difficult first-round matchup against Anson, which is one of the tougher No. 4 seeds you’ll find. The Tigers began the season 5-0 and have only lost to Hawley (39-28), Stamford (28-21) and Cisco (35-14). Ozona was only tested twice during the regular season in wins over Brady (46-32) and Forsan (46-40). Every other win was by 40 points or more. Ozona is now shooting for its first playoff win since 2019. In addition to the Lions’ team goals, they also have a shot at history as Villarreal has 3,505 rushing yards, leaving him 540 yards short of the Texas single-season rushing record, which was set in 1953 by Sugar Land’s Kenneth Hall. Ideally, Ozona will get a big game from Villarreal, which will lead to a playoff win and put him within striking distance of the record next week. But it won’t come easy against Anson.

The pick: Ozona 36, Anson 29

San Angelo Lake View (7-3) vs. Lampasas (8-2)

The Lake View Chiefs will try to win their first playoff game since 2018 when they host Lampasas at 7 p.m. Thursday at San Angelo Stadium. Lake View narrowly missed a chance last week to win its first district title in 21 years with a 35-28 loss to Andrews. The defeat also dropped the Chiefs to the No. 2 seed from their district, giving them a first-round matchup with No. 3 seed Lampasas. A matchup with a 3-7 Burnet team would have been preferable — even though Lake View lost 46-36 to Burnet last month — but the Chiefs should still have a chance to win this game. If they’re going to pull it off, however, they must find a way to stop the run, which has been the team’s biggest weakness. Lampasas has two running backs with more than 800 rushing yards, KJ Reed (963) and Wesley Stephens (806). Quarterback Bryson Roberts has thrown for 1,531 yards and 22 TDs with 10 INTs. For the Badgers, they’ll need to slow down a Lake View offense averaging nearly 46 points per game. The Chiefs are led by QB Chris Alvizo with 2,678 passing yards and 36 TDs with 9 INTs. Running back Izaiah Rios has 1,468 rushing yards and 19 TDs, along with 29 catches for 312 yards and three TDs. This has the potential to be a great game if Lake View can rise to the challenge.

The pick: Lampasas 38, Lake View 35

San Angelo Central (7-3) vs. El Paso Pebble Hills (7-3)

The Central Bobcats are back in the playoffs and looking for their first trophy since 2017. The Bobcats and Spartans will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday at Ratliff Stadium in Odessa. Central picked up two wins last week — one in a 52-16 blowout of Frenship to secure third place in district, and another when Amarillo High had to forfeit its Week 2 victory due to an ineligible player. The Bobcats are rolling into this matchup on a three-game winning streak, while Pebble Hills is coming off a 28-15 loss to El Paso Franklin. Spartans QB Joe Fernandez has thrown for 1,719 yards and 21 TDs with five INTs. They have a balanced rushing attack that has produced 1,738 yards. Pebble Hills has a defense that has allowed only 16 points per game, with an offense that has scored 30 points per contest. Central is averaging nearly 36 points, but the Bobcats have given up 27 per game. This should be a close game, but we’re giving Central the edge.

The pick: Central 27, Pebble Hills 24

Robert Lee (9-1) vs. Ira (8-2)

This is a Top 10 matchup to open the playoffs in Class 1A Division I between No. 6-ranked Robert Lee and No. 10 Ira at 7 p.m. Friday in Sterling City. It’s also a rematch from Week 3 when Robert Lee beat Ira 60-14. The Bulldogs haven’t lost since, reeling off seven straight wins. Their only other loss came in their season opener with a 36-16 defeat against Jayton, the No. 1-ranked team in 1A D-II. Robert Lee’s only setback came in a 67-30 loss to No. 2 Water Valley. Robert Lee is led by spread back Brenner Sherwood, who has 1,536 rushing yards and 38 touchdowns, while throwing for 1,112 yards and 16 TDs with two interceptions on 70-of-102 passing. The Steers may not be able to earn another 45-point win this time, but they’re obviously still the favorite.

The pick: Robert Lee 64, Ira 38

Grape Creek (6-4) vs. Crane (6-4)

The Grape Creek Eagles have an opportunity to win their program’s first-ever playoff trophy when they take on Crane at 7 p.m. Friday in Big Lake. The Eagles have been to the playoffs on three other occasions — and they tied for a district title in 2021 — but they’ve yet to break through with a postseason win since the school opened its doors in 1998. There’s reason to believe this could be the year, and it begins with Grape Creek’s running game, led by Darrell West, who is coming off a 294-yard performance against Merkel. Grape Creek’s offense is averaging 32 points per game, while its defense is allowing 20 points. The Eagles lost 42-26 to Crane in this round last year. The Golden Cranes are a solid program that hasn’t posted a losing season since 2017, but Grape Creek has been building toward this moment for some time, and we think the Eagles make school history Friday.

The pick: Grape Creek 30, Crane 20

BONUS GAME

Eldorado (6-4) vs. Tahoka (6-4)

There were too many good matchups this week to settle on just five, so we’re adding this battle of 6-4 teams at 7 p.m. Friday in Sweetwater. Eldorado earned the No. 2 seed out of its district after finishing as the runner-up behind Wink. The big moment came back in Week 7 when the Eagles upset Iraan 45-42, erasing a 20-point deficit. Tahoka is the No. 3 seed from its district. The Bulldogs won two playoff games last year, including a 46-19 win over Eldorado in this same round, but the playoff seeds were flipped as Tahoka was a No. 2 and Eldorado was a No. 3. This looks like a competitive matchup, but we think Eldorado finds a way to win its first playoff game since 2021.

The pick: Eldorado 22, Tahoka 21

You can find the playoff schedule for all of Concho Valley’s football teams here.