SAN ANGELO, TX — Here are our top five high school football games to watch in West Texas in Week 8:
Veribest (6-1, 1-0) at Water Valley (4-2, 0-0)
Our top game to watch this week is a matchup of Tom Green County rivals that will go a long way toward determining the playoff race in District 8-1A. Veribest enters the contest on a six-game winning streak, with all of those wins coming by 45 points or more. Dating back to last year, Veribest has won 14 of its last 17 games. The Falcons missed out on the playoffs last year, however, after taking third place in their district. Defending district champion Irion County was routed by Robert Lee last week, but district newcomer Water Valley presents a new roadblock for Veribest. Veribest has defeated Water Valley only once in 14 meetings, a 105-60 win in 2016. Bryce Martin has 857 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns to lead Veribest’s offense.
Water Valley looks like an immediate contender again in its return to the six-man game this year. The Wildcats were a state quarterfinalist in 2021 before a two-year run in 11-man. Their 54-52 loss to No. 5-ranked Buena Vista in Week 4 showed what they were capable of, and they’ve since posted impressive blowouts over Rochelle (73-28) and Rankin (59-14). Water Valley has been led by quarterback Landon Lacy, running back Anthony Quintana and linebacker Boston Wiese.
The pick: Water Valley 62, Veribest 48
Hamilton (6-0, 1-0) at Ballinger (4-2, 1-0)
The Ballinger Bearcats have made tremendous strides this fall after a winless season last year. They’re off to a 4-2 start and won their District 5-2A Division I opener last week with a comfortable 33-12 victory over Bangs. Running back Aiden Pena has powered Ballinger’s offense with 127 carries for 734 yards and eight TDs. Ballinger’s defense has allowed an average of 12 points per game. Now the Bearcats will take on Hamilton, which is ranked No. 10 in the state. It is believed to be the first-ever matchup between the new district foes.
Hamilton is 6-0 and coming off a 21-14 win over Coleman. The Bulldogs went 6-5 last year and haven’t won more than seven games in a season since 2007, so they’re not accustomed to being a Top 10 team. That being said, it’s Ballinger that has less experience in big games, and that could be a factor. The Bearcats’ defense is strong enough to keep it close, however.
The pick: Hamilton 24, Ballinger 17
Brackettville (4-2, 3-0) at Junction (5-1, 2-0)
The Junction Eagles are aiming for their first district championship in 21 years, and this looks like the district-title game. These are the last two teams with undefeated District 14-2A Division II records, and all of their district wins have been by 38 points or more. Brackettville went 8-4 last year, and the Tigers were the champions of this district. Junction is a district newcomer. The Eagles returned all of their starters from a 6-5 team, and they were picked to win this district by Texas Football. Junction will need to slow down Brackettville running back Kontagious Cook, who has 55 carries for 690 yards and 16 TDs. He’s averaging over 12 yards per carry.
The pick: Junction 28, Brackettville 27
Brady (5-1, 1-0) at Eastland (3-3, 0-1)
The Brady Bulldogs have been one of the Concho Valley’s best teams this fall. After going 3-8 last year, they’re off to a 5-1 start this season and are on a four-game winning streak. Johnny Menefield (74 carries, 656 yards, 9 TDs) and Ashton Taylor (120-699, 6 TDs) have been a dynamic 1-2 punch at running back. Menefield also has a team-high 72 tackles. Brady edged winless Dublin last week 34-31 to open district play.
Eastland was also a 3-8 team last year, and the Mavericks would have already surpassed that win total if they hadn’t lost back-to-back games by one point. A 22-21 loss to No. 5-ranked Hawley was particularly impressive, but a 14-13 setback against Clifton last week has the Mavericks sitting with an 0-1 record in district play. This is looking like a wide-open district race behind 2023 state finalist Tolar.
The pick: Eastland 21, Brady 20
Grape Creek (3-4, 1-0) at Stanton (3-2, 0-0)
The Grape Creek Eagles shook up the District 4-3A Division II race last week with a 34-20 win over Coahoma, which was picked as the district runner-up by Texas Football. Now Grape Creek will try to build off that win on the road against Stanton. Sire Garcia led Grape Creek last week with three rushing TDs and a pair of two-point conversions. Stanton is coming off back-to-back bye weeks. Both of these teams have already won more games than last year, and this is a big opportunity for both programs to gain some more traction and make a big for a playoff spot.
The pick: Grape Creek 28, Stanton 24
Editor's note: This file is dedicated to the small-school teams in our coverage area and does not include San Angelo Central and San Angelo Lake View, which get their own game preview stories each week.
More football coverage
Subscribe to the LIVE! Daily
Required
Post a comment to this article here: