WALL, TX — As noted philosopher Ric Flair often said, ‘If you want to be the man, you’ve got to beat the man.’
When it comes to Region I in Texas high school football, Canadian is the man.
Since 2014, the Wildcats have won the region all but one time. Jumping up to 3A in 2016 didn’t change a thing.
Wall knows this fact all too well. The Hawks have lost in the regional final to Canadian the last two years.
The two teams will meet for the regional title again when they play at 6 p.m. Friday at Lubbock’s Patriots Stadium.
“They are such a tough, proud program. We have all the respect in the world for them. We’re hoping the third time’s the charm,” Wall head coach Craig Slaughter said. “We’ve told our kids for weeks now that at this point in the season, nobody cares what you’ve done or who’ve you beat. Each week, you have to go prove yourselves, and Canadian’s quite the measuring stick because of the success they’ve had. It’s unmatched in West Texas and really unheard of.
“We know we have a tough task at hand. We’ve kind of had this date circled in our head with this football team for a long time, knowing we had a great chance to be in this game against them.”
In terms of ranking and record, Wall is the favorite. The Hawks are ranked No. 4 and have a 12-1 record, while unranked Canadian is 10-3.
But Canadian has the title belt until Wall takes it away.
The Wildcats had a rough start this year with a 3-3 record in nondistrict play against a strong slate of opponents. Their losses were to Bushland (42-21), Sunray (30-20) and Shallowater (49-27).
Canadian hasn’t lost since, though the Wildcats had a scare last week when Idalou rallied from a 27-0 deficit before losing 27-21 when a fourth-and-goal pass was intercepted.
Wall also had a stacked nondistrict schedule — which included a 33-10 win over Idalou. The Hawks’ only loss was back in Week 2 against Brownwood (17-7).
Wall hasn’t been tested in its playoff run, which included a 56-21 win last week against Littlefield. The Hawks stifled a Littlefield offense that was averaging 49 points per game.
“It definitely was a tough challenge. Those guys are crazy up tempo, and their quarterback (Chip Green) is as good of a player as we’ve played all year,” Slaughter said. “We had a couple busted coverages in our secondary, but overall I thought the kids did a good job.”
Wall's Ethan Michalewicz is picked up by Ben Taylor after a touchdown against Idalou on Friday, Oct. 4, 2024.
Landon York threw for 300 yards and five touchdown passes to five different receivers, while Thomas Leanos added 230 rushing yards and two long TD runs.
Briggs Jones had six catches for 143 yards and a TD, along with a punt return for a TD.
The win came with a cost, however, as Lane Stansberry was injured when he fell on the football after scoring the game’s first TD on a goal-line grab.
Wall's Lane Stansberry catches a touchdown pass against Littlefield during the Hawks' 56-21 win in their Class 3A Division II regional semifinal playoff game Friday, Nov. 29, 2024, at Sweetwater's Mustang Bowl.
Stansberry is questionable for this week’s game, Slaughter said.
Stansberry is a versatile player for the Hawks. He’s a 6-foot-5 target at receiver, an imposing presence on the defensive line and a reliable kicker.
Ben Taylor and Dylan Sellers rotated in to help take Stansberry’s place on the defensive line. Freshman Tyler Klinesmith stepped in at kicker and went 8-for-8 on extra points.
“Going into the game, he probably didn’t know if he was even going to touch the field, and then he was a smooth 8-for-8 on PATs, and he handled kickoffs. So that was a great job by that kid,” Slaughter said.
Canadian won this matchup 45-10 in 2022, followed by a 31-12 victory last year, so Wall hasn’t been particularly close yet.
This year, however, feels different. Wall’s new spread offense has exceeded expectations, and the Hawks have their usual dominant defense.
Wall hasn’t advanced past this round since 2016, when they lost in the state semifinals to eventual champ Mineola.
The winner of this matchup will move on to the 3A Division II state semifinals against the winner of Holliday and back-to-back defending state champ Gunter.
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