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

SAN ANGELO, TX — Here are our best football games to watch this week involving Concho Valley teams in the opening round of the playoffs:

Robert Lee (8-2) vs. Water Valley (9-1)

6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sterling City

We get a Concho Valley showdown to kick off the playoffs when Robert Lee and No. 9-ranked Water Valley meet at 6:30 p.m. Thursday in Sterling City. It’s a rematch of last year’s state quarterfinal in San Angelo that Water Valley won 50-28 after a goal-line stand in the third quarter prevented Robert Lee from tying the game.

These teams have played 38 times since their first meeting in 1980, and the series is tied 19-19, though Water Valley has won the last five. This will be only the second meeting in the playoffs. Most of their games have been as district rivals, though the teams were realigned into different districts last spring. 

Both of these teams graduated nearly every starter from last year’s teams, but they each reloaded and continued their winning ways. Water Valley’s only loss was against No. 5-ranked Menard. After an 0-2 start with losses to state powers Jayton and Grady, Robert Lee has won eight straight games.

Robert Lee is led by Malachi Wauqua, who has thrown for 1,274 yards and 26 touchdowns with two interceptions. He also has 1,453 rushing yards and 30 TDs. Water Valley’s engine is powered by Branson Lacy, who has compiled an eye-popping 2,572 rushing yards and 56 TDs in nine games. He also has 1,437 passing yards with 23 TDs and two INTs.

This is a dream first-round matchup for six-man football fans in our area. Unless Robert Lee finds a way to slow down Lacy, however, it’s hard to envision the Steers pulling off the upset.

The pick: Water Valley 54, Robert Lee 38

Ballinger (7-3) vs. New Home (6-4)

7 p.m. Friday, Ballinger 

Win or lose, there’s a good chance you’re in for an exciting game with the Ballinger Bearcats. They’ve had five games this year decided by seven points or less. They’ve had a penchant for second-half rallies with three comeback wins, but they ended the season with back-to-back one-point heartbreakers against Sonora and Ozona. Those dropped them from a potential district title to the No. 3 seed.

Ballinger found some good luck, however, when it came time to flip a coin regarding their playoff opener. Head coach Bryan Gayoso rolled the dice and hit it big with two victories — getting a Friday game instead of Thursday (which New Home wanted since it was coming off a bye), and having the game on Ballinger’s home field.

The Bearcats have had some injuries, including to standout lineman Josh Martinez, who missed the regular-season finale against Ozona. They’ll hope to get him back, along with a couple other key players. Either way, they’ll be a dangerous No. 3 seed for anyone to contend with. They’ve scored 34.6 points per game and have shown they’re not an easy team to put away. Wyatt Clemens has emerged as one of the area’s top quarterbacks, and Hunter Kresta has solidified his status as one of the best wide receivers and defensive backs.

New Home finished as the No. 2 seed from its district. The Leopards have an edge in playoff experience as they went three rounds deep last year, while Ballinger missed out on the postseason in 2025. New Home played in the state semifinals in 2022, one of three 10-win seasons for the Leopards in the last five years. New Home has scored only 19.8 points per game, but the Leopards have allowed just 19.7.

This will be a tough first-round draw for Ballinger, but the Bearcats have been one of our area’s biggest surprises. With the game at Bearcat Stadium, which will surely be an electric atmosphere, we think Ballinger finds a way to get it done one more time.

The pick: Ballinger 28, New Home 27

San Angelo Central (5-5) vs. El Paso Eastwood (8-2)

7:30 p.m. Friday, El Paso Eastwood

The Central Bobcats will be the underdog when they make the long haul to El Paso to take on Eastwood. The Troopers have the better record, home-field advantage and are lighting up the scoreboard with nearly 47 points per game. The Bobcats may have the best player on the field, however, with Zey Johnson.

Central’s star running back gives the Bobcats a puncher’s chance to pull off the upset. He has rushed for 1,753 yards and 21 touchdowns on 256 carries — an average of 6.8 yards per carry. If Johnson can churn out yardage and the Bobcats can control the clock, they could tilt the game in their favor. If Eastwood loads up the box and slows Johnson down, can Central’s passing offense do enough to win the game? Quarterback Micah Smith has thrown for 1,615 yards and 17 TDs with 15 INTs while completing 54% of his passes. His top wideout, Gavin Johnson, has 52 catches for 638 yards and 11 TDs. No one else has more than 28 catches, so this simply isn’t a high-flying offense. The Bobcats are built around Johnson, who needs to deliver a big performance.

Eastwood has a much more balanced attack with a QB, Kingston Jeffries, who has thrown for 2,014 yards and 23 TDs with eight INTs while completing 66% of his passes. He has a game-breaking WR in Jordan Nava, who has 58 catches for 1,004 yards and 11 TDs. The Troopers also have a capable running game with Matthew Ramirez, who has 180 carries for 1,358 yards and 16 TDs. Eastwood has won eight or more games in five of the last six seasons, so this is an established program. The Troopers beat Central 61-49 when they had their only meeting in the opening round of the 2022 playoffs. 

Unless Johnson runs wild — and the Bobcats’ defense plays its best game of the year —  it’s hard to picture Central finding a way to win this game.

The pick: Eastwood 42, Central 28

Blackwell (8-2) vs. Cherokee (9-1)

6:30 p.m. Friday, Menard

We have a Top 10 matchup when No. 9 Blackwell clashes with No. 2 Cherokee. This seems way too early for a matchup like this, but that’s just the way it goes in the six-man ranks sometimes. No. 2 Cherokee was the runner-up from its district, because it shares a district with No. 1 Richland Springs. So Blackwell, despite being a district champion, was going to get a difficult first-round opponent no matter what.

After a 1-2 start to the year, Blackwell has won seven games in a row. The Hornets’ losses were to Aspermont (64-36) and Robert Lee (87-62). Their best wins were over Veribest (96-63) and Highland (62-40). Slade Wilkinson and Rennder Gardenhire are a 1-2 punch on offense for Blackwell, while Craig Guelker and Braydon Clayborn are part of a defense that allowed only 26 points in four district games.

Cherokee began this season ranked No. 1 in the state, but the Indians were overtaken by Richland Springs in a 76-52 setback. Cherokee largely cruised otherwise with only two wins that weren’t by the 45-point mercy rule — 56-41 over Rocksprings and 76-50 over Iredell.

This is Blackwell’s first winning season since 2022. Cherokee, meanwhile, has advanced past the first round of the playoffs for six straight years, and the Indians’ experience could be the difference in this matchup

The pick: Cherokee 62, Blackwell 44

Sonora (8-2) vs. New Deal (6-4)

6:30 p.m. Friday, Colorado City

After an undisputed district-title run, the Sonora Broncos open their postseason against a New Deal that is the No. 4 seed from its district. The Lions could be a sneaky fourth-place qualifier as they began this season 5-1 and were competitive in losses to their district’s second- and third-place team.

Sonora’s playoff hopes will largely rest on the arm of QB Aaron Segura, who has been an absolute gunslinger this season with 3,827 passing yards and 38 TDs while completing 66% of his throws. He has also tossed 18 INTs, but when you’ve racked up 365 attempts in 10 games, that’s going to happen. The Broncos also don’t have a strong rushing attack to rely on. Armani Coronado has 615 rushing yards and seven TDs, but he has only had an average of 12 carries per game, and nobody else has more than 188 yards. Sonora has a handful of weapons in the passing game, notably wide receivers Wyatt Killough (68 catches, 1,225 yards, 14 TDs) and Jayden Welborn (58-949, 11 TDs).

New Deal is built much differently than Sonora as the Lions do most of their damage on the ground, led by Jax Malone with 153 carries for 788 yards and nine TDs. QB Jackson Attebury has thrown for only 852 yards on 129 attempts with six TDs and four INTs. He has completed 48% of his passes.

New Deal is a program with a strong tradition that includes 13 seasons with double-digit wins since 2000. They reached the third round of the playoffs as recently as 2023. Sonora also has a history of success and hasn’t missed the playoffs since 2008. The Broncos also reached the third round of the playoffs in 2023, and they seem positioned for their best playoff run since then.

The pick: Sonora 36, New Deal 24

Other First-Round Playoff Games

• San Angelo Lake View (4-6) vs. Decatur (9-1), 7 p.m. Friday, Mineral Wells
• Wall (9-1) vs. Bowie (5-5), 6 p.m. Friday, Cisco
• Grape Creek (2-8) vs. Jacksboro (9-1), 7 p.m. Thursday, Brownwood
• Forsan (8-2) vs. Abernathy (2-8), 7 p.m. Friday, Seminole
• Ozona (5-5) vs. Post (9-1), 7 p.m. Thursday, Ratliff Stadium, Odessa
• Mason (10-0) vs. Itasca (5-5), 7 p.m. Thursday, Joseph Searles III Stadium, Killeen
• San Saba (7-3) vs. Valley Mills (7-3), 7 p.m. Friday, Joseph Searles III Stadium, Killeen
• Bangs (5-5) vs. Axtell (10-0), 7 p.m. Thursday, Clifton
• Eldorado (3-7) vs. Roscoe (5-5), 7 p.m. Friday, San Angelo Stadium
• Miles (5-5) vs. Santo (9-1), 7 p.m. Thursday, Dublin
• Junction (8-2) vs. Bartlett (7-3), 7 p.m. Friday, Buda
• Rankin (8-2) vs. Klondike (7-3), 6 p.m. Thursday, Grady
• Menard (10-0) vs. Highland (7-3), 7 p.m. Thursday, Blackwell
• Rocksprings (6-4) vs. Marfa (5-4), 6 p.m. Thursday, Balmorhea
• Panther Creek (5-5) vs. Richland Springs (9-1), 7:30 p.m. Friday, Valera