Horton’s Weekly Picks are back for the 2026 high school football season! Each week, Eric Horton will make his selections from games across West Texas and beyond, covering everything from the larger classifications to six-man football. Week 1 features plenty of intriguing matchups, including several Top 25 showdowns and local games involving Brownfield, Meadow, and Wellman-Union.
There are already some great matchups in Week 1.
North Crowley and 6A newcomer and powerhouse Aledo will face off in a 6A Top-25 battle. N. Crowley is #4 in the state, and Aledo, since moving up, has found itself in some uncharted territory at #16. Should be a great game, and Aledo will bring all they have to prove they belong with the bigger boys! I’ve got N. Crowley.
A lot of folks don’t like to hear the name of the school I’m about to say: “Brock.” Yep, Brock left 3A and kept dominating in 4A. Springtown and Brock sit about 29 miles apart, with Springtown on the northeastern side of Parker County and Brock on the southwestern side. Springtown is 4A Div. I and #3, and Brock is 4A Div. 2, #6. Since Springtown is almost twice the size and is ranked a bit higher, I’ve got the Porcupines over the Eagles.
3A-DI #23 Clyde and 2A-DI #4 Cisco have a date, and the Lobos only gotta drive 30 miles west to Clyde in a battle of I-20. Cisco is a bit better than the bigger Bulldogs. Cisco over Clyde.
When the cutoff numbers came out for the UIL biennial realignment, most 2A programs breathed a sigh of relief. That’s because Canadian was only three students away from going down to 2A DI. Panhandle really liked it because they most likely would’ve been in the same district. So instead of them being in the same district or class, why not play each other the first game of the season? For Canadian, a win against the #6 2A-DI team is an OK win, but if they lose… well, Saturday morning film time won’t be fun. For Panhandle, if they win, well its a huge win. If they lose by seven or less, it’s still a win in the moral category. I’m believing Wildcat Stadium (Canadian) will be full. Canadian over Panhandle
