I did a little better in Week 2, finishing 61-29—good for about 68%. The 2A games gave me the most trouble, as I missed 13 matchups involving at least one 2A team. However, it’s a new week, and we have several great games on the schedule.
Greenwood at Lubbock-Cooper Liberty: This matchup features two Top-15 teams in Class 4A, with Greenwood competing in Division I and Liberty in Division II. In only their third full season, the Patriots have made plenty of noise across the South Plains and West Texas. In two blowout wins over Frenship ISD’s 5A Division I schools, Liberty averaged 391 yards of offense per game—240 on the ground and 151 through the air. The Rangers are talented, but they simply do not have as many weapons as Liberty. Liberty over Greenwood
Seminole at Canyon West Plains: The Wolves suffered a heartbreaking 42-35 loss to defending 3A Division II state champion Wall in Week 1. However, they bounced back with a convincing 48-14 win over Frenship Memorial. Seminole is also 1-1 after defeating Bushland 62-42 in its opener before falling to Shallowater 52-44. Yes, the Indians can put points on the board—but can their defense survive another powerful offense? West Plains over Seminole
Graham at Paradise: Both teams enter this matchup at 2-0. The No. 10 Steers compete in 4A Division II, while the No. 3 Panthers are in 3A Division I. Both have played Godley, with Graham winning 42-12 and Paradise winning 50-29. These teams can both score, and the Steers appear to have the better defense. However, I’m not sure Graham’s defense can keep up with the Panthers for four quarters. Paradise over Graham
Shally at Canadian: We move down to Class 3A, where the Mustangs are ranked No. 9 in Division I and the Wildcats are No. 5 in Division II. To be honest, this game should be extremely close. Whoever loses will still benefit from playing such a tough opponent. Both teams are 2-0 and have combined for four victories over Top-25 opponents.
Canadian opened the season against Panhandle with a breakout passing performance, piling up 532 yards through the air while adding another 201 yards on the ground. Shally is averaging 79 fewer yards of offense per game than Canadian. Most of Region I will have its eyes on this matchup. I originally picked Shallowater, but the Mustangs must make a three-and-a-half-hour trip north to Canadian. Canadian over Shally
Paducah at Jayton: Now we move into the six-man ranks. The Jaybirds are coming off back-to-back 1A Division II state championships. After moving up to Division I, Jayton is already 2-0 and ranked No. 2 by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football and No. 5 by SixManFootball.com.
The Dragons have played only one game because their bye came in Week 1. Paducah remained in Division II but has only four fewer students than Jayton. The Dragons are ranked No. 9 by Dave Campbell’s and No. 6 by SixManFootball.com. Paducah is talented, but the Jaybirds still have too much firepower. Jayton over Paducah
Sands at Water Valley: Both teams are ranked in the Top 10 by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football and SixManFootball.com. Sands is No. 8 in the SixManFootball.com rankings and No. 10 in Dave Campbell’s, while Water Valley is No. 8 in Dave Campbell’s and No. 10 in SixManFootball.com. Both teams compete in Division I.
This will be the Mustangs’ biggest test so far. They have scored a combined 182 points through two games, so we know they can light up the scoreboard. However, Water Valley knocked off the No. 1-ranked Rankin Red Devils in a wild 93-90 shootout last week.
Well…I’m a fan of Billy Grumbles. Sands over Water Valley
WEEK 3 PICKS
