The District 2-2A DII race begins this Friday with one of the most anticipated games taking place the first rattle out of the box.
The district favorite Wellington Skyrockets (5-0) will host longtime rival Memphis Cyclones (4-1) in what could decide the district champion early in the race. Wellington heads into district with wins over Childress (26-21), West Texas (38-32), Hollis, Okla. (34-24), Tulia (52-13) and Panhandle (22-7). The Skyrockets are firing on all cylinders and are led by quarterback Luke Williams who has rushed for 504 yards on 56 carries and seven touchdowns and is 35 for 54 with 600 yards passing and four touchdowns. Wellington’s Jose Tellez has rushed for 550 yards on 117 carries and five touchdowns while Arturo Tellez leads the team in tackles with 44.
The Memphis Cyclones, Crosbyton Chiefs and Clarendon Broncos all have their eye on upsetting the district race, with the Cyclones picked the district runner up in a pre-season poll. Memphis boasts a lot of size on the line and one of the best backs in the Panhandle in David Dickson. Dickson is nearing the 1,000 yard rushing mark halfway through the regular season with 984 yards on 104 carries and 13 touchdowns. If Dickson gets loose, he could prove to be trouble for the Rockets defense. Memphis heads into their first district game with wins over Olton (54-12), Wheeler (44-8), Shamrock (42-13) and Quanah (34-14). The Cyclones fell to Abernathy 26-7 in the last non-district game of the season.
Crosbyton finished non-district 3-2 with wins over Sudan (39-19), Springlake-Earth (45-28), and Smyer (47-13). The Chiefs fell to Tahoka (55-18) and Farwell (54-8). Crosbyton reached the regional round of the playoffs last season and brought back two offensive starters and three defensive starters from that team. The Chiefs’ junior running back battled an ankle injury early in the season, but exploded in their 45-28 win over Springlake-Earth when he rushed for 329 yards and five touchdowns.
The Clarendon Broncos head into the district opener with a 5-0 record. Although they are picked to grab the final playoff spot, the Broncos could very well upset the entire district if they continue to outscore their opponents like they did in their first five games of the season. The Broncos have the offensive firepower to upend both Wellington and Memphis, and would put a damper on the pre-season district picks. Clarendon recorded wins over Shamrock (22-0), Springlake-Earth (28-7), Wheeler (26-19), Gruver (36-0) and Booker (61-0). In their win over Booker, the Broncos racked up 471 total yards with 289 coming from the ground attack.
Lockney and Ralls both enter district with 2-3 records, but could slip up on a team with their focus in the playoffs and not district play. In five weeks, District 2-2A DII will crown their district champion…who will it be?
