Only in Texas are playoff berths decided beside pump number four at the Valero gas station.
Going into Friday against rival Tascosa, Amarillo High owned just one district win over Caprock. Postseason paths were a tangle of ifs and maybes, but a thundering 63–21 win over the Rebels, plus Lubbock High’s victory against Coronado, lined up every domino the Sandies needed.
To break the three-way tie for the final playoff spot, the coaches met at a Valero in Plainview and flipped a coin with cameras rolling. If that sounds familiar, fans of Friday Night Lights will remember a coin-flip scene steering Permian’s fate. This one felt just as tense, only with fluorescent forecourt lights and scoreboard dreams hanging on a quarter’s spin.
After the flip, Amarillo head coach Chad Dunnam exhaled. The result handed Amarillo the No. 4 seed out of District 2-5A DI, while Lubbock High and Caprock saw their seasons end on concrete rather than on a final whistle. The district’s top three remained Abilene, Tascosa, and Lubbock Monterey.
Next up: Tascosa faces El Paso Parkland on Friday, November 14 at 6:00 p.m. CST at Dick Bivins Stadium. Amarillo High travels to El Paso to meet El Dorado on Friday, November 14 at 7:30 p.m.
Only in Texas.
