It’s been a history-making season for the Midland High football as the Bulldogs (8-0 overall, 3-0 in District 2-6A play) are currently having their best start since 1954.
Midland High remains the only undefeated team in 2-6A and yet, to prove how crazy the district is this year, the Bulldogs still aren’t mathematically in the playoffs just yet.
Their 59-28 win over Odessa High last week was not enough to officially qualify for the state playoffs for the first time since 2018.
Still, Midland High’s chances at a postseason berth this year remain good, but the Bulldogs have another tough challenge waiting for them with this week’s crosstown rivalry against Midland Legacy at 7 p.m. Friday at Astound Broadband Stadium in Midland.
Midland High head coach Thad Fortune, who is in his third season as head coach of the Bulldogs, is proud of the milestone season his players have put on but knows there’s still work to be done.
“It’s really exciting for the kids,” Fortune said. “It says a lot about all the hard work they’ve put in. The kids and the staff have done a good job of trying to get the kids prepared each week. We’re excited to be playing good football and happy to be in the mix in week 9. But really, it’s just rewarding for the guys. … Our kids have done a good job of buying in to what we’re trying to do.”
The Rebels (6-2, 2-1) are coming off a 66-24 win over San Angelo Central last week in San Angelo.
Legacy’s only losses so far have come from a 62-31 defeat to Cibolo Steele on Sept. 15, and a 32-31 loss to Permian two weeks ago.
Despite the accomplishments this year, Fortune and his players are trying not to get too caught up in the records as they try to take it one week at a time.
“We’ve been trying our best all year to get a little bit better,” Fortune said. “As we said after our first win, there is no glory in peaking in week 1 or peaking in week 3. It’s the same thing now. We’re trying to improve each week, regardless of the opponent and the goal. Once you get to district play, each week is tough. This week is no different. It’s a good football team. We can’t get too caught up in everything else. The only thing we can work on is our preparation and see what that does for us.”
The last time Midland High defeated its crosstown rivals was a back in 2016 with a 47-14 win.
>> CRANE CRUISING: The Golden Cranes remain undefeated in District 5-3 overall, District 1-3A, Div. II play after having defeated Tornillo 73-0 last week at El Ave Stadium.
Now, Crane faces Compass Academy for a second time with a 2 p.m. contest Saturday at Ratliff Stadium.
Compass Academy (3-5, 1-3) is coming off a 33-18 road loss to Alpine.
Crane won the last meeting against Compass Academy, 42-7 on Sept. 29, at El Ave Stadium.
“It’s always a challenge to play someone twice, so that’s one thing,” Crane head coach Michael Pittman said. “I think Compass Academy has gotten a lot better since the last time we’ve played them. They’re playing some really good football. It’s a deal where we have to get ready. You can’t think about that last game because that last game is done and we have to get ready to play this one.”
The Golden Cranes’ defense has continued to dominate in recent weeks, only allowing 14 points total in the last three games.
“Defense is big for us,” Pittman said. “We’re a team that’s going to have to play really good defense. That’s where we want to hang our hat. We want to limit the other team’s ability to score. I think we’ve made a lot of strides on defense. We’ve gotten better. Our tackling has gotten better.”
>> MONAHANS DOMINATES: The Monahans Loboes continue to dominate as they remain undefeated at 8-0 overall, 3-0 in District 1-4A Div. II.
Monahans defeated Fabens 72-7 last week and will now face Mountain View (5-3, 1-2) in a 7 p.m. contest Friday at home.
