Predicting the Biggest Week 7 Games in Texas: 4A, 3A, 2A

Lubbock Estacado (6-0) at Perryton (4-2): Lubbock Estacado takes the 3.5-hour road trip to the very northern tip of the state in Perryton as the Matadors look to keep their undefeated season alive against a tough Perryton squad. Estacado had no problems with Andrews last week as the Matadors rolled to a comfortable 40-10 win to round out the non-district portion of the schedule. QB Jay’Ric Ward had a big night for the Mats throwing for 315 yards and five scores, four of those touchdowns going to Chrishod Dial, who finished with a career night hauling in eight passes for 294 yards and four scores. Perryton got themselves a very nice win to close out the non-district slate as the Rangers held off a good Childress squad, 35-31, last week. QB Cooper Schilling returned from injury and had himself quite the game throwing for 390 yards and four scores. His favorite WR Gordo Estrada was sure glad to his signal-caller back as the senior WR/DB had 16 catches for 213 yards and two scores. Additionally, Estrada had a big night in the secondary with four tackles and two interceptions. Both teams have big time firepower, and you’ve got to think the long trip up to Perryton will impact Estacado. But the Matadors overall team speed, especially on defense, will make the difference in this one. But expect a tough Perryton team to put up a big fight. Stepp’s Pick: Lubbock Estacado by 7

Krum (3-2) at Sanger (4-1): District 6-4A Division II looks to be a three-horse race as district play gets rolling and two of those three “horses” will open district play with a massive showdown. Krum bounced back nicely in their non-district finale after losing two straight games as they knocked off heavily favored Paradise 28-27. QB Casen Payne had a big night as he threw for 337 yards and three touchdowns and RB Carter Hollingshead rushed for 94 yards, finding the end zone once. TE AJ Criss (6-foot- 7) was the top target with 181 yards receiving and two scores. Sanger saw their four-game winning streak come to an end two weeks ago with a neutral site loss to a strong Canyon squad 38-28. RB Bola Ogunwuyi led the way for Sanger offensively, rushing for three touchdowns and the Indians held a 21-10 halftime lead. But the Sanger defense, specifically against the run, got worn down against a big and physical Canyon offensive line in the second half. Krum’s had the benefit of a tougher non-district schedule, and they are more battle-tested. This will be close like last year’s game, but the edge here is with the Bobcats on the road. Stepp’s Pick: Krum by 3

Texarkana Pleasant Grove (5-0) at Gilmer (4-1): Two longtime East Texas rivals will square off once again in Upshur County and after a down year in 2025, Gilmer is back making noise, which makes this fascinating matchup of state ranked teams. Pleasant Grove crossed state lines last week and remained unbeaten as the Hawks blasted Shreveport Byrd, 47-7. The PGHS offense was cooking as QB Colt Yancey had 311 yards passing and three scores, RB Palmer Gibbs had 117 yards and two scores (Gibbs averages over eighteen yards per carry) and WR Rykeim Richie Jr., had 111 receiving yards and two scores. The Hawks defense, which has been stellar all season long, will face a major test this week against a Gilmer offense that averages 51 points per game. Gilmer had what is easily their most impressive win of the year in their last outing two weeks ago as the Buckeyes rolled past state-ranked Sunnyvale 49-28. QB Zade Taylor completed 13 of 14 passes for 155 yards and two scores and he added 134 yards on the ground. RB Tayveon Horne chipped in 108 yards on the ground and three scores as well. What was most encouraging for Gilmer fans was the performance of their Buckeyes defense, which played their best game of the year in holding a dynamic Sunnyvale offense in check. If Gilmer’s defense can play at that level again they’ll be right in this game against a favored Pleasant Grove squad. But PGHS is equipped to slow down Gilmer and I’m not sure Gilmer’s smaller defense can hold up to four quarters of that physical Hawks ground game. Stepp’s Pick: Texarkana Pleasant Grove by 10

West Orange-Stark (3-2) at Hamshire-Fannett (5-0): The Golden Triangle will be rocking in this district opening showdown as an all-of-sudden struggling West Orange-Stark offense heads into Hamshire-Fannett to take on an unbeaten Longhorns squad. The Mustangs have dropped their last two games and have scored just seven points in both games after a strong 3-0 start. In their last outing against Carthage, the Mustangs defense held strong, but the offense just couldn’t get anything going in a 23-7 defeat. QB Kwalin Dugas threw for 177 yards and a score, but for the second straight week RB Khelvy Jefferson was held in check with just 76 yards on the ground. Hamshire-Fannett ran through a tough non-district slate with five straight wins, and they closed things down in style last week as the ‘Horns raced past Hitchcock 49-0. QB Blake Broussard had another strong game throwing for 179 yards and four scores. WR Dwayne Long continues to put up strong numbers on the outside, while Texas State ATH commit Isaiah Reed gets it done on both sides of the ball. The most impressive stat for Hamshire-Fannett last week was on defense where they held Hitchcock to just three rushing yards. Hamshire-Fannett has been absolutely outstanding early in the year, and they have shown through non-district they are an elite team on both sides of the ball and I think that high-powered passing game is the key for the ‘Horns to pull what many may consider a slight upset. Stepp’s Pick: Hamshire-Fannett by 7

Wall (5-1) at Llano (4-2): One of the biggest district openers in the state this week takes place in Llano, where the Wall Hawks make their return to district play in 3A-Division I against a tough Llano squad that was a state semifinalist a year ago in Region IV. Wall saw their 21-game winning streak come to an end at the hands of a tough Midland Christian squad in a 34-26 defeat last week. Wall fell behind in the second quarter and trailed 34-19 early in the third quarter as their late rally fell short. QB Gunner King threw for 178 yards and a score, and Gunner Garza had 90 yards on the ground and a score. But Midland Christian did an excellent job limiting the Hawks big plays. Llano won their second straight game to close out non-district as the Yellow Jackets easily took care of Brady, 45-13. Senior QB Luke Davis threw for 200 yards and three touchdowns to pace Llano to the victory. RB Cole Landers ran for 92 yards and a touchdown and WR Cash Lynch had 94 yards receiving as the Llano offense was clicking on all cylinders. Wall’s had no troubles taking on schools larger than them and coming out on top and I think the loss to Midland Christian last week was a bit of a wakeup call. I expect the Hawks to come out sharp and focused on the road and ready to make a statement. Stepp’s Pick: Wall by 12

Pottsboro (4-1) at Pilot Point (4-1): District 5-3A Division I is a district that has five teams that are fighting for the four playoff spots, so any time two of the teams in that five-pack get together, it is a big game. Pottsboro, after a surprising season opening loss to Bells, has gotten their wheels back on with four straight wins and they closed the non-district slate out in a big way with a blowout 72-14 win over Bonham. QB Brayden Sheffield led the charge for the Cardinals with 298 yards through the air and four touchdown passes and he added 84 yards on the ground and two scores. Pilot Point slipped past Farmersville in a thriller two weeks ago in a 44-43 win. The Bearcats were led by RB Josh Chumley, who had 155 yards rushing and three touchdowns; he scored Pilot Point’s final touchdown along with the game-winning two-point conversion in the final minute to complete a late rally. Pilot Point’s running game will be well served to keep Pottsboro’s offense on the sidelines. I don’t think the Bearcats want to get into a shootout with the Cardinals, so tempo will be key. With this one being at Massey Stadium, I think the Pilot Point offense controls the clock and wears Pottsboro’s defense down. Stepp’s Pick: Pilot Point by 6

New Diana (5-0) at Jefferson (4-1): The gauntlet begins in 10-3A Division II where four of the five teams in this loop finished non-district at either 4-1 or 5-0. Unbeaten New Diana is a bit of a surprise at this point, and the Eagles have gotten things done with a flamethrower of an offense. NDHS AVERAGES just over 57 points per game. A big part of that success is senior QB DeJuan Johnson, who has thrown for 668 yards and 11 TDs in five games and added 763 yards on the ground and 10 scores. WR Cristian Gomez and RB Dylan Debaun have been great weapons to lean on when teams focus their attention on Johnson. Jefferson has the look of a state title contender through five weeks as the Bulldogs closed out non-district with a dominant 41-14 win over 4A Pittsburg. JHS got 141 yards and three touchdowns passing from QB Chance Washington, while RB’s Kaden Parish and Vontay Black combined for 171 yards and two scores on the ground. JHS rolled up nearly 300 yards on the ground and held a dynamic Pittsburg offense in check. My biggest concern about New Diana going into this one is the schedule; it is not on the same planet as the gauntlet Jefferson ran through in non-district. Jefferson’s deeper, faster and more battle tested and I think the state ranked Bulldogs open district play with a statement win. Stepp’s Pick: Jefferson by 17

Anson (3-2) at Cisco (3-2): The Big Country as loaded with good teams at the 2A level and two of the better teams in the area will collide at Chelsey Field in a game that has some major playoff implications when it comes to seeding. Anson has won three straight games after their 0-2 start and in their last outing two weeks ago, the Tigers blasted Breckenridge 43-19. QB Grayson Feagan threw for 245 yards and four scores and rushed for 118 yards and another touchdown to lead Anson. TV Levii Diaz also had a big night rushing for 110 yards and one score on nine just carries. Cisco has been a bit up and down, but two weeks ago they put together their best effort of the year knocking off state ranked 3A-Division II Jacksboro 49-42. QB Colby McIlroy led the Loboes with 263 yards passing and three scores, and 81 yards rushing and three more touchdowns. RB July Johnson rushed for 162 yards and one score as Cisco rolled up 532 yards of offense. When Cisco is clicking on all cylinders they are a state title contender and it appears the Loboes are rounding into form. Stepp’s Pick: Cisco by 13

Ganado (3-2, 1-0) at Kenedy (6-0, 2-0): It’s a top 10 2A-Division I matchup this week as Ganado, fresh off a district opening win last week, travels to take on a banged up Kenedy squad that’s hoping to get some key faces back for this big district tilt. Ganado, coming off a bye week, looked sharp in their district opener as the Indians rolled past Flatonia, 39-13. Freshman QB Kyle Stancik had a strong game with 238 yards through the air and four scores, while senior ATH Logan Bures had 135 yards rushing and a score and he added four catches for 88 yards and a touchdown; he chipped in 11 tackles on defense too. Kenedy, missing several key starters, nearly got upset last week by Bloomington, but the Lions escaped with a 36-35 win. Sophomore QB Jericho Jackson threw for 209 yards and three touchdown passes, with the game winning 20-yard touchdown pass going to sophomore WR Jace Salas with just 0:47 left in the game. Senior WR/DB Dehlay Salas had a huge night with 10 receptions for 185 yards and two scores; he also added an 80-yard fumble recovery for a score. If Kenedy was fully healthy, I think they have the ability to keep this close, but I’m not sure the Lions will have all their pieces, and they need all hands-on deck to run with this Ganado bunch. Stepp’s Pick: Ganado by 16

Quick Picks

Lampasas (2-3) at Stephenville (5-0) Stepp’s Pick: Stephenville by 24

Somerset (3-2, 1-0) at La Vernia (5-1, 2-0) Stepp’s Pick: La Vernia by 2

Mineral Wells (5-0) at Iowa Park (3-2) Stepp’s Pick: Mineral Wells by 3

Canton (5-0) at Van (3-2) Stepp’s Pick: Canton by 7

Malakoff (6-0, 2-0) at Commerce (4-2, 1-1) Stepp’s Pick: Malakoff by 14

Canadian (3-3) at Friona (5-1) Stepp’s Pick: Canadian by 13

Newton (3-1) at Hardin (3-2) Stepp’s Pick: Newton by 15

DeLeon (4-1) at Hawley (2-3) Stepp’s Pick: DeLeon by 18

Muenster (4-1) at Tioga (3-2) Stepp’s Pick: Muenster by 22

Iraan (4-2) at Wink (6-0) Stepp’s Pick: Wink by 17

Last Week’s Results: 14-6 70.0%

Season Results: 91-29 75.8%