There is a pretty good football game on tap for fans looking for something to do Friday night in West Texas.
McCamey at Wink.
Normally a Class 2-A Division II matchup might not fall on the radars of anyone outside the two communities.
This matchup, however, is far from usual.
The host Wildcats come into the contest undefeated and ranked fourth in the state.
Visiting McCamey has lost just once and has the bragging rights of getting past Wink the past two seasons.
Also, both are undefeated in District 5-2A Division II play thus far.
Then there is the cast of characters, led by the two main players on the stage … Wink quarterback/defensive back Kanon Gibson and McCamey quarterback/defensive back/kick returner/kick blocker Matthew Rosas.
Rosas was the Odessa American’s 2021 Permian Basin Player of the Year.
Gibson was the Defensive Player of the Year.
The Wildcats (7-0, 3-0) are averaging just over 52 points per game, while allowing 14.6.
On the other side of the line of scrimmage, the Badgers (6-1, 3-0) are scoring at a clip of 27.8 points per contest and allow just 16 per game to their opponents.
Numbers, however, take a back seat to the emotion that will be washing over the field from both sides of Wildcat Stadium.
This will be the fourth meeting between the schools with Gibson and Rosas on the field, with the Wildcats winning in 2019, so Gibson and company are looking to even things up before leaving school.
These two players have put their teams on their shoulders the past two years, amassing eye popping numbers and all-state recognition.
What’s scarier is they both could have been on the same sideline as Rosas was set to play at Wink before his family moved prior to his freshman year.
For those who can’t make the trip, there is still a way to watch the matchup as it will be streamed at: nfhsnetwork.com/schools/winkloving-high-school-wink-tx.
>> DISTRICT 1-4A Division II: The Monahans Loboes used a tough nondistrict slate to prepare their run to the playoffs and it’s paying off handsomely.
Monahans, after going 2-3 in the first half of its schedule, is 2-0 in district play with victories against Pecos and previously unbeaten Fort Stockton last week.
Led by quarterback Cheno Navarrette, the Loboes host Fabens (2-5, 0-2) this week at Estes Memorial Stadium.
The other key district matchups are Fort Stockton (6-1, 1-1) at Clint Mountain View (5-2, 1-1) and Clint (3-4, 1-1) at Pecos (3-4, 1-1).
>> TRUE AIR RAID: There are plenty of very good quarterbacks in the Permian Basin.
None, however, can match the season that Seminole’s Blake Flowers has put together through eight games.
In fact, only two other players in the nation are currently more prolific than Flowers at finding open receivers.
Flowers, a senior, is 208-of-289 passing for 3,104 yards and 37 touchdowns, with seven interceptions.
He also leads the Indians (7-1 overall, 2-0 in District 2-4A DII) with 341 rushing yards on 51 carries, with four touchdowns.
The nation’s leading quarterback, Danny Stoddard of Medina (Ohio) has 3,488 passing yards in nine games.
Clinton Cooper of Ponder is second at 3,143 yards in seven games.
The Indians are off this week, but return to action against Levelland on Oct. 28 at Wigwam Stadium.
>> CULTURE SHOCK: Every coach talks about change when taking over a program.
Kermit head coach Nate Gensler, in his first year leading the Yellow Jackets, has been walking the walk this season.
The Yellow Jackets were 3-22 overall the previous three seasons, 1-12 in district play.
Those numbers stood out right way for Gensler and he’s flipped the script at Walton Field.
Kermit is 3-4 overall, 1- 0 in District 1-3A Division I as it hosts Brownfield (6-2, 1-1) at 7 p.m. Friday.
Nate Gensler Jr., the coach’s son and the team’s top running back, has rushed for 876 yards and eight touchdowns this season.
>> Follow Lee Scheide on Twitter at @OALeeScheide
