The Westerners scored on their first drive, pulling to within a touchdown on a Kelan Hamman field goal, then getting their first defensive stop on Randall’s ensuing possession. But an offense that had found a rhythm running the football suddenly stalled on a three-and-out, and LHS never had another chance.

Randall won 32-10.

Lubbock's Shaquille Johnson is tackled by Randall's Colby Douglas, left, and Collin Bowen Friday night at Lowrey Field. (John A. Bowersmith/Lubbock Avalanche-Journal)

Randall used a solid running game that gashed the LHS defense all night to seal a 32-10 win with two fourth-quarter touchdowns runs by quarterback Tyler Alford, outlasting the Westerners after watching a 14-0 first-quarter lead fall into jeopardy.

“It was kind of close to a repeat of last week,” Randall coach Bryan Wood said. “We just kept them at a distance. Our offensive line did a good job of creating small seams. They weren’t big holes, but small seams our little backs could get in there and make good runs, and then they just missed some tackles they probably shouldn’t have.”

Randall (2-0) rushed for 252 yards, getting 119 from Alford and another 104 from tailback Gage Moore, whose 15-yard touchdown run in the first quarter put the Raiders up 14-0.

And by the time the Raiders had that two-touchdown lead — taking more than 8 1/2 minutes off the game clock on the two drives combined — the Westerners (0-2) had run four plays for minus 4 yards. They finished the game with 229 yards in total offense.

Lubbock High's Shaquille Johnson leaps out of bounds in front of a Randall defender Friday night at Lowrey Field. (John A. Bowersmith/Lubbock Avalanche-Journal)

“That was our enemy tonight, the clock,” LHS coach Mike Speck said. “Even in the third and the fourth quarters that’s where our eyes were, on the clock. They played the game they needed to because if they got tired and kept us in the game too long we’d be in it.”

The Westerners finally got going offensively thanks to their running game. Backs Shaquille Johnson and Aaron Paulhill accounted for all but 3 yards on a 63-yard, 12-play drive — all on the ground — that culminated in a 6-yard Paulhill touchdown run to pull LHS to within 14-7.

After a Randall field goal, Lubbock High had a chance to pull closer, getting big pass plays by quarterback Kelan Hamman and continued running from Johnson to reach the Randall 10 with under a minute. But three chances on first-and-goal netted nothing, and time expired as Johnson was tackled on a screen pass to end the half.

That proved crucial as the Westerners opened the second half with an eight-play, 40-yard drive that ended in a 41-yard field goal by Hamman, pulling LHS to within 17-10. The Westerner defense then rose up and stopped the Raiders at midfield, forcing a punt.

But Randall’s defense answered with a stop of its own, and the Raiders took advantage by driving 67 yards in 10 plays for the game-clinching touchdown, a 1-yard sneak by Alford less than four minutes into the final quarter.

“They made some good adjustments to our sets and our plays just weren’t working as well,” said Hamman, who finished 8-of-17 passing for just 89 yards. “We didn’t make the switches we needed to to move the ball and they shut us down.

“We’ve got the team and we’ve got the offense, we just have to make plays.”

Watching the time winding down on its next drive, Lubbock High was forced to go for it on fourth down and was stopped, turning the ball over. Randall took advantage by going 49 yards in six plays, with Alford getting loose on a 21-yard touchdown run for the final score of the game.

“Our kids played hard, we’ve just got to keep getting better,” Speck said. “We don’t have a lot of athletes who are used to varsity tempo football. I thought we got better tonight but we’ll have to look at the film and see. We have to find some answers and make some big plays, and we have to continue to get better and win some games.”

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RANDALL 32, LUBBOCK HIGH 10

Randall 14 3 3 15 — 32

Lubbock High 0 7 0 0 — 10

First Quarter

RAN – Zack Constancio 21 pass from Hunter Alford (Tre’ Norton kick); 6:53

RAN – Gage Moore 15 run (Norton kick); 1:28

Second Quarter

LHS – Aaron Paulhill 6 run (Kelan Hamman kick); 7:57

RAN – Norton 20 FG; 2:10

Third Quarter

LHS – Hamman 41 FG; 7:45

Fourth Quarter

RAN – Alford 1 run (Norton kick); 8:22

RAN – Alford 21 run (Collin Bowen run); 3:05

TEAM STATISTICS

RAN LHS

First downs 18 14

Rushes-yards 40-252 33-140

Passing yards 91 89

Comp.-att.-int.11-14-0 8-17-0

Punts-avg. 1-34.0 2-51.0

Fumbles-lost 0-0 0-0

Penalties-yards 5-35 6-55

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING: Randall, Hunter Alford 15-119, Gage Moore 17-104, Tyler Junell 7-29; Lubbock High, Shaquille Johnson 16-73, Aaron Paulhill 10-54, Kelan Hamman 5-9, Jamie Alvarado 2-4.

PASSING: Randall, Alford 11-14-0–91; Lubbock High, Hamman 8-17-0—89.

RECEIVING Randall, Bret Scheve 6-40, Logan Brittian 2-23, Zack Constancio 1-21, Tre’ Norton 1-5, Tristen Woods 1-4; Lubbock High, Josh Hester 2-31, Lester Patterson 1-29, Johnson 3-18, John Bradshaw 1-7, James Woodruff 1-4.

In his first year at Lubbock High, Trevino was one of the top receivers on the freshman football team, but his speed just didn’t develop to remain in that position on varsity.

Middle linebacker, however, is perfect. Reading, reacting and tackling — very simple.

Even without the use of one hand.

“I’ve had to figure some things out sometimes,” said Trevino, who was born with an underdeveloped left hand that left him with a wrist and palm. “I think mostly people just forget about it when they get to know me.”

Even though he’s played sports with the condition his whole life, he hasn’t let the disability become his life. He plays the guitar and drums, and still does what other teenage football players do.

He cuts up in the locker room. He hangs out with all his friends. He talks trash on the field. He gets frustrated when he misses a tackle, and gets chewed out by the coaching staff like other players when he does.

But the inspiration Trevino delivers to the rest of the team is unmistakable, and is a big reason why head coach Mike Speck has continually praised the character and chemistry of the team.

“He’s just one of the guys,” said teammate Nathan Villapando, a senior center and defensive tackle who has known Trevino since the first grade. “He’s really one of the best teammates you could have. He’s always there, he’s one of the hardest workers we have and he never gives up.

“From day one he didn’t let the fact that he doesn’t have a hand stop him, and you have to look at him and say, ‘If he can do it with one hand, why can’t I do it with two?’ It just motivates us.”

In the Westerners’ 29-7 loss to Canyon to open the season, Trevino, affectionately known by teammates, friends and coaches as “Nubby,” finished second on the team with 10 total tackles, six solo, and two for losses.

“The reason he is a leader and an inspiration is because he just performs,” Speck said. “He gets out there and executes. He’s never used (the disability) as an excuse and works as hard as anybody, and even harder in the weight room.”

It was there — in the weight room — where Trevino might have faced his most difficult challenges.

As he began in the LHS program and got into the strength and conditioning part, lifting weights was almost impossible without two fully developed hands. So Speck enlisted the help of Covenant Medical Center and Baylor Medical Center in Dallas, and together they helped develop a claw-like prosthetic that fits over Trevino’s left wrist. It’s not good for anything else, so it stays in the weight room at Chapman Fieldhouse.

The claw feature allowed Trevino to perform weightlifting maneuvers that required him to pull, such as chin-ups or arm curls. When it comes to pushing weights, such as the bench press, he’s able to balance the bar on the left hand, grab it with the right and push.

“It definitely got me stronger,” Trevino said. “I’ve developed more muscle and I couldn’t work out without it. Overall my strength has really benefitted from it.”

Coupled with his desire, it’s turned him into one of the Westerners’ top defensive players going into the season.

“He’s always trying to pump the team up, trying to keep us up and never let us slack off,” Lubbock High lineman Roman Padilla said. “He’s a unique friend because he does have that disability, but it never stops him from doing anything.”

Eventually, Trevino, who had an older brother play soccer at Lubbock High and another brother graduate from Coronado, would like to go into business for himself after college, using his father Eddie’s house-painting business as his own inspiration.

“My parents raised me to work hard no matter what I do,” Trevino said. “I just try to glorify God in whatever I do. No matter what I’m doing I’m going 100 percent all of the time. When I step on the field, all bets are off.”

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Senior Michael Sanders showed why he was the choice to take over at quarterback for the Eagles, putting on a dazzling display of running and throwing in his first varsity start on Friday. A top area rusher last year, Sanders added passing to his repertoire and led the Eagles to a 27-18 win against Smyer at Lena Stephens Field.

Area player of the week

“I played quarterback some in junior high so I had a little experience,” Sanders said. “Coach had faith in me and I had faith in myself, so I knew I could do it. I guess it’s just the God-given ability I have and I’ve been blessed with.”

Those abilities led to some stellar numbers Friday night — 25 carries for 134 rushing yards and 266 passing yards on nine completions with two touchdowns to earn the Avalanche-Journal’s first City Player of the Week honor for 2010.

“It wasn’t a surprise to me because he embraced (the change) from the first day we got here back in the spring,” said Stone, who took over after former coach and athletic director Hutch Haley announced his retirement after the 2009 season. “We talked since then and have been going over the offense since then, and it’s pretty basic. We tried to make it as simple as possible so he could read and react instead of having to think about too many different things. Michael has picked it up well.”

It was Sanders’ leadership abilities that stood out most, Stone said, and that made him the natural choice to take over under center.

It meant losing the full-time services of a back who rushed for 835 yards and nine touchdowns in 2009, but the benefits of the move far outweighed the consequences to Stone.

“His leadership ability and character more often than not are what impress me,” Stone said. “He is a good athlete, but as far as carrying the team and leading the team, I’d take him, hands down, over anybody.”

Sanders said that leadership ability came from following the examples set by others.

“I knew it would be a big step for me,” Sanders said. “Hunter Haley last year, following in his footsteps is tough but I think I’ll do a good job. Coming to a Christian school helps in that and having guys from last year I could look up to and hang out with. I’m just doing what I can to glorify God.”

The Eagles couldn’t have gotten of to much better of a start, racking up 404 yards total offense then shutting the Bobcats down defensively in the second half to secure the win. It was also a good sign for a team learning new schemes, and for a quarterback learning a new position at the same time.

“This has been a great experience for my senior year,” Sanders said. “(Coach Stone) is a great guy and is teaching us a lot, not just about football but about life. He’s a great guy and I really like the offense. It’s something new, and you always have to adjust to changes in life.”

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By halftime, however, most of those questions were answered.

The Matadors (1-0) rolled to a 34-0 halftime lead thanks to a dominating offense and opportune defense, and Plainview never recovered as Estacado captured a 48-13 victory at Greg Sherwood Memorial Bulldog Stadium.

“I was very proud of our performances,” Servance said. “I thought the kids really came out and played hard from the beginning of the game, and really stepped up and met the expectations that we set for our program. I was pleased with the performance, especially with it being on the road. That’s a great way to start the season.”

The Mats’ strength entering the season was their offense, and it didn’t disappoint in the opener. Senior tailback Augustine Abigide rushed for 198 yards and two touchdowns, and senior quarterback Deverick Stubblefield showed why he may be one of the top dual threats on the South Plains, rushing for 119 yards and three touchdowns and completing 3 of 5 passes for 101 yards and a score.

Defensively the Matadors had questions in almost every area, but quickly put a rest to Servance’s concerns. Even with secondary stalwarts Clarence Willard (back) and Kevin Wagner (knee) out due to injury, the Matadors forced three turnovers, including an interception by junior Ti Russell and a 20-yard fumble return for a touchdown by senior Brent Mann that gave Estacado a 21-0 lead late in the first quarter.

“I thought the guys (in the secondary) stepped up and did a terrific job on Friday night,” Servance said. “Adrian Adame and Shaquille Bogus along with Ryhiem Hunter and Jhavante Toliver all did a great job stepping up and answering questions for us in the secondary.”

Now the trick is to do it again as the Mats will be back on the road, this time for a trip to Pampa, whichlost its opener 31-14 to Iowa Park.

“I think we still have a lot of room for improvement,” Servance said. “I tell the guys all the time to be happy about what happened but not to be satisfied with their performance. There are still some things we need to clean up, but for the first rattle out of the box I couldn’t be more proud of the kids and their effort.”

Christening in style

It might be fitting that the first game in the first new football stadium to open on the South Plains in more than 15 years went to overtime.

Cooper opened the new Pirate Stadium with a 29-23 victory against Idalou. The Pirates came back from 23-7 down with less than four minutes remaining in the game. Scoring runs by Shannon Grady and John Keane less than three minutes apart, the second one coming with 59 seconds left to send it to overtime.

“They made history,” Cooper head coach John Windham said. “They opened up with a win. Nobody else can every say that, now.”

Salas update

Frenship head coach Brad Davis said that linebacker Xavier Salas was back at school Monday after an injury during Friday’s 30-15 win over Coronado left the senior momentarily immobile.

Salas was injured trying to make a tackle early in the third quarter at Lowrey Field. He lay motionless on the turf for several minutes while trainers and emergency personnel attended to him. He was strapped to a backboard and taken off the field in an ambulance.

Davis said Salas was diagnosed with a muscular neck strain and a concussion. Salas will not play in this week’s home opener against Big Spring, and Davis said Salas was to be re-evaluated today.

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Seagraves 0 0 6 6 — 12

First Quarter

IRA—Larry Galindo 12 pass from Drew Sellows (Zane Hernandez kick); 1:51

Third Quarter

SEA—Travis Stiller 95 run (kick failed); 0:16

Fourth Quarter

IRA—Zeth Hernandez 4 run (Hernandez kick); 7:50

SEA—Abraham Wieler 10 pass from Miguel Nino (run failed); 0:00

TEAM STATISTICS

IRA SEA

First downs 8 12

Rushes-yards 34-109 48-259

Passing yards 55 46

Comp.-att.-int. 4-7-1 2-9-2

Punts-avg. 3-40 3-42

Fumbles-lost 4-2 1-0

Penalties-yards 5-30 3-25

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICAL LEADERS

RUSHING: Iraan, Carlos Rodriguez 12-50; Seagraves, Stiller 19-168.

PASSING: Iraan, Sellows 4-7-1—55; Seagraves, Nino 2-9-2—46.

RECEIVING: Iraan, Galindo 1-19; Seagraves, Senaj Coal 1-36.

RECORDS: Iraan 1-0, Seagraves 0-1.

It was the part in between that made the difference.

After spotting Monterey an early touchdown, Hereford took over and controlled the flow of the game enough to escape with a 21-20 win over the Plainsmen thanks to a late Ryan Martinez touchdown and a little bit of luck.

The Plainsmen (0-1) scored on an 80-yard touchdown run by Thomas Walker on their first offensive play from scrimmage, then scored twice in the final 6:57. But a botched snap on an extra-point attempt with less a minute remaining, and an interception in Hereford territory with less than 30 seconds left, allowed the Whitefaces (1-0) to come away with the win.

“It was about as frustrating as any game I’ve been a part of in a long time,” Monterey coach Todd Pearson said. “Defensively, other than two plays in this game we played great, but offensively we just didn’t execute. That’s the story of the game. Poor coaching, poor execution all go hand in hand, and I’ll take the blame for that, and we will get better.”

Hereford outgained Monterey by just 43 total yards (354-311), but take away the 151 yards that covered two scoring plays, and it was a frustrating night for the Plainsmen. Walker finished with a game-high 127 rushing yards, but only 47 after his first carry of the game.

“Nothing was holding us back. We just didn’t execute how we’re supposed to,” said senior receiver Arrius Holleman, whose 71-yard catch and run for a touchdown tied the game with 6:57 remaining. “Next week it’s going to be a different story. Everything was frustrating, but we’ve got to bounce back.”

Monterey appeared headed for a stellar first quarter when Walker broke through the middle for his scoring scamper 2:15 into the game, and the Monterey defense followed by forcing a pair of turnovers within Hereford’s next four drives.

But the Plainsmen couldn’t capitalize on those turnovers, and that allowed the Whitefaces to hang around long enough to take control of the game in the second quarter.

Hereford took advantage of Monterey’s soft zone coverage by hitting short passes. First-time starter Martinez was 22 for 31 for 214 yards and two touchdowns, including 14 for 19 in the first half. And it was the short passes that set up the two touchdowns as Martinez hit TD tosses of 18 and 43 yards, both times on double moves as the receiver got well behind the Monterey secondary.

“We put ourselves against the eight-ball a lot of times, and a lot of times when you’re dealing with new kids in the skill-position spots, you have to deal with that,” Hereford coach Don DeLozier said. “Hopefully we had some growth tonight and I think we did. I think we were more solid as the night went on and took care of the ball better than we had been.”

After Monterey tied the game on Holleman’s touchdown, the Herd answered. Martinez scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 2-yard keeper with just under 5 minutes left. Monterey came right back and appeared to score the tying touchdown on a 39-yard keeper by quarterback Brady Gunn. But the snap on the extra-point kick bounced and could not be corraled, leaving the Plainsmen one point shy of the tie.

Brad Pearson recovered the ensuing onside kick at the Herd’s 40-yard line, giving the Plainsmen one last shot. But an interception by Hereford’s Corey Reeve on third-and-long from the Herd 28 sealed the win for the Whitefaces.

“We’ll learn from it and go from there,” Todd Pearson said. “We let one get away from us and I thought we were better prepared than that. But we didn’t do what we needed to do to get that game under control. We have to find a way to get drives going and keep them going on a consistent basis.”

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HEREFORD 21, MONTEREY 20
Hereford 0 14 0 7 — 21
Monterey 7 0 0 13 — 20
First Quarter
MON—Thomas Walker 80 run (Jake Burrescia kick); 9:45
Second Quarter
HER—Christian Garza 18 pass from Ryan Martinez (Edgar Tobias kick); 6:20
HER—Brian Hill 43 pass from Martinez (Tobias kick); 2:15
Fourth Quarter
MON—Arrius Holleman 71 pass from Brady Gunn (Burrescia kick); 6:57
HER—Martinez 2 run (Tobias kick); 4:44
MON—Gunn 39 run (kick failed); :57
TEAM STATISTICS
HER MON
First downs 19 10
Rushes-yards 28-140 20-197
Passing yards 214 114
Comp.-att.-int. 22-33-1 6-18-1
Punts-avg. 4-32 7-35.9
Fumbles-lost 1-1 1-0
Penalties-yards 3-26 7-50
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: Hereford, Derek Zamora 15-79, Ryan Martinez 13-61; Monterey, Thomas Walker 13-127, Brady Gunn 10-54, Demaine Jeffrey 4-14, Aaron Juno 1-2, Zach Moore 1-0.
PASSING: Hereford, Martinez 22-3-1—214, DJ Garcia 0-2-0—0; Monterey, Gunn 6-18-1—114
RECEIVING: Hereford, Christian Garza 7-59, Zack Lopez 6-59, Brian Hill 2-44, Ryan Leonard 3-26, David Mata 2-9, Matt Gonzales 1-9, Zamora 1-8; Monterey, Holleman 2-71, Juno 2-34, Brad Pearson 2-19
RECORDS: Hereford 1-0, Monterey 0-1.

But with a new coaching regime last year, the triple option was scrapped for the more popular spread option, and at times the Plainsmen showed how much more beneficial the new offense was to the type of talent on the team. But it took time.

Now, with a full season of the scheme under their belts, the Plainsmen are ready to take the next step and make their long-awaited return to the postseason.

“We’re very comfortable in it,” Walker said. “We have one more year of experience than we did last year so we’re real good with it now. Most of us were ready for a new offense even though most of us were succeeding at (the old one). We were ready to go to the spread and be more like everybody else, and see what we can do with it.”

Monterey will get its first test to see how far it has progressed in the scheme today, welcoming perennial playoff contender Hereford to Lowrey Field in the season opener for both teams. Running the football is a goal for coach Todd Pearson coming out of Friday’s scrimmage against Randall.

“It’s one of our building points because we didn’t do it consistently enough (in the scrimmage),” said Person, who is entering his second year with the Plainsmen. “We threw it well later in the scrimmage when we relaxed and settled in a little bit. Other than that it was what we thought it would be and gave us a few more things to work on, little things.”

Those little things include offensive line play, execution and defensive fundamentals, but the lingering question in the days leading up to the game was who would take over at quarterback.

Pearson was non-committal in naming a starter among seniors Brady Gunn and Dylan Case and junior Tanner Maloney, none of whom played on varsity last season. Pearson said he expected to make a decision Wednesday but did not indicate earlier in the week who he was leaning toward.

“The funny thing is all three of them bring something different to the table, and all three are very solid at what they do,” Pearson said. “We’ll get to that (Wednesday) and shore it up and talk to them then. They all understand the situation.”

Monterey won’t be the only team on the field breaking in a new quarterback. Hereford, which had one of its best seasons since its 1999 state runner-up squad, will be led by Ryan Martinez, who takes over after the graduation of strong-armed quarterback Parker Bridwell.

Whitefaces coach Don DeLozier said he and the team have every confidence in Martinez to lead the Herd to another postseason berth.

“(Martinez) has prepared for this since the seventh grade,” said DeLozier, who led Hereford to an 11-2 mark and Class 4A regional semifinal a year ago. “He may add some different dimensions than what Parker did. He can do more things with his legs than Parker did, and he’s got the ability to throw the ball well, too.”

Quarterback is not the only position populated by newcomers for the Whitefaces. Hereford must also replace the 700-plus receiving yards from Jonathan Davis as well as filling some holes within the defensive front seven.

“The kids have worked extremely hard and have that desire to have a positive legacy here,” DeLozier said.

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If Friday’s scrimmages against the Bronchos is any indication, the Westerners might be poised for a breakout season in a league that doesn’t include the Midland and Odessa schools.

LHS went toe-to-toe with Odessa and Texas Tech commitment Bradley Marquez, and though they lost 2-1 in touchdowns scored, the Westerners dominated between the 20s, pushing Odessa up and down the field.

“That’s what we’ve got to do,” head coach Mike Speck said. “I know there are a lot of little corrections that need to be made, but I was pleased with the effort. It’s a different brand, and they feel like it’s overdue and we feel like it’s overdue. But we’ve got to stay healthy, you know that.”

Lubbock High came out the aggressor for the first half of the scrimmage, which included simulated first-and-10 and third-and-long situational plays. That intensity lagged somewhat during the third-and-medium situational series, but tempers flared at the end of a 30-yard Marquez run, then spilled into the next two plays as the teams had to be separated and the scrimmage halted while the teams were huddled and calmed down.

The Westerners continued their intensity the rest of the way, holding the Bronchos out of the end zone the rest of the day and getting some big offensive plays of their own, but mistakes kept LHS from scoring any more itself after Tony Bell caught a 38-yard touchdown pass during the early part of the scrimmage.

“I definitely like the way we ran to the ball, the intensity of the offensive line and the execution of our skill people,” said Speck, whose team kicks off the season Thursday at Canyon. “Those are areas of improvement where we had to replace everybody from last year.”

Washington under center

A familiar yet unexpected face took snaps with Muleshoe’s first-team offense in its scrimmage Thursday night against Cooper.

All-state defensive end and standout receiver Cooper Washington, a three-year starter for the Mules, moved to quarterback during two-a-day practices. He threw three touchdown passes during simulated game situations.

It’s a move head coach David Wood said was not planned going into the fall but became necessary.

“It just happened,” said Wood, who guided the Mules to the 2008 state championship, a team on which Washington started as a sophomore. “Cooper’s more familiar than anyone else on the team with the offense. He’s more natural at making the calls and seeing things on the field.

Going into two-a-days, quarterback was a three-way battle between senior Steven Durben and juniors Ryan Deleon and Beau Avila. With Washington now under center, it leaves Deleon as the only returning experienced receiver for Friday’s season opener at Shallowater.

“We’ve got some receivers, some young ones, who have stepped up to the plate and developed,” Wood said. “Our receivers will come through.”

Tale of two Tigers

A day before Friday’s scrimmage, Snyder found out District 5-3A foe Brownwood was ranked No. 1 in Class 3A in the Associated Press preseason poll.

If the scrimmage is any indication, the Oct. 15 game between the Lions and Tigers (oh, my!) at Tiger Stadium could be a classic.

Snyder, with an experienced and talented offense and defense, dominated Class 4A Frenship in a meeting at Frenship’s Tiger Stadium, scoring three of its five touchdowns in its first 12-play sequence and holding Frenship to just two scores.

“I thought the kids played well and prepared well,” said coach Chad Rogers, whose team hosts Monahans Friday to open the season. “I thought they handled the delay really well and stayed focused for all that time. We’re ahead of the game because we have so many kids back. They have great chemistry and love to play the game, and you can tell they were excited just by how they played today.”

Frenship, meanwhile, was left scratching its head. Intent on erasing the memories of what was considered a lost season, Frenship struggled, getting a few big plays but not showing the consistency Brad Davis had hoped for leading up to Friday’s season opener at Coronado.

“Way, way too many missed assignments, way too many mistakes and way too many turnovers,” Davis said. “We didn’t get after it on defense, we didn’t hit people. If that’s any indication of the season we have ahead of us it’s going to be a long season. If we can’t get that fixed — and it can be fixed — we won’t get back to where we need to be. We’ve got a lot of work to do.”

Quick hits

After missing a big chunk of the 2009 season with a right knee injury, Cooper running back D.J. Ware will miss 2010 after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee on Aug. 14. Juniors Dustin Morris and Shannon Grady, neither of whom have taken a varsity snap, will share the load for the Pirates, at least early in the season. … Speck said senior offensive tackle Chris Cobos is still about three weeks from returning to the lineup for the Westerners. Cobos had surgery in the spring to repair a broken bone in his foot, an injury suffered on the first day of spring practice. … Monterey coach Todd Pearson stayed quiet on his starting quarterback for Thursday’s opener against Hereford. Brady Gunn, Tanner Maloney and Dylan Case all had bright spots in the Plainsmen’s scrimmage Friday against Randall. “We have a tough decision, but all of them will get involved in the game one way or another,” Pearson said.

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WEEK 0 SCHEDULE

Thursday’s Games

CITY

CLASS 5A

Lubbock High at Canyon, 7:30 p.m.

Hereford at Monterey, 7:30 p.m.

AREA

CLASS 2A

Midland Greenwood at Coahoma, 7:30 p.m.

CLASS 1A

Springlake-Earth vs. Panhandle at Amarillo, 4:30 p.m.

———

Friday’s Games

CITY

CLASS 5A

Frenship at Coronado, 7:30 p.m.

CLASS 3A

Estacado at Plainview, 7:30 p.m.

Idalou at Cooper, 7:30 p.m.

Muleshoe at Shallowater, 7:30 p.m.

CLASS 1A

New Deal at Clarendon, 7:30 p.m.

TAPPS

Smyer at Lubbock Christian, 7:30 p.m.

Groom vs. Christ the King at Fort Elliott, 5 p.m.

AREA

CLASS 5A

Amarillo at Midland, 7:30 p.m.

Killeen Shoemaker at San Angelo Central, 7:30 p.m.

Tascosa at Palo Duro, 8 p.m.

CLASS 4A

Perryton at Dumas, 7:30 p.m.

Borger at Randall, 7:30 p.m.

CLASS 3A

Denver City at Lamesa, 7:30 p.m.

Midland Christian at Seminole, 7:30 p.m.

Big Spring at Fort Stockton, 7:30 p.m.

Sweetwater at Vernon, 7:30 p.m.

Levelland at Caprock, 7:30 p.m.

San Angelo Lake View at Andrews, 7:30 p.m.

Monahans at Snyder, 7:30 p.m.

Brownwood at Gatesville, 7:30 p.m.

CLASS 2A

Floydada vs. Sunray at Amarillo, 4:30 p.m.

Friona at Abernathy, 7:30 p.m.

Dimmitt at White Deer, 7:30 p.m.

San Angelo Grape Creek at Stanton, 7:30 p.m.

Merkel at Colorado, 7:30 p.m.

Canadian at River Road,
7:30 p.m.

McCamey at Forsan, 7:30 p.m.

Brownfield at Littlefield,
7:30 p.m.

Childress at Wellington,
7:30 p.m.

Lockney at Slaton, 7:30 p.m.

Alpine at Pecos, 7:30 p.m.

Van Horn at Crane, 7:30 p.m.

Anthony at Kermit, 7:30 p.m.

Bangs at Wall, 7:30 p.m.

Vega at Amarillo Highland Park, 7:30 p.m.

Sanford-Fritch at Dalhart, 7:30 p.m.

Sundown at Post, 7:30 p.m.

DeLeon at Hawley, 7:30 p.m.

CLASS 1A

Sudan at Ralls, 7:30 p.m.

Tulia at Olton, 7:30 p.m.

Plains at Wink, 7:30 p.m.

Albany at Roscoe, 7:30 p.m.

Hale Center at Bovina, 7:30 p.m.

Tahoka at Crosbyton, 7:30 p.m.

Anson at Hamlin, 7:30 p.m.

Memphis at Quanah, 7:30 p.m.

Farwell at Morton, 7:30 p.m.

Iraan at Seagraves, 7:30 p.m.

Irion County at Roby, 7:30 p.m.

Rotan at Baird, 7:30 p.m.

SIX-MAN

Southland at Amherst, 7:30 p.m.

Dawson at Whitharral, 7:30 p.m.

Happy at Petersburg, 7:30 p.m.

Sands at Lorenzo, 7:30 p.m.

Well.-Union at Klondike, 7:30 p.m.

Meadow at Spur, 7:30 p.m.

Paducah at Ropes, 7:30 p.m.

Whiteface at Lazbuddie, 7:30 p.m.

Hedley JV at Cotton Center, 7:30 p.m.

Lubbock Home School at Loop, 7:30 p.m.

New Home vs. Lueders-Avoca at Jayton, 10:30 a.m.

Westbrook at Wilson, 7:30 p.m.

———

Saturday’s Games

AREA

CLASS 2A

Spearman vs. Nazareth at Amarillo, 7 p.m.

SIX-MAN

Grady vs. Sanderson at
McCamey, 10 a.m.

Borden County vs. Rankin, 5 p.m.

All-state defensive end and standout receiver Cooper Washington, a three-year starter for the Mules, was moved to quarterback during two-a-day practices. He threw three touchdown passes during simulated game situations.

It’s a move head coach David Wood said was not planned going into the fall but that became necessary as practices evolved.

“It just happened,” said Wood, who guided the Mules to the 2008 state championship, a team on which Washington started as a sophomore. “Cooper’s more familiar than anyone else on the team with the offense. He’s more natural at making the calls and seeing things on the field.

Going into two-a-days, quarterback was a three-way battle between senior Steven Durben and juniors Ryan Deleon and Beau Avila. With Washington now under center, it leaves Deleon as the only returning experienced receiver for Friday’s season opener at Shallowater.

“We’ve got some receivers, some young ones, who have stepped up to the plate and developed,” Wood said. “Our receivers will come through.”