Rebels meet OHS in 2-5A showdown; Sandies host Permian in homecoming

They had a tough enough time with each other last weekend, but that only proved to be a pop quiz compared to the tests Amarillo High and Tascosa will face tonight.

After Tascosa pulled off a mild upset by beating the Sandies, 24-21, the Rebels were the only overall undefeated team in District 2-5A and were tied atop the district at 2-0. Their reward? A trip to Odessa's Ratliff Stadium at 7:30 tonight to play 2-5A co-leader Odessa High (2-1) in a matchup of high-powered offenses.

Amarillo High, meanwhile, will get to enjoy the comforts of homecoming at Dick Bivins Stadium at 7:30 tonight. That's usually an occasion to bring a sacrificial lamb to town, but instead the Sandies scheduled a lion in the form of Odessa Permian, a legendary program that is near the bottom of the list of teams anybody would wish to schedule for such an occasion.

Both Odessa teams are 2-0 in district and tied with Tascosa for the 2-5A lead. Along with the two Midland schools, they took up the four playoff berths from 2-5A last season. Odessa High in particular looks to be every bit as good as last season, as the Bronchos return most of the key offensive skill players who helped them reach the playoffs for the first time in 11 years last year.

"(Odessa High) is coming off a great season and playing with a lot of confidence," Tascosa coach Ken Plunk said. "A lot of people expect them to win district."

OHS quarterback Derrick Teegarden is in his third season as a starter, and junior running back Bradley Marquez was a first-team all-district selection as a sophomore. That should be more than enough to counter Tascosa quarterback Dalton Brooks, who carried the Rebels (3-0) past AHS by throwing for 220 yards and three touchdowns while running for 85 yards.

If Odessa High isn't expected to win the district, than Permian is. Prior to this season, the Panthers (2-1) hadn't lost a regular-season game since 2006. Permian is coached by Gary Gaines, who is returning to Mojo land on the 20th anniversary of the 1989 season in which he led Permian to an unbeaten state championship.

"They're not as dominating as they were a year ago, but they're obviously a solid football team," AHS coach Brad Thiessen said of the Panthers. "If we come out and play better than we did last week, we'll be in the football game."

Tascosa became the first team to crack Amarillo High's defense, which hadn't given up a point in the first two games. With Brooks making plays, the Rebels can score plenty of points, and the Ratliff Stadium scoreboard could see plenty of action.

Plunk, however, doesn't necessarily see it that way.

"I don't think we'll see a whole lot of points, and I'd be really surprised if both teams moved the ball up and down the field every time," Plunk said. "I think both defenses are too good for that."

While the Tascosa-OHS winner will still have no worse than a share of the district lead, Permian is looking to get in on that, and Amarillo High (2-1, 1-1) needs to show it can bounce back.

"We look at this week as how do we respond after last week," Thiessen said. "Win or lose, we've got to come out and fight."