Friday night will be the 67th meeting of the Crosstown Showdown rivalry game between Permian and Odessa High. Through the sixty-six prior engagements, the Panthers own a 55–10-1 all-time record over the Bronchos.
Rivalries… basketball has the LA Lakers vs Boston Celtics, baseball has the Yankees-Red Sox, and college football has Texas-Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry. In the land of ‘Friday Night Lights’, Permian vs. Odessa High drew near sellout crowds to W.T. Barrett Stadium until 1981. The annual event moved in 1982 to Ratliff Stadium, where it has been hosted ever since.
The 2025 edition has arrived, and it’s Eastside vs. Westside, Black vs. Red, Panthers vs. Bronchos… it’s MOJO vs. BIG RED that will divide the city of Odessa this week. The climax will come this Friday at 7:30 p.m. in Ratliff Stadium, with bragging right chatter to last throughout the weekend. And that, more than likely, will conclude in the break room at work on Monday.
We have enlisted someone with the expertise and knowledge of the Permian – Odessa High Crosstown Showdown to give his game analysis. Serving as a reporter and sports editor for 18 years at the Odessa American, sports guru Lee Scheide joins MojoLand to break it all down. Prior to the OA, Lee spent five years at the San Antonio Express-News as a staff writer. Here’s his take…
INSIDE THE RIVALRY – LEE SCHEIDE:
Having seen a few of these games from the venerable Ratliff Stadium press box, it’s easy to say emotion plays a part in the outcome. Emotion is evident in the week-long build up, the pregame ceremonies and perhaps the first series, but once the helmets collide, things get real on both sidelines.
One thing that can happen is an early mistake may snowball if the opposing team is able to take advantage and create momentum (I’ve seen it happen too often, sometimes even before the crowd has their 19,000-plus butts in the seats).
OHS wants to throw the ball, but if history has anything to say about this contest, the Bronchos are going to have to keep extra protection nearby because Permian will be bringing heat, likely on every play. The Panthers are battle tested on the defensive line and have another group of linebackers and defensive backs that get after the ball carrier.
Though Permian has started slow during non-district play, the Panthers will be more than happy to showcase their running attack (Gavin Black has more rushing yards than the Bronchos as a team) and use their defensive unit to set the tone. The key for the Bronchos is keeping the Panthers’ second level of defense honest with a run game and then finding openings in the passing game to move the football.
Permian, however, is just too deep on both sides of the line of scrimmage, at least in this match-up. The Bronchos will battle, though without a 6-7 burner on the outside, it will be hard to win the one-on-one clashes down the field.
A key for Odessa High is to come out of the game with an understanding that it can compete with other teams in District 2-6A, which is one benefit of playing this game out of the gate in district instead of the penultimate game of the regular season as in years past.
Permian wins this one, 49-14, pulling away in the second half.
HISTORY OF THE RIVALRY:
Permian opened as a brand new high school in east Odessa in 1959, and fielded a football team the same year. In their debut season, the Panthers fell prey to the Bronchos by a 14-6 deficit. The following season Permian answered with a 27-14 victory.
By the time 1964 rolled around, Country music singer Larry Gatlin quarterbacked Odessa High to its last win over the Black Cats before a three-decade long drought. The next 33 years would belong to Permian. The streak would end when the Panthers absorbed a 20-17 loss to the Bronchos in 1997. West Odessa had “broken the spell” from East Odessa.
In the heart of that streak, the two teams would brave the icy “Blizzard Bowl” in 1976. Sub-freezing temps had the school district cancel the Friday night date. With ice and snow still covering the field at W.T. Barrett Stadium, a Saturday matinee game commenced. It would prove to be a dramatic 14-6 win for Permian. The loss snuffed out OHS plans for the playoffs in a year eight teams comprised District 3-5A, with only two teams advancing to the post-season.
The Panthers started building a new streak in 1998, but it only lasted six years. In 2004, the Bronchos broke the new streak with a 20-19 win. Odessa High won again the following year for back-to-back wins over Permian, which was unheard of in the half-century in the history of the crosstown battle. It happened again in 2009 and 2010.
Mojo would start another win-streak and 2013 would be the last OHS win for a decade. In 2023, the Bronchos won in a 49-42 overtime decision. Permian redeemed itself by dishing out a humiliating 50-26 Broncho loss last year. On Friday, the Panthers will look to notch yet another victory into the history books… and allow another Mojo win streak to continue. And then, it’s on to San Angelo Central.
