In a meeting of lone unbeaten teams in District 2-6A, Odessa Permian and the Mojo Road Show will travel back to Astound Broadband Stadium to defend its record against the Midland High Bulldogs on October 23.
The Panthers (8-0, 2-0) are coming off a 56-0 shutout dismantling of Odessa High, while the Bulldogs (4-3, 1-0) will enter the contest after enjoying a bye week. Midland High beat the Bronchos (47-13) two weeks ago in its only district game of 2026.
With the extra week to prepare, the Bulldogs will try to do what no other team on Permian’s schedule could do… get the “W”. A Midland win would put them in first place. The Panthers see things differently as a victory over the Bulldogs would guarantee Mojo at least a share of the District 2-6A title.
ABOUT THE RIVALRY:
– Historic Edge:
Both programs bring historic West Texas legacies, but Permian has held the definitive upper hand in this series. The Panthers have out-paced the Bulldogs with an all-time record of 54 wins and 13 losses.
– Last Year’s Finale:
While both teams will bring physical intensity, last year’s district finale saw Mojo completely suffocate Midland High at Ratliff Stadium in a convincing 33-14 decision to secure the 2-6A title.
TEAM COMPARISONS:
Permian continues to operate a balanced offense, evenly utilizing pass and run. Midland High has evolved from its days of the run-based Veer triple-option. They offer a precision-driven spread attack that forces defensive secondaries to defend the entire field.
– POINTS: It comes as no surprise, Permian continues to lead the district with a lethal 41.6-point offensive average while stingily giving up 16.9 points a game. The Midland offense counters with a 29.9-point average, as the defense holds opponents to 18.4 points a game.
| POINTS BY QUARTER | |||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | |
| Permian | 10.3 | 14.0 | 8.0 | 9.3 | 41.6 |
| Midland | 8.7 | 10.6 | 4.8 | 5.8 | 29.9 |
– YARDAGE: The Black Cats produce 431 yards of total offense per game, balanced perfectly between 235 yards passing and 196 rushing yards. The Bulldogs have rolled up 331 total yards a game, mixing 190 yards passing with a 141 yards rushing per effort.
COMMON OPPONENTS:
The lone non-district opponent shared by Permian and Midland High this season was El Paso Pebble Hills. The Bulldogs hosted the Spartans in Week 1. Pebble Hills dished out a 31-17 loss to spoil the Midland home opener. Permian met the Spartans in Week 4 with Mojo taking a 38-14 victory. Both teams disposed of Odessa High. The Bulldogs won 47-13 and the Black Cats collected a 56-0 shutout over the Lil’ Red Ponies.
OFFENSIVE ASSETS:
While the Midland offense operates with a multi-dimensional balanced attack, it’s dual-threat junior quarterback Holt Howard (5-9, 160) that makes this engine go in a system very accommodating to his skill set. He is 97-of-161 for 1,328 yards with 12 passing touchdowns and three interceptions. Howard also leads the Bulldogs in rushing with 450 yards (64.3 yards a game) and five scores.
Holt is accompanied in backfield by Evan Taylor (5-9, 180). He has recorded 432 rushing yards (80 yards a game). Taylor stands as the team’s primary red-zone weapon with a squad-leading eight rushing touchdowns. He’s backed up by David Garcia, Wyatt King, and Izaiah Miller in the depth rotation. Garcia averages 6.9 yards a carry and has two TDs.
When Holt goes to the air, he looks for dynamic receiver Walker Campbell (6-1, 175). He averages a fierce 76.4 receiving yards per game from 40 receptions. Campbell has 535 receiving yards and has scored three touchdowns. Devin Rodriquez (5-11, 185) serves as an explosive vertical counter, logging 63.7 yards a game with three receiving touchdowns of his own. Other pass-catchers for the Bulldogs include Frank McGehee and Elijah Ramos.
DEFENSIVE ASSETS:
Midland utilizes an aggressive, high-pressure defensive front anchored by senior defensive lineman Luke Anderson (5-10, 200). The Bulldogs find their strength in the interior with linebackers Marshal Woodside (5-10, 190), Josiah Chavez (5-9, 190) and Ty Roby (5-11, 170). They have all logged heavy individual sacks to disrupt opposing pocket protection schemes.
Anderson has 2.0 sacks, two hurries, and a fumble recovery. Woodside is an absolute monster in the middle and leads the entire unit with 9.7 tackles a game (4.0 TFL) including a forced fumble. Chavez follows with 6.7 tackles a game (2.0 TFL). Roby has logged 5.7 tackles a game (5.0 TFL).
The Bulldog defensive backs have accounted for six interceptions this season. The secondary is under the surveillance of MJ Washington (6-1, 180), who has three interceptions, and Cade Rylander (5-10, 170) with two interceptions and a hurry. Carson Ham (6-0, 165) has 33 tackles (5.5 tackles a game) and Luke Cauthen (5-11, 160) has registered 24 tackles (4.0 tackles a game). He also has a pick on his resume.
SPECIAL TEAMS:
If the district had an Iker Munoz clone, it just might be at Midland High. Rylan Marino (5-11, 160) handles placekicking, punting, and kickoff duties with elite leg strength. He’s automatic on point-after attempts, staying perfect on PATs. He possesses deep range that includes a 47-yard field goal, and a punting range that parallels that at 45-48 yards. On kickoffs, Marino neutralizes return threats, booming touchbacks out of the endzone to force opponents to start on their own 25-yard line.
GAME NOTES:
In the past, Midland High wanted to hide the ball and run the clock. Given the different wrinkle in offensive spread sets, Howard and his wideouts are averaging over 130 combined yards a game. Look for the Bulldogs to use a lot of play-action passing routes down the sidelines with occasional slant patterns mixed in.
Midland is 1-2 at home, with the loss to Pebble Hills and a 17-14 homecoming fall to Amarillo High. Both of those defeats came in the midst of a 3-game skid to begin the season. Since then the Bulldogs have won their last four. Mojo is on an unblemished 8-game win streak. Kickoff is set for this Friday at 7:00 p.m.
Authors: T Alan, Gem
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