The remaining unbeaten teams in District 2-6A square off as Odessa Permian and Midland High meet at Astound Broadband Stadium on October 23. The gloves are off in this MojoLand exclusive.
While the weekly MojoLand Previews are objective and packed with raw data and comparisons, Terry’s Two Cents Worth allows the pulling back of the curtain to focus on what is being brought to the table. We’ve even brought in a panel of Sports experts to weigh in on the game.
WHAT’S AT STAKE:
Permian is riding an impressive 8-game win streak. A win for the Panthers means continuing to hold the district’s top spot. It will also guarantee Mojo at least a share of the District 2-6A title for 2026. A loss would halt an undefeated season and drop the Black Cats to 2-1 with just one game to play.
After dropping the first three games of the season, Midland High has rattled off a 4-game win streak of their own. A victory for the Bulldogs will post them at the top of district alone in first place. A loss would drop the Purple Pups into the three-way tie with Midland Lee and San Angelo Central at 1-1, with two more district games to play.
GAME STRATEGY:
🏈 When Permian has the Ball…
Mojo must use disciplined physical dominance to break the tempo of Midland’s aggressive, high-pressure front line. Bulldog linebackers love to fly downhill to disrupt interior gaps, meaning our offensive line must establish instant, clean second-level blocks.
To loosen up their aggressive front, Vickers needs to consistently freeze their linebackers by mixing in play-action strikes to Jace Thompson and Aaron Navarrete. Whenever opponents have run hard interior fakes, the Bulldog linebackers consistently bite hard and vacate the middle seam zones. This will allow Vickers the opportunity to exploit the play-action channels.
Most importantly, our passing attack must remain incredibly precise; their secondary features elite turnover hawks, making ball security and disciplined route-running the definitive keys.
👀 Defensive players to watch: Luke Anderson, Marshal Woodside, Josiah Chavez, Ty Roby, MJ Washington, Cade Rylander, Carson Ham, and Luke Cauthen.
🏈 When Midland has the Ball…
Mojo faces a tactical challenge in the Bulldogs and their fast-paced spread attack. This system spaces out the gridiron, forcing the Panther secondary to defend the absolute width of the field while isolating the defenders in open space.
The key to the night is stopping the Spread RPO sets. The Permian defensive front must maintain rigid gap assignments and secure quick, sure tackles to disrupt Holt Howard’s timing and prevent short perimeter passes from turning into major chunk plays down the sidelines. They will use Walker Campbell and Devin Rodriquez to stretch our secondary, creating potential running lanes in the middle of the field for Holt Howard to attack.
Game film shows how quickly Howard gets the ball out on three-step screens. The Mojo front seven cannot just haphazardly rush the passer, they must stay disciplined in their gap containment. The secondary will need to play a lot of “zone-matching” two-high safety shells and watch for short bubble screens.
The ‘Mojo D’ will need to spy on Howard throughout the night. He is the field general and catalyst of the offense. Not only does he throw with a 60 percent efficiency (97-of-161 for 1,328 yards), Howard is the leading rusher for the Bulldogs.
👀 Offensive players to watch: Holt Howard, Evan Taylor, Walker Campbell, Devin Rodriquez, Elijah Ramos, and Kicker Rylan Marino.
STAY DISCIPLINED:
One of the keys to the game is Permian cannot commit a bunch of penalties. The Panthers have been penalized 57 times for 535 yards this season. They were guilty of drawing 11 yellow hankies against Odessa High. Mojo has to refocus with better discipline and clean up those freebies. The Black Cats will need to secure the ball with no turnovers.
SURVEY SAYS…
Since Midland High has had an extra week to prepare for Permian, the Panthers will likely see the best the Bulldogs will have to offer this season. Don’t be surprised if this is a little closer game than Mojo got from Lee. Midland plays more conservatively on defense, which means less overzealous mistakes to exploit.
With all being in consideration, Permian rolls to 9-0 (3-0 in district), just one game away from securing an undefeated season and sole possession of the district crown… as back-to-back District Champions!
Authors: T Alan, Gem
SPORTS MEDIA PANEL PICKS:
Our panel also seems to think Permian will see a closer game than the past two weeks. In her picking debut last week, Darby McCormick missed the 56-0 shutout prediction by just three points!
> Matt Stepp (Texas Football) – Permian by 17
> Tony Blalock (TXHSFB) – Permian 35, Midland 21 (+14)
> Christopher Hadorn (MRT) – Permian 0, Midland 0 (+0)
> Adrian Martinez (MTZ Media) – Permian 59, Midland 14 (+45)
> Trey Francis (KMID2) – Permian 41, Midland 20 (+21)
> Dalton Arredondo (KMID2) – Permian 24, Midland 14 (+10)
> Grabiel Silva (KWES9) – Permian 28, Midland 14 (+14)
> Ethan Becker (KWES9) – Permian 31, Midland 21 (+10)
> Darby McCormick (CBS7) – Permian 49, Midland 10 (+39)
> Gem (MojoLand) – Permian 34, Midland 14 (+20)
> Terry Alan (MojoLand) – Permian 31, Midland 13 (+18)
= Consensus (10-0) – Permian 37, Midland 16 (+21)
Permian vs Midland Preview – [ HERE ].
