Friday’s District 2-6A finale will feature Permian hosting Midland High at Ratliff Stadium. The Panthers have secured at least a share of the district crown, while the Bulldogs have joined Odessa High in the district cellar.
Permian (4-0, 8-1) is now one game away from claiming sole possession of the district title. The Black Cats are coming off of a 38-25 victory over Frenship, which is the fourth win out of four district games. The last time the Panthers went undefeated in district and won the outright district championship title was in 2008. Permian finished that season with a 12-1 mark, and that lone loss came in the Regional Round of the state playoffs.
Meanwhile, Midland High (1-3, 2-7) just lost to Midland Lee 33-21 in their crosstown rivalry game. As if that loss wasn’t enough, the Bulldogs were mathematically eliminated from post-season play after San Angelo Central beat Odessa High in a close 35-32 shootout. The Purple Pups would like nothing more than to pull an upset this Friday to end their season on a positive note.
THE HISTORY:
In Permian’s inaugural season of 1959, the Panthers defeated Midland High 19-14 and the path to greatness was established. The Black Cats currently hold an all-time record of 53 wins and 13 losses in head-to-head competition with the Bulldogs. Unfortunately, last year’s 21-18 loss to our neighbors to the east disrupted a seven-game win streak. Midland High narrowly won the game in 2016 by a score of 49-48.
TEAM COMPARISONS:
Permian has tried to offer a balanced offense all season. Early in the year, the offense leaned more on the ground game. That would evolve as the season progressed, and eventually the passing game would be favored. The proverbial coming full circle has had the Panthers running a balanced attack with the return of the running game taking center stage.
Midland High has had a run-heavy offense all year. In this past week’s game against Legacy, the Bulldogs actually produced a balanced offensive game plan. It was the first time this season that there were just as many passing plays as there were rushing.
POINTS: Permian is maintaining a 35-point average per game. The defense is giving up a district best average of 24 points. The Midland High offense averages slightly less at 30 points a game. Their defense gives up 34 a game. The Bulldogs actually mirror the Panthers in scoring quarter by quarter. Similar to Permian, MHS enjoys greater offensive success in the second and fourth quarters.
YARDAGE: Permian has been producing 429 yards a game in total offense, that breaks down to 257 yards passing and 172 rushing yards. Midland High has maintained an average of 292 yards of total offense per game (55 passing and 237 rushing).
COMMON OPPONENTS:
The Panthers and Bulldogs have already played all of the other district teams. The Black Cats won all four of their games, while Midland High lost three of its four.
– We beat Frenship, 38-25. They lost 42-31.
– We beat San Angelo Central, 35-27. They lost 34-27.
– We beat Midland Lee, 51-48. They lost 33-21.
– We beat Odessa High, 49-7. They also beat OHS, 45-21.
OFFENSIVE ASSETS:
Midland High has two quarterbacks that Permian may face. While sophomore Holt Howard (5-8, 150) can be a dual threat QB, an occasional pass is usually a diversion from his skills as a runner. He possesses decent foot speed, and has been under center the past two games. Tristan Love (5-10, 160) has been nursing a severely sprained ankle. Being a senior with his last opportunity to see game action, he may also take some snaps this Friday.
The Bulldogs backfield is led by seniors Jordan McGowan and Wyatt King. Working out of slot, McGowan is a ball carrier / pass receiver that can do damage if allowed to get into open space. He has 363 yards from 33 carries and averages 52 yards a game. King is more of a traditional running back. He has 63 carries for 362 yards. He also averages 52 yards a game rushing.
The other ball carriers for the Purple Pups include senior Izaiah Miller and sophomore Evan Taylor. Miller has 40 carries for 271 yards and Taylor has 243 yards from 54 carries. The Bulldogs have utilized McGowan, Elijah Ramos, and Elijah Cordova as part of their recent addition of an established passing game. McGowan has caught 23 passes for 244 yards. Ramos has 48 receiving yards from four catches, while Cordova has 37 yards from four pass receptions.
DEFENSIVE ASSETS:
In the trenches for the Bulldogs is sack leaders Felix Ceballos and Gilbert Delgado. Cole Turner and Jayden Reyna are mainstays at disrupting opponent passes. The top performing linebackers are Robert Hardin, Lucas Ramirez, and sophomore Marshall Woodside. Hardin has recorded 69 tackles, Ramirez has 65, and Woodside has 35.
Jayden Guzman and Jojo Lievens lead the Midland High defensive backfield. Both have a tendency to creep along the line of scrimmage. The featured ball hawk is junior Carson Ham (5-11, 160). He has seven interceptions and 59 tackles this season. Ham is backed up by Colton Adams and Devin Rodriguez. Each have been responsible for a pair of interceptions.
Edgar Ramos has been fairly consistent kicking the ball, and has a field goal range of about 45-48 yards. He had a 44-yarder against Legacy with room to spare.
EXTRA GAME NOTES:
The Mojo defense will be dealing with an offense it is very familiar with… running out of the triple option. The Bulldog run defense can be gashed up the middle with strategic counters and traps. It’s no secret – the Midland High defense has struggled all season stopping the run.
THE MEDIA PICKS:
> Matt Stepp (Texas Football) – Permian 38, Midland High 25
> Randy Rosetta (Hub City Prep) – Permian 41, Midland High 14
> Jensen Young (KOSA7) – Permian 35, Midland High 21
> Terry Alan (MojoLand) – Permian by 16.
= Consensus Pick (4-0) – Permian 38, Midland High 20
DISTRICT 2-6A WEEK 5 (11/04/25):
THURSDAY – Kickoff at 7:00 p.m.
San Angelo Central (5-4, 2-2) vs Frenship (4-5, 2-2)
FRIDAY – Kickoff at 7:30 p.m.
Permian (8-1, 4-0) vs. Midland High (2-7, 1-3)
Midland Lee (4-5, 3-1) vs Odessa High (0-9, 0-4)
