District 2-3A Preview

[Matthew328]

Post your thoughts!!

Predicted Order of Finish:
1. Lubbock Cooper
2. Brownfield
3. Levelland
4. Muleshoe
5. Littlefield


1. Lubbock Cooper Pirates Starters Returning 8/8 Last Year: 8-3
Key Players: RB Bradley Madison, LB Tait Langston, WR Josh Barnett
Outlook: The Pirates started last season out strong but faded late and had a disappointing bi-district loss to Perryton.....Madison and Barnett give LC good speed at the skill positions....QB Howell Finch accountd for 19 TD's last season as a junior....depth comes from a 9-1 JV...

2. Brownfield Cubs Starters Returning 5/5 Last Year: 4-8
Key Players: DE Coby Jenkins, DT Daniel Garcia, QB Andrew Sides
Outlook: The Cubs started out 0-6 but blossomed late to win 3 out of their final 4 and make the postseason...once in the dance the Cubs didn't slow down stunning Borger in Round 1 and giving Snyder all they wanted in the second round...look for that success to carry over some if the Cubs stay healthy....depth is an issue..Jenkins will be an all-state candidate but he'll see lots of double teams...Sides will direct an offense that will need to be better.....

3. Levelland Lobos Starters Returning 4/4 Last Year: 2-8 in Class 4A
Key Players: OL Damian Roberson, TE Cody Tucker, LB Rey Macias
Outlook: Dropping to 3A will help LHS big time...they haven't been to the playoffs since 1996 as their enrollment like many West Texas schools continues to drop....Coach Thiessen hopes Levelland will have the type of success Sweetwater had when they dropped 4 years ago...

4. Muleshoe Mules Starters Returning 5/5 Last Year: 4-6
Key Players: LB Juan Nunez, DL Josh Shelburne, RB/DB Brady Black
Outlook: The Mules were victimized last year in close games losing 4 games by a TD or less....Black and Juan Reyes combined to rush for over 1000 yards....the Mules haven't had the succes they enjoyed in 2000 when they went 14-1.....the Mules are one of the smallest 3A schools in the state...

5. Littlefield Wildcats Starters Returning 4/3 Last Year: 9-3
Key Players: Rb Jonas Camacho, FB/LB Gabe Reyes, DL Mickey Holmes
Outlook: After rolling to a district title LHS advanced to the area round of the playoffs before falling to a hot Merkel squad last year 24-7....however graduation hurt a senior laden squad...Reyes recorded 114 tackles as a sophmore...and he'll lead a stingy defense again....Camacho ran for 17 TD's as a sophmore...LHS is picked 5th but could easily win this balanced district.....

[jason]

Originally posted by Matthew328

4. Muleshoe Mules Starters Returning 5/5 Last Year: 4-6
Key Players: LB Juan Nunez, DL Josh Shelburne, RB/DB Brady Black
Outlook: The Mules were victimized last year in close games losing 4 games by a TD or less....Black and Juan Reyes combined to rush for over 1000 yards....the Mules haven't had the succes they enjoyed in 2000 when they went 14-1.....the Mules are one of the smallest 3A schools in the state...



do you know who the 1 loss was to?? heres a hint: it was a butt whippin...

[CRHSeagle]

Originally posted by jason
do you know who the 1 loss was to?? heres a hint: it was a butt whippin... forney?

[Matthew328]

48-17 I believe....I still can't believe Muleshoe agreed to come all the way to Texas Stadium to play...that game woulda been a lot closer had it been in Abilene or Sweetater which woulda been a LOT closer to half way....Forney had a 30 minute ride..while Muleshoe had like a 7 hour ride....

[wildstangs]

I had two friends at ACU that played on that Muleshoe team. Both said they wished the game would have been played in Abilene. I am sure Forney would have still won, Blanton was awesome that year.

[Da Mules]

Matthew, You will NOT repeat NOT find Muleshoe near the bottom of the heap in 2-3A... this year's Junior crop of players have kicked butt on all of those other teams in 2-3A since they were in junior high.. they are not about to start losing to them now. Copy and paste this statement in mid-November; I will eat my words if Muleshoe doesn't make the playoffs.

To my good buddy Jason (who is now amongst the smallest 4a schools, see how you like having the tables turned on you by this November) don't get me started on the home-field, travel, and Big Top disadvantage. First and foremost, I will frankly admit that Forney would most likely still have won that game had it been played in Abeline or Sweetwater.. but I also maintain that da Mules were WAY off their feed from the 400+ mile trip, the overnight stay on Thursday, and playing in the Big Topless for the 1st time ever. Hell, most of those kids hadn't even been to Dallas before. let alone Texas Stadium. The 6-foot drop from the center hump to the sideline on that piece of crappy concrete raggedy-carpet some people call a football field threw our QB off badly.. he was a much better passer than what you saw that night. You didn't see the 14 straight victories da Mules rolled off against some pretty damn good football teams getting to that game, nor the way they dominated all of them, and I doubt you appreciate how badly "off" they really were against your Forney Katers that night. Forney had a very fine football team, and you definitely had the fastest running back I have ever seen, one of the best kickers I have ever seen in high school football, and most of all kudos to very outstanding Kater defense..if I remember right several of those D kids went D1. You definitely were the better team that Friday night, but da REAL Mules didn't show up. I only wish we had played at a halfway site on a better field.. you would have known you had been in a football game; not an error-filled, tentative, frustrated blow-out.

[wildstangs]

Good to see you back Mules....See if you can find the guy from Lamesa that posted a few years back. Stick around for the season...could always use more in from from West Texas...especially the Panhandle area.

[lobo12]

not to talk down on muleshoe but this isnt junior high its varsity, and just because they have won then doesnt mean they will win now. also they are juniors who will also be playing with seniors who they have never played against. they are not playing against the same people they have played against for years. now muleshoe may be real good this year and i hope they are because i want all west tx and panhandle teams to do well but thats just my opinion

[Da Mules]

Our buddy from Lamesa, Tors2K I think it was, kinda lost interest when Lamesa's good crop of athletes graduated off...I know the feeling as we endured the last two years at Muleshoe with some tough times...Muleshoe is actually about a 2A size town.. we have a large migrant population that bumps our numbers barely up to 3A, but unfortunately few of them contribute to extracirricular activities.. those that do really put their all into it while they live here, however.
Lamesa coach Tim James, a Muleshoe native, left to coach for 2A Tahoka last year.

[wildstangs]

I think Muleshoe will finish in the top three as well. Wasn't Littlefield the district champs last year? Wow...First to worse.

[Da Mules]

Yeah I know that, Lobo12, but losers are losers, and winners are winners, and they both got there by learning and maintaining certain habits and attitudes. It IS going to be a big step up for some of the juniors competing against seniors; however many of those juniors made the varisty last year and got playing time & experience at varsity level already. How those juniors and several senior returnees respond to the challenge will determine Muleshoe's success this year. I predict they will respond the same way they have since they were 7th graders... they're going to pull together and win.

If I'm wrong & full of it, copy and paste this November... I will (somewhat) cheerfully take my lumps:D

Leaving tomorrow morning for a long weekend striper fishing at Lake Texoma... will check this thread when I come home next week. Looking forward to series of polite and respectful discussion of the finer points of the game from Jason and other Kater posters:devil:

[lobo12]

im not gonna copy and paste it you have your opinion and you probably will be right, i didnt think of them getting to play on varsity when they were sophomores, did they do ok, anyway good luck this coming season

[Ranger Mom]

:clap: :clap: Da Mules....you are Da Man!!!:clap: :clap:

[Buffalo]

How was lake Texoma I grew up on the lake Oklahoma side. James left Lamesa and went to 2A post not tahoka

[Matthew328]

Glad to see you back Da_Mules.....we need more posters from the panhandle area...I'd love to see some Borger, Canyon, Perryton area also...I think we have a guy from Brownfield that posts some as well..

2-3A is a much improved district....Brownfield made a good showing last year...Lubbock Cooper will be good again...and Levelland down from 4A makes this a good balanced district 1-5...no cakewalks here...I kinda hope Muleshoe proves me wrong..for some reason I have been a fan of the Mules lately....

[Da Mules]

Lake Texoma was jam-packed, wall-to-wall boats of every size from wake runners to saltwater-worthy cabin cruisers. but still it was great to be there on a lake with trees ..all of you true West Texans know what I mean! we did catch a couple of limits of stripers, and I caught an 8-lb blue catfish while jigging for stripers in 60' of water.

Went thru Gainesville on the way to the lake and was kind of surprised not to see any billboards about winning the state championship last year... or maybe I just missed them in all of the traffic. Keith7, unofficial rule is, the years when you win district on up, you get to post it on the highway outside of town.. where's your sign at?

Hmm all of our Forney friends must be over on the 4a board.. nobody blistered me about the "Katers" while I was gone fishing
:thinking: :confused:

Lobo, 2 of those kids have been playing on varisty since they were freshmen. Last season 2 of our sophomores made 2-3A all-district on defense, 1 made it on offense, and 1 of the sophomores made the All-South Plains 3A team at running back. 2 others started at times. Even with these sophs playing on varsity, the JV team lost 1 game, losing to Lubbock Cooper JV for the 1st time by 1 point. Believe me, this bunch wants to play Cooper again real bad.

Buffalo you are right, James went to Post. He wound up in one of the toughest 2A districts in Region 1, with Idalou, Shallowater, and Lubbock Roosevelt all fielding good teams last year.

[La Grange]

Originally posted by jason
do you know who the 1 loss was to?? heres a hint: it was a butt whippin...

But jason do you recall the week after Forney vs. Muleshoe :D ?

[Da Mules]

Oh low blow, dirty pool, LaGrange! But I love it!:clap: :clap: